388 PROCEEDINGS OF THE CHEMICAL DEPARTMENT. 



Forfarshire — 



Alexander Anderson, Boysack, Arbroath- 

 Alexander Bowie, Mains of Kelly. 

 Robert Mustard, Leuchlands, Brechin. 

 F. M. Nicoll, Littleton, Kirriemuir. 

 W. Smith, West Drums, Brechin. 



Ayrshire — 



J. Drennan, Holmston, Ayr. 



Robert Cunningham, Shields, Monkton. 



W. Young, Highfield, Ayr. 



WiltsJdre — 

 Russel Swanwick, Whittington, Chesterfield. 



Experiments were commenced by all of these gentlemen, 

 with the exception of Mr. Nicoll, who was prevented from 

 making his in consequence of the non-delivery of the manures, 

 which, owing to the neglect of the Railway Company, did not 

 reach him in proper time ;* but the unfortunate nature of the 

 season rendered those, no less than four experimenters, useless. 



Two matters of much importance received very careful con- 

 sideration on the part of the Committee, and these were : — 1st. 

 The scale on which the experiments should be made ; and, 2d. 

 The exact nature of those to be undertaken during the first 

 season. 



On the first of these questions, the opinion of the Committee 

 was almost unanimously in favour of working on the small 

 scale ; and the considerations which led to this conclusion were 

 mainly the great convenience, and economy of small experiments. 

 It was seen, in fact, that comparatively few farmers can afford 

 either the land or the time necessary for working on a large 

 scale, such as half or a fourth of an acre, for example ; and there 

 is no doubt that if the Committee had chosen such experiments, 

 it would have been difficult to get a sufficiently large number of 

 individuals to undertake them. The size of each plot eventually 



* As an illustration of the minor troubles of such matters, it may be men- 

 tioned that the manures were dispatched to Mr. Nicoll at the same time as to the 

 other experimenters, but when he sent to the Station, he was informed that no 

 parcel had arrived for him. On inquiry a day or two after, he got the same 

 answer, and as his post and railway address are not the same, he thought it pos- 

 sible I might have sent the manures to his post address. On inquiry at that 

 station he found no parcels. He then wrote to me, and after much correspon- 

 dence with the Hailway Company, the manures were at last found at the proper 

 station, where they had been lying during the whole time, although they 

 averred that they had never reached it. 



