140 REPORT ON PHOSPHATIC AND AMMONIAC AL MANURES.' 



yellow and white turnips, in most turnip soils the nitrogenous 

 element almost disappears, and the manure becomes principally 

 phosphatic. Beans seem to form an exception to this rule, as 

 we find they are grown in some parts with manures prin- 

 cipally phosphatic ; but it may be said that beans belong to a 

 different order of plants, and that possibly the same gradation 

 takes place with the leguminosse. Italian ryegrass, again, is 

 grown with great rapidity by means of purely nitrogenous 

 manures alone. But the definite proportion seems so constant 

 with the others before mentioned, that we have thought if the 

 best proportional amount of phosphatic and nitrogenous elements 

 could be definitely found for a number of these plants growing on 

 the same soil and under the same circumstances, that, having found 

 the best proportion for any one of them on a different soil, a fair 

 idea might be formed of what would be the best proportions for 

 the other plants. With a view to this, we made some experi- 

 ments, of a preliminary kind, during the present season on 

 cabbages, carrots, mangolds, swedes, and yellow turnips. The 

 returns of the cabbages cannot be got ready for this report, but 

 will probably appear at some future time. Suffice it to say, that 

 3 cwt. of superphosphate added to 3 cwt. of Peruvian guano, 

 gave no increase of crop over that grown on 3 cwt. guano alone. 

 The carrots did not braird even enough for an experiment, and 

 as there was a blank here and there throughout, we did not think 

 proper to weigh the crop. The results from the mangolds, 

 swedes, and turnips are given below. 



The carrots and mangolds were grown on contiguous plots in 

 one field, which was manured on the stubble in autumn with 

 30 loads ash-dung per acre. The cabbages, swedes, and yellow 

 turnips were on contiguous plots in another field, manured also 

 on the stubble with 25 cubic yards of farmyard dung. The 

 Peruvian guano contained nearly 19 per cent, of ammonia and 

 22 per cent, of phosphates. The superphosphate was analysed 

 by Dr Anderson, with the following results : — 



