REPORT ON PHOSPHATIC AND AMMONIACAL MANURES. 145 



similar experiments all confirmed each other, we would have 

 thought that some error must have been committed in weighing. 



All the "shot" mangolds were lifted before the others, and were 

 counted as pulled, and thrown into the cart. They were then 

 "topped and tailed," and weighed. We may here mention that the 

 whole crop on all the plots was weighed. In some remarks on 

 experiments of a similar kind made last year (see " Transactions," 

 p. 156), in which the percentage of shot mangolds increased pretty 

 much in the same ratio as the crop from different manures, we 

 surmised "that the larger crops, being perhaps more mature, 

 might possibly account for that circumstance." It is evident, 

 however, from these experiments, that both the " shot" mangolds 

 and the leaves owe their increase entirely to nitrogenous manures. 

 Four cwt. guano gave nearly as large a crop of bulbs in each case 

 as 10 cwt., but nothing like such a crop of leaves or " shot" man- 

 golds. Nor is this increase owing to the larger crops being more 

 matured ; for we believe the most matured crops, in every case, 

 were those on the phosphatic manures, particularly on the "10 

 cwt. superphosphate." The leaves on this plot looked more 

 bulky than those on the "6 cwt. salt," and the "nothing" plots, 

 till shortly before being pulled, when they gradually became 

 yellower than the others — more matured, in other words — and 

 diminished in bulk. We noticed this particularly on some ex- 

 periments with " soluble and insoluble phosphates." The leaves 

 on the " soluble" plots, although much bulkier than those on the 

 " insoluble" plots, during the greater part of the season, had got 

 so ripe and diminished in bulk shortly before being pulled, that 

 there was no perceptible difference between them and those on 

 the " insoluble" plots ; and, indeed, so much was this the case, 

 that we began to expect as large a crop from the insoluble as 

 from the soluble manures, which was not the case ; but might 

 not this circumstance account in some degree for the prevalence 

 of the idea, that " soluble phosphates" do no good towards the 

 end of the season? The leaves in the "10 cwt. guano" plots 

 looked green, fresh, and luxuriant, as if they were not ripe, and 

 would have grown for some time. 



W T e have put a query ( ? ) after those which seem to us to be 

 doubtful, and would have our readers to place no confidence in 

 those so marked. The 7 tons 10 cwt. of mangold leaves off the 

 " nothing" plot, we believe to be erroneous; there was no ap- 

 parent difference between that plot and the two immediately 

 preceding before being pulled. 



From these experiments, we may presume that nitrogenous 

 manures greatly increased the crop of leaves on mangolds, 

 swedes, and turnips ; that they tend to induce mangolds, either 

 directly or indirectly, to run to seed. (It seems to us more pro- 

 bable that this tendency to "run to seed" is indirectly produced by 



K 



