PROCEEDINGS OF THE CHEMICAL DEPARTMENT. 227 



The land was under turnips in 18G2, and was then pretty well 

 manured with town dung, guano, and dissolved bones. It has 

 since yielded wheat in 1863, pasture in 1864 and 1865, and oats 

 in 1866. It is middling land as regards natural fertility, and 

 was in fair condition last year. 



The manures were applied and the seed was sown on the 14th 

 of June. The soil was in good tilth, and the braird came up 

 pretty regularly. The turnips were ready for thinning on the 

 14th of July, but the work was delayed till the 18th by un- 

 favourable weather. 



At that stage Nos. 1, 2, 4, 5, 11, and 12 of section first were 

 the most forward plots, and 6, 7, 8, and 9 did not look so well. 

 The lots with nothing marked themselves out distinctly. Nos. 

 1, 11, and 12 of the second section were not in advance of the 

 other plots. 



The weather was most unfavourable after the date of thinning. 

 Heavy falls of rain and cold nights checked the growth, and the 

 young plants changed from a promising look at the middle of 

 July to a stinted aspect at the end of the month. The fine 

 weather in August restored the plants wonderfully, but on heavy 

 land an important part of the season for growth had passed away. 



Although the soil of the experimental plots has a uniform ap- 

 pearance, and it yields very equal crops in ordinary seasons, it 

 became evident after the heavy rains that the second section of 

 experiments would be less satisfactory than the first. The 

 plants sustained more injury on some of the plots than others. 

 Nos. 1, 2, 7, and 8 appeared to suffer most in this way from the 

 character of the soil. This disturbing cause, which was more or 

 less perceptible on many of the plots, must always lessen the 

 value of experiments on such lands in an adverse season. (See 

 Tables IX. and X.) 



In these experiments Mr Drennan has not weighed the 

 leaves, an omission which in this case does not appear of much 

 importance. It is obvious, indeed, that the long-continued rains 

 of July had so much injured the plants as to deprive the experi- 

 ments of much of the value they would otherwise have had. In 

 one respect, however, the result is very striking and unexpected, 

 for here muriate of potash produces a very decided effect, and 

 even surpasses the ordinary manures, containing abundance both 

 of phosphoric acid and ammonia. It is difficult to find any ex- 

 planation of this result, especially when it is noticed that no 

 similar effect is produced by it along with other manures, as for 

 example, no plot (6) where the produce from it and phosphates 

 is less than in No. 12, where the same phosphates are employed 

 alone. 



