230 PROCEEDINGS OF THE CHEMICAL DEPARTMENT. 



too dry for the turnip ; and the consequence was, that the crop in 

 Mr Harper's district was under the average, as it was also on the 

 experimental plots. The turnips made considerable progress 

 during November, and Mr Harper thinks they might have con- 

 tinued to do so for some time had they been left on the field, but 

 as there was severe frost in the beginning of December, he thought 

 it safer to lift and weigh the produce on the 10th of that month. 

 The results are given in Tables XIII. and XIV. 



The results of these experiments are extremely remarkable, 

 especially as regards muriate of potash. Alone, it adds above 7 

 tons to the produce ; but when used with phosphates, it hardly 

 produces a perceptible effect. Thus, with coprolites it only adds 

 about a ton to the quantity which that substance gives alone, and 

 with dissolved guano the result is about 6 cwt. less. So likewise 

 phosphates with ammonia produce but little more than when 

 alone. But it is quite otherwise when phosphates, ammonia, and 

 muriate of potash are conjoined. Then a marked increase is ob- 

 served ; and where the phosphates are derived from dissolved 

 guano, the highest crop is obtained, the quantity reaching 20 tons 

 per acre. Next to this stands Peruvian guano, only a slight ad- 

 vantage being gained by the addition of muriate of potash ; while 

 Bolivian guano is much behind, and does not surpass soluble 

 phosphates employed alone, although supplying a much larger 

 quantity of phosphoric acid. 



Experiments made, by Mr Mustard, Zeuchland, Brechin. 



The piece of ground selected for these experiments is a light 

 loam resting on a mixture of inferior clay and sand, situated 

 about 140 feet above the level of the sea. The field has been 

 cropped for a good many rotations under the five-shift system. 

 The soil got a fair furrow in December, and the grubber was 

 put over it on the 20th May, and it was well harrowed immedi- 

 ately after. The weather became very wet on the 27th May, and 

 continued showery for ten or eleven clays. On the 10th June it 

 was again grubbed, with common harrows following ; and the day 

 after, the chain-harrows were used. On the 14th June it was 

 rolled and drilled, and on the 15th it was sown under favourable 

 circumstances. Scarcely any rain fell from the time of sowing 

 up to the 2d July; but the weather was on the whole favourable, 

 and on the latter day a nice equal braird had appeared all over 

 the plots. Rain fell on 3d and 4th July, but from that time to 

 the 13th, when a slight shower fell, the weather was bright and 

 warm, with strong sun. On the 13th all the plots were singled, 

 with the exception of Nos. and 13. On the 15th and 16th 

 heavy rain fell, and all out-of-door work was stopped. On the 

 18th there was again wind and rain, and the ground was so 

 thoroughly saturated that water stood between the drills. Up to 



