PROCEEDINGS OF THE CHEMICAL DEPARTMENT. 231 



the 23d showers fell every clay, and the temperature was low, so 

 that the turnips made scarcely any progress. On the 25th Nos. 

 and 13 were thinned. Up to the middle of August the weather 

 remained very variable, and finger-and-toe had made its appear- 

 ance in many fields in the neighbourhood, and to some extent on 

 the experimental plots, though on the whole they seemed to he 

 doing tolerably well. On the 19th and 20th August much rain 

 fell, and the ground was thoroughly saturated with moisture. 

 After this the weather on the whole was more favourable. 

 Finger-and-toe, however, made considerable progress, and Mr 

 Mustard believes that it damaged the result of the crop to the 

 extent of nearly a third. At the time of singling there were from 

 200 to 220 bulbs in each plot, and a comparison of them with 

 the number of bulbs weighed, as recorded in the Table, will give 

 some idea of the injury done by the disease. The crop was 

 weighed on the 9th January. (See Tables XV. and XVI.) 



Although the existence of finger-and-toe in these experiments 

 necessarily takes to some extent from their value, it is interest- 

 ing to notice that the conclusions to be drawn from them are 

 precisely in accordance with those deduced from the majority of 

 the other experiments. Muriate of potash, alone, fails utterly ; 

 with phosphates it produces scarcely any effect — none at all, in- 

 deed, in Xo. 5, though No. 6 shows a very decided increase ; but 

 along with both phosphates and ammonia it gives the two highest 

 crops in Xos. 7 and 8, and the next highest in No. 9, where it is 

 used along with Peruvian guano. Bolivian guano, whether with 

 or without muriate of potash, gives no higher result than soluble 

 phosphates alone. It is worthy of notice that when sulphate of 

 ammonia is added to coprolites it increases the produce ; but 

 with dissolved guano it has no similar effect. 



Experiments made by Mr Nicoll, Littleton, Kirriemuir. 



The piece of ground selected for these experiments was above 

 the average of the field. The previous crop was oats, after three- 

 year-old lea, pastured the first year by cattle, and the others by 

 sheep. When last under green crop it was potatoes. 



The land was early ploughed with a medium furrow ; cross- 

 ploughed in spring ; the drills formed and harrowed down two 

 weeks previous to being seeded. The experimental plots were 

 sown on the 15th June, under favourable circumstances, both as 

 regards state of soil and weather, for producing an early and equal 

 hraird. They were all visible above ground on the 23d, and 

 thinned on the 11th and 12th of July. The produce was weighed 

 on the 11th and 12th December. Although; while growing, the 

 plants appeared tolerably healthy, when pulled decided symptoms 

 of finger-and-toe were observable, which would doubtless have 



