96 EXPERIMENTS WITH SOLUBLE AND INSOLUBLE PHOSPHATES 



whilst the azote guano and the potash plots, 1 and 2, were alDout 

 equal. The potash plots were very much ahead of the coprolite 

 plots of Section I., a fact which I no sooner discovered than I had 

 a consultation with Mr J. Falconer King, Edinburgh, and told him 

 that on soil which he had pre"\dously analysed '25 per cent, of 

 potash, the addition of potash to the soil had a very marked effect 

 on the growth of the turnip plant. He thereupon asked me to 

 take a sample of soil out of plot 6, section I., which had received 

 no manure, which I did, and sent to him for examination, when 

 he reported that the soil contained fully -25 per cent, of potash, 

 but that it existed in such a condition that only about -04 of it 

 was in a state to be immediately available for the use of the 

 plant. 



In Section III., plot 5, fish guano was first, plots 3 and 4 made 

 good seconds, plots 1 and 2 being a little behind these, while 

 plot 6, azote guano, looked worst. 



In Section IV. there was very little diversity in the appear- 

 ance of the plants. Plot 5, dissolved bones divided the honours 

 with plot 2, fish guano. Plots 3 and 4 were about equal, and 

 plots 1 and 6 were also about level, and a little behind. The 

 turnips in ordinary cultivation were ahead of any of those in 

 the plots. 



I examined the plots again on the 1st September and found a 

 considerable difference. In Section I. the dissolved bones and 

 superphosphate plot showed to a much greater extent the un- 

 healthy green and yellow curl of the leaf, to which I have 

 already alluded ; in fact, several blotches in both plots had de- 

 teriorated instead of having improved during the month, and 

 the}' looked anything but a healthy or a level crop. The bone 

 meal plot seemed to be leading in point of vigour, and the 

 mineral plots pulling hard at their leeway. The no-manure 

 plot still looked worst, Ijut no unhealthy curl on the leaves. In 

 Section II., the four plots which had got nitrogen looked bulkiest 

 in the shaws and apparently about equal. The potash looked 

 very well, but not so big shaws as the nitrogen plots, and still a 

 great way ahead of the coprolite plots of the first section. In 

 Section III. the order of tliim^s, as existino- on the 1st August, 

 was almost entirely reversed. The azote guano plot had im- 

 proved immensely ; its leavas were by far the largest and most 

 vigorous of any in the section, but the roots at that date were 

 not quite so good as some of the others. The other five plots 

 looked pretty much the same, the fish guano plot bemg if any 

 tiling better rooted than the others. In Section IV. the no 

 artificial manure plot was still worst. The others occupied 

 pretty much the same position as they did a month previously. 

 At this stage, 1st September, some thin spots of soil were shown 

 by the turnip on them getting a little faded in the leaves. This 



