EXI'EllIMKXTAL STATIONS — IlEPOKT FOR 1879. 271 



Ifoyal rt'i'tlisliiro ralles and the Fechney Industrial School wera 

 iu atLendanco, and enlivened the proceedings with excellent 

 nuisic. Tlic, ])ipers of Sir liobert Menzies and Colonel Macdonald 

 of St Martins also entertained the visitors to some fine airs. 



Except on Tiiursday and early in the niorninjT of Friday, the 

 weather was all that could have been desired for the purpose of 

 the show. The interest taken by the pul)lie in the meeting' was 

 displayed in a very gratifying manner in the great concourse of 

 visitors, not only from the counties more immediately connected 

 with it, but from other portions of the kingdom and even abroad. 

 ^VU expressed themselves highly jjleased with the show and the 

 whole arrangements. 



EXPERIMENTAL STATIONS.— REPORT FOR 1879. 

 By Dr Andrew P. Aitkex, Chemist to the Society. 



EXPERIMENTS AT HARELAW AND PUMPHERSTOX. 



In the report of the experiments published last year (" Trans- 

 actions," vol. xi. p. 200), it was explained that, owing to the late- 

 ness of the season and the severity of the winter, it was found 

 impossible to secure the crops in time to enable the results of 

 the first year's cropping to form part of that report. Observa- 

 tions taken during the growing season were, however, recorded 

 iu it, and these need not be repeated here ; Ijut as they bear 

 directly on the results here taljulated, it will be found useful to 

 refer to tliem before proceeding to the present report. 



It will be seen from the results given in the subjoined 

 table that the crop on botli stations is a small one, and it is 

 just possible that a practical farmer, casting a rapid glance over 

 these figures, and knowing that he is able to produce nmch better 

 crops witliout a tenth of tlie care and trouble that has been 

 bestowed upon these, may consider it scarcely worth his wliile 

 to pursue the subject any further, and may conclude that, if such 

 crops as these are the result of the application of science to 

 turnip-growing, the less he has to do with science the better. 

 To reason thus would be a great mistake, for, in the first place, 

 the production of large crops is no part of the scheme of experi- 

 ments undertaken by the Society. So far from that being the 

 case, it was the aim of those who had the selection of the stations 

 to choose the poorest land that was otherwise suitable, and the 

 only fault to be found with Harelaw station is that the soil is 

 not poor enough. Again, no farmyard manure was applied to 

 the land, although it was at the beginning of a new rotation, nor 

 is there any immediate intention of applying it. The scheme is 

 a contest between the various forms of artificial manures. Lastly, 



