THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



91 



In the two fiext tables will be found the results of 

 some very interesting experiments made with yel- 

 low turnips, at Lord Kinnaird's farm of Millhill. 

 The different turnips were all manured with IG 

 tons of farmyard manure, valued at £4, and had, 

 in addition, quantities of different auxiliary ma- 

 nures. Tins table gives the number of the expeii- 

 ments and the manure, omitting Nos. 4 and 5, 

 since, owing to the failure of the crops, no analyses 

 of these turnips were made : 



0. 16 yards dung. 



1. 4 cwt. White's manure. 



2. 2 cwt. guano, 2 cwt. salt* 



3. 3 cwt. guano. 



6. 3 cwt. London Manure Co.'s manure. 



7. 4 cwt. superphosphate. 



8< 3 cwt. guano, 1 cwt. superphosphate, diluted 

 with 200 gallons water. 



9. 3 cwt. superphosphate, diluted v/ith 200 gal- 

 lons water. 



In the following table, column I. gives the num- 

 ber (referring to the preceding table) of the experi- 

 ments, II. the quantity of water found in 10,000 

 parts of the turnip, III. the ash, IV. the protein 

 compounds, V. the fibre, sugar, &c., and VI. the 

 nitrogen found in these differently-manured turnips. 

 No analyses were made of Nos. 4 and 5, as the gain 



was not equal to thei cost of the manures : — 



__ 



13.2 

 10.0 

 10.8 

 13.1 

 15.5 

 11.0 

 18.5 

 6.5 



It would seem, therefore, that there is not such a 

 dilTereucc in the composition of the turnip plant 

 grown by different manm-es, as to lead us to con- 

 clude that any injurious results would ensue from 

 them to the stock. 



There is no doubt considerable results are to be 

 obtained from small variations in the mode of apply- 

 ing the same kind of food. Vie have an instance of 

 tills in the good effect of slicing or of pulping tur- 

 nips, a very useful report on which, by Mr. J. 

 M'Larcn, of Rossie, will be found in the last num- 

 ber of the " Transactions of the Highland Society of 

 Scotland," p. 153. His trials were made in 1855-56 

 and 1S5G-57, with six cattle fed on whole turnips ; 

 six fed on pulped turnips, mixed with cut straw, and 

 given fresh ; and six fed with pulped turnips, mixed 

 witli cut chaff, and allowed to ferment for forty-eight 

 hours. From the results of these trials he fairly 

 enough draws the conclusion, "That, although there 

 has been some variation as to the largest increment, 

 this season, it being on the lot consuming un- 



fcrmentcd pulp, whilst last year these were much iu 

 ai-rear, still the general result has been that the 

 pu!f)ing of the turnips is a saving of the root in feed- 

 ing cattle. At the same time, it is not to be for- 

 gotten that, in a feeding experiment, much depends 

 on the accident of a well or an ill-feeding beast being 

 in one or other of the lots. It is, indeed, almost 

 impossible to find any two animals feed alike, how- 

 ever well selected or attentively looked after ; still 

 the average of six cattle in each lot shoidd give a 

 pretty fair test to judge by ; but one set of trials can 

 liardly be held to be conclusive in determining either 

 success or failure of any system." The following 

 were the results obtained in 1855-56 : — 



6 fed on pulped -] 

 turnips, mixed I 

 with chaff, and | 

 fermented J 



6 fed on whole \ 

 turnips J 



6 fed on pulped "I 

 turnips and chafi', > 

 given fresh .... J 



Weighed 



Oct. 18, 1855. Mar. 1, 1856. 



cwts. lbs. cwts. lbs, 



82 28 



70 



70 

 70 



14 



24 

 70 



81 



77 



14 



Upon repeating the trial iu 18rj6-57, with the 

 same kind of short-horned steers, the 



Weighed 

 Nov. 8, 1856.^ April 9, 1857. 



6 fed on wholetur-\ 

 nips and strav/ . . J 



6 fed on pulped tur- "I 

 nips, given fresh, >■ 

 mixed with chaff J 



6 fed with pulped "I 

 turnips, mixed I 

 with chaff, and | 

 fermented J 



cwts. 

 54 



54 



54 



lbs 

 54 



68 



28 



cwts. 



75 



79 



78 



lbs. 



28 



After making all the necessary deductions, he found 

 the profit from feeding these different lots in 

 1856-57 was 



Lot 1 £15 17 4 



„ 2 23 15 10 



„ 3 22 14 4 



The successful growth of the turnip, indeed, is 

 one of the most important of the farmer's many 

 anxious efforts : anything, therefore, which adds to 

 his stock of manure for this root, adds, in fact, 

 almost directly to the food of his live stock. I have 

 long urged upon their attention the collection, for 

 this purpose, of the couch and other weeds, which 

 ever follow, as it were, tlie plough on all arable 

 soils. I have reminded them from year to year of 

 the valuable compost produced by collecting these 

 mto heaps, and mixing them with copious dressings 

 of common salt or lime. By this process, a very 

 considerable amount of the organic matters of the 



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