'rHE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



497 



sioa?' I confess myself strongly of the opinion," says 

 Mr.. Bowditcli, " that the sulphuric acid is a very 

 potent agent in bringing about the good results which 

 are so familiar, from compounds in which it is used ; 

 and when we recollect the raising of a crop of turnips 

 by watering the drills with dilute sulphuric acid only, 

 and the other successful experiments collected by 

 Johnston ("Experimental Agriculture,'' p. 104-5.), I 

 cannot help attributing the success with turnips, above 

 described, as much to the sulphur compounds as to the 

 compounds of nitrogen. Does not the known etiicacy 

 of woollen rags as a manure point in the same direction ? 

 I know, of course, how large a proportion of nitrogen 

 they contain, and how this is usually dwelt upon ; but 

 is it considered that they contain an amount of sulphur 

 which is capable of forming 12 J per cent, of their 

 weight of anhydrous sulphuric acid, and that the hop, 

 for which they are almost a specific, contains a sulphur- 

 ized oil nearly, if not altogether, similar to the oils of 

 mustard, garlic, onions, &c. ?" There is independence 

 of view in these remarks, a breaking away from the 

 beaten track of Liebig and Lawes, and the customary 

 authorities, and an opening up of fresh ground for 

 thought on the subject of plant-food — that we both 

 admire and approve. The following shrewd observa- 

 tion indicates one cause of our long subservience to 

 nitrogen as the royal manure : "^Yhen nitrogen com- 

 ptiunds can be purchased more cheaply than at present, 

 other ingredients of manure may perhaps receive 

 closer attention than they now obtain. The extreme im- 

 portance, and increasing price of nitrogen, has pushed 

 it somewhat beyond its true position." 



Passing by the proposal of the new manure for grass 

 lands— in which we are reminded that " all the nitrogen 

 of wool and hair came originally from the soil, and 

 most of it from grass;" that "the five millions of 

 pounds of sulphur on the sheep's backs of this country 

 were principally derived from grass," and thus the 

 continuous removal of minerals without return must 



tend to deteriorate the land — we take another instance 

 of our author's moderation in the presence of startling 

 and very winning results from his experiments with the 

 new manure upon potatoes. " The ' potato-disease ' 

 has an interest for everyone, whether he be a producer 

 or consumer ; and as an experiment of last year bears 

 upon the subject, it should be known." Of 3 acres of 

 Prince Regent potatoes, 2} acres dressed with the gas- 

 clay were free from disease, and on the remaining half 

 acre the jirincipul portion of the crop was afi'octed ; the 

 disease appearing badly in all the district, namely, 

 Wakefield. Wiioreupon we have these observations : 

 " I was prepared for the better crop which accompanied 

 the special manure, but its influence over disease was 

 entirely unexpected. I thitik also it is unexplained. 

 If the disease be owing to the attack of a fungus, and if 

 sulphur in some or all of its combinations be a 

 preventive, and if carbonic acid and arsenic (both of 

 which exist in small quantity in the clay) prevent its 

 attack or its growth, we may account for the prevention 

 in this particular case; but where the whole subject is 

 so entirely beyond the limits of our present knowledge, 

 it appears more becoming to hesitate in the expression 

 of opinion. What is certain is, that the attack of 

 disease, and of course the presence of a fungus, could 

 be (raced down the stems below the earth to the tubers, 

 loherc it stopped when these icei-e in contact with the 

 gas-manure, and to which it extended in all other 

 cases. But an isolated instance does not prove that we 

 have here a specific against disease, nor even that the 

 action of the same agent will be the same on other 

 soils and under other circumstances. Trials alone can 

 do this, and trials in sufficient number to warrant an 

 induction." 



A great discovery seems here to be close at hand ; 

 and yet it is the part of Vr-isdom to restrain the first im- 

 pulse to hail with rejoicing the apparent new truth, and 

 wait with patience for the tardy proof or too speedy 

 disappointment. 



THE MEMORIAL FROM THE EXHIBITORS OF STEAM CULTIVATORS. 



We proceed with the memorial which Mr. Collinson 

 Hall, Mr. John Fowler, junr., Mr. Charles Burrell, 

 and Mr. John A. Williams have addressed to the 

 Council of the Royal Agricultural Society : 



" We, the undersigned exhibitors of steam-ploughs 

 at Salisbury, are of opinion that the trial of those 

 machines at that meeting was of an unsatisfactory cha- 

 racter, and not such as was calculated to develope their 

 merits, but rather, by patting them into exceptional 

 circumstances, to injure them in the eyes of the public, 

 and was not consistent with the importance of the sub- 

 ject, or a fair return for the large outlay incurred by 

 us in exhibiting them there." Here we pause to cy- 

 press, not our approval of the construction of this sen- 

 tence, but our hearty assent to its statements. Every- 

 body who saw the ground will testify that the trial was 

 aiii>okery, and that it was a hard case for the inven- 



tor's, after their immense pains and pecuniary sacrifices, 

 to be placed before the assembled agricultural world 

 in a position where 'their powers could not possibly be 

 displayed. 



" As the third offer of the Society's premium has 

 again brought the subject under our notice, and as we 

 cannot but think that the loithdraxcal of those schemes 

 at jyrcsent most prominently before the public from 

 competition would bo prejudicial to the progress of the 

 invention, and would greatly detract from the interest 

 of the Society's meeting at Chester, we would respect- 

 fully request that the Council would con-ider whether 

 such terms and conditions of trial could be arranged, 

 and published previous to the day of entry, as would 

 enable those intending to exhibit to judge of the advi- 

 sabilitij of their incurring the heavy expenses neces' 

 sary to such a competition.'' 



