THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



289 



same amount deposited under the surface imme- 

 diately in contact with the germinating seeds ; or, 

 to put the same thing in anotlier way, as the water 

 drill moistens in breadth (if we calculate its 

 diffusion of water at 3 inches and the drills at 

 27 inches apart), one-ninth of the land then drilling 

 in one ton of water is equal to nine tons moistening 

 the whole acre. 



The inventor of the water drill seems to incline 

 to both modes of explaining its good action on the 

 root crop ; for in a recent communication from 

 Mr. Chandler, dated at Aldhourne, March 6th, 

 18(30, he remarks, in reference to the theory of 

 its action, " I have no exact data to guide me as to 

 the qiiantitii of water best suited for the production 

 of the ditlerent crops to which liquid may be 

 applied ; but my own experience has led me to 

 observe that for turnips or brassica crops (which 

 are those I have principally experimented upon) 

 the amount of water required depends much upon 

 the weather and time of year. We commence by 

 sowing rape about the middle of April. It often 

 happens at this early season that there are frosty 

 nights, which take a very injurious effect on seeds 

 put in with liquid, especially when a too liberal 

 supply of that is given. As a rule therefore, we 

 put on as small a quantity as will properly diffuse 

 the manure. When the temperature is higher we 

 lay on a considerable quantity more — even should 

 the land be ever so well saturated with rain. 



" Strange as this statement may appear, not only 

 my own observations, but that of most others who 

 have used the drill, will corroborate it. 



" Warm moist seasons are those when the 

 beneficial results of the water drill are most appa- 

 rent. I quite agree in the opinion that the advan- 

 tages of applying the bone manure liquidized is 

 by supplying the young plants with moisture, and 

 by dissolving and diffusing the soluble portion of 

 the manure evenly over the soil. The latter point 

 more particularly calls for remark, as on that, in 

 my opinion, rests the chief merit of my drill. The 

 manure being so minutely and thoroughly mixed 

 with the water by the action of the buckets or 

 stirrers, the soluble portions must be distributed 

 in the drills exactly in the proportion of the water; 

 and of this I am pretty well certain, that when the 

 soluble salts come in contact with other elements 

 in the soil, they are rendered doubly productive as 

 food for the young plants, and give them a further 

 supply in their more advanced stages. I cannot 

 better illustrate this portion of the subject than by 

 comparing the food of infants and of the turnip 

 plant in its very infancy. It would be the height 

 of folly to attempt to make the former eat a crust. 

 It must, of course, be prepared to meet the require- 

 ments of its several functions. It is no less absurd 

 to think that a turnip plant just vegetated should 

 have the power of availing itself of the food con- 

 tained in a crude bone — both, when properly pre- 

 pared, are nutritious : our pap-dish is the cistern of 

 the water drill." 



It is noticeable, when we are considering the 

 value of the water drilled with the manure, that in 

 the earliest reported trials with superphosphate of 

 lime for turnips, this salt was successfully mixed 

 with a considerable portion of water. 



In 1843, in the report of the Morayshire 

 Farmers' Club {Jour. Roy, Ag. Soc, vol. iv. p. 

 165), the experiments made in 1842 by Mr. M. 

 William, of Sherriffstone, are given. 



It will be seen by the three following com- 

 parative trials of this excellent Scotch farmer, with 

 the common turnips, that the produce per acre in- 

 creased with the quantity of water mixed with the 

 superphosphate, or up to 3-2 tons per acre. 



MANURE. PRODUCE. 



Bones 20 bush. 12 tons 4 cwts. 



Bones 20 bush. "^ 



Sulphuric acid. .. . 76 lbs. ^ 13 „ „ 



Water 126 lbs. 3 



Bones 4 bush.") 



Sulphuric acid. .. . 16 lbs. | 



Water 224 lbs. ^. 17 „ 4 „ 



apphed in 640 gallons of water | 



in the furrows. J 



In the same early report is recorded the trials of 

 Mr. Geddes, of OrbUston. The manure employed 

 and the results obtained per acre may be thus 

 briefly abridged — here, again, about 3^ tons of 

 water per acre were drilled : — 



MANURE. PRODUCE. 



Bones 12 bush. 11 tons. 9 cwts. 



Bones 15 bush. \ ,„ 



Manure ISloads.J '"^ " '-^ " 



Bone-dust 1 bush."^ 



Acid 67ilbs. \ 



Water 201 lbs, )■ 13 „ 10 „ 



These applied, mixed with I 



66o gallons of water. .... J 



In the following year the experiments of the 

 Duke of Richmond were made. He apphed per 

 acre— (Jowr. Roy. Ay. Soc, vol. v. p. 444)— only 

 about two tons of water. 



PRODUCE. 



11 tons. cwts. 



sh."l 

 lis. S 



11 



12 







MANURE. 



Bones 8 bush. ( 



Sulphuric acid 83 lbs. S 



Bones 16 bush. 



Bones 2 bush. 



Sulphuric acid . . , 83 lbs, 



AVater 400 galls. 



In the year 1843 the trials of Mr. John Hannam 

 were attended with similar results— but with 

 double the proportion of water used by the Duke 

 of Richmond— (Jo«<r. Eoy. Aff. Soc. vol. v. p. 460). 

 In these cases the produce per acre was as follow : 



15 



MANURE. 



The soil simple 



Bone-dust, 16 bushels drilled"! 



with the seed J 



Bone-dust 8 bush. ^ 



Sulphuric acid 168 lbs. | 



Water 604 lbs, >• 17 „ 



these apphed, mixed with 840 I 



gallons of water J 



Bone-dust 8 bush, -^ 



Muriatic acid .... 168 lbs. | 



Water 604 lbs. )- 17 „ 



applied, mixed with 840 gallons 1 



of water -* 



This last trial repeated, with ^ 



only 84 lbs. of sulphuric !• 13 „ 



acid * 



PRODUCE. 



7 tons. cwts. 



