290 Agricultural Chemistry — Sheep-Feeding and Manure. 



In explanation of the construction of Table 7, it should be ob- 

 served, that the live weight, which is supposed to have consumed 

 the total food in each pen, as given in Table 6, is the mean of the 

 weight throughout the entire period of the experiment, obtained 

 by adding together the total weight in each pen at the commence- 

 ment and at the end of the experiment, and dividing by 2.* It 

 may be well also here to mention, as affecting the correctness of 

 Tables 7 and 8 — and, indeed, Table 6 also, though the subject 

 will be again referred to — that the samples of swedes No. 1 were 

 taken direct from the field on the day they were carted from the 

 land, a short time previous to the commencement of their use, and 

 those of swedes No. 2, also near to the commencement of their 

 consumption ; so that, if, as we have shown in a previous paper, a 

 considerable exhalation of water takes place from roots and other 

 succulent substances after they are gathered in, it is evident that 

 the quantities weighed out to the animals, after being cut day by- 

 day as the experiment proceeded, would represent a larger amount 

 of the fresh swedes such as came to the feeding-shed than was 

 indicated by the scales. Indeed, it is to be feared that the amounts 

 of dry matter and of nitrogen in the swedes, are from this cause 

 estimated too low in the Tables given above ; and, judging by the 

 aid of other results since obtamed, it is supposed that they ought 

 to be raised by about one-sixth of the total amount of those sub- 

 stances stated as contained in the siaedes. Supposing the error to 

 exist, it would not materially affect the correctness of any observa- 

 tions we shall hazard respecting the results, though its probability 

 will certainly add to reasons already suggested for the exercise of 

 caution in founding any nice calculations upon them. It is thought 

 better thus to give the results as they were actually obtained, with 

 such observations as may indicate in what respects they may be 

 subject to error, than arbitrarily to amend them, upon data which 

 are uncertain. 



With these precautionary remarks we may safely call attention 

 to the fact, that whether we take the figures as given in the Tables, 

 or consider them amended, it would seem that there was very 

 nearly the same amount of gross dry-organic-matter consumed 

 weekly by 100 lbs. of live weight of animal in all the pens ; and 

 when we consider that in the 3rd pen with clover, which gives the 

 highest amount, there would be a larger proportion of it inert 

 woody fibre, which would pass through the animals unchanged, 

 than in any of the other pens, and that in the 4tli pen, which 

 gives the least dry-organic-matter consumed, the swedes only 

 would probably contain less effete jnatter than the mixed foods in 



* This rule is applied in all the cases of a similar kind occurring in this 

 article. 



