Agricultural Chemistry — Skeep-Feeding and Manure. 339 



The reader of the foregoing pages will at once discern that the 

 results as thus far detailed are not alone fitted for direct application 

 to those general questions which, in our introductory remarks, we 

 have stated it to be the object of this investigation to elucidate ; it 

 being obviously essential to such purpose that the collateral in- 

 formation as to the composition of the increase and of the manure 

 should also be before us. Some few observations, however, upon 

 the Tabulated Summary which has been given, as well as upon 

 the collected results of other experimenters by the side of our 

 own, might with advantage have been offered in this place, had our 

 time and space permitted it. The omission is, however, perhaps 

 the less to be regretted, since the remarks which have been made in 

 the course of the detailed examination of th'e results may probably 

 serve, in the mean time, sufficiently to guide the observations of 

 the intelligent reader to some of the chief points of interest in 

 these concluding Tables, whilst, in re-opening the subject in our 

 next communication, a suitable opportunity will occur for passing 

 in review the facts already recorded, which, indeed, may now be 

 accomplished with less fear of undesirable repetition. We pro- 

 pose, then, in our next, first to recall attention to the facts of 

 more prominent import which have thus far been brought for- 

 ward, relating to the consumption of food or its constituents, 

 and the increase in gross live weight obtained ; then to consider 

 in detail, first the question of the composition of increase, and 

 secondly that of the manure produced, each in relation to the 

 general and special characters of the foods employed ; and, this 

 being accomplished, we shall be prepared to direct attention to 

 the more important bearings of the results, especially in relation 

 to the characters and composition of manuring substances gene- 

 rally. 



