Field Experiments on Hoot- Crops. 513 



The field was in a good agricultural condition. 



With a view of testing the merits of these salts as an auxiliary 

 manure for mangolds, a portion of a field was dressed with them 

 on the 28th of February, at the rate of 4 cwts. per acre. The 

 whole field was manured on May 12th Avith 15 tons of dung and 

 2^ cwts. of bone superphosphate in ridges. The mangold-seed 

 was drilled on the same day. The soil was damp, and the seed 

 on the potash plot germinated well, and came to a plant at 

 the same time as on the land on either side. The young plants 

 were singled out on July 2nd, 18 inches between plant and plant, 

 and 28 inches between the rows. Soon after the young mangolds 

 were singled, the leaves became slightly yellow. This appear- 

 ance continued, and even increased, throughout the summer and 

 autumn, until the crop was pulled up on November 8th. On 

 the most clayey ground the potash mangolds suffered much in 

 unhealthy scorched-looking leaves. 



The plants (750) on the potash plot (l-20th of an acre) were 

 more numerous than where no potash was applied. This was 

 caused by the accident of growth and singling out, and not 

 by design. On another plot of l-20th of an acre only 660 

 mangolds were found. The produce in cleaned and trimmed 

 mangolds per acre was: — without potash -salt, 21 tons; with 

 4 cwts. of potash-salts per acre, 20 tons 3 cwts. 18 lbs. The 

 750 mangold-bulbs grown with potash-salts averaged scarcely 

 3 lbs. each, the 660 above 3 lbs. each. There were some few 

 rather large blanks on the non- potash part, and Mr. Vallen- 

 tine estimated that about three tons more mangolds would have 

 been grown there had the plant been equally good. 



Last summer was rather too wet, and not hot enough for 

 mangolds ; this makes it appear that on clay soils in a good 

 agricultural condition, the addition of potash-salts, and probably 

 other readily soluble saline matters, to a good dressing of dung 

 and superphosphate does more harm than good to mangolds. 

 The yellow colour of the potash mangolds, and marked appear- 

 ance of their leaves, evidently shows that the land contained too 

 crreat an abundance of soluble saline matters. 



Experiments icith Crude Potash-Salts on Sioedish Turnips, at 

 Burcott Lodge, Leifjhton Buzzard, 1866. — Crude German potash- 

 salts were applied at the rate of 4 cwts. per acre, on February 

 28th, 1866, when the ground was in a fine state of Avinter pre- 

 paration, having been twice ploughed, and deeply stirred when 

 dry. The swede field was very similar in character to the 

 mangold field, but not quite so clayey ; it contained but little 

 lime. 



