522 Abstract Report of Agricultural Discussions. 



would bear transplanting well, sucli as cabbage and kobl-rabi, rather 

 than the white turnip. The number of plants might be determined ; 

 and if any were destroyed by accident, provided they began in good 

 time, the gaps could be filled up, and the full number maintained. 



Then, as to the soil, the Professor had advocated a medium one ; 

 and certainly this would commonly be desirable, if the experiments 

 were to be a general 'guide : but he did not believe in the general 

 applicability of any particular line of action in agriculture. With 

 respect to potash, on clay soils there would probably be a superabund- 

 ance of potash available or locked up, and perhaps in medium soils 

 an adequate amount. If they wanted to see whether potash could 

 produce such an effect as to encoui-age the farmer generally to give 

 it a trial, it must be applied on soil that was decidedly deficient 

 in potash — that was, on sand. In the experiments with potash 

 which he was about to try this year, he was most hopeful of 

 seeing a decidedly good result upon a bm-ning sand, on which he 

 meant to sow kohl-rabi early. Until the j^resent time the only 

 green crop which he could successfully grow on it had been coleseed 

 or rape, the sowing of which he must postpone until the middle 

 of July, otherwise even that plant would not stand the summer 

 heats. White turnips it would be vain to sow, but he fancied that 

 kohl-rabi might stand the drought and heat even there ; and that 

 he was more likely to get a satisfactory result from the use of 

 potash on that soil than from other similar trials or experiments on 

 the more medium soils. 



The Professor had stated that they might mix concentrated manures 

 with sand, and also with ashes. He would remind the Professor that 

 if the ashes were off a good clay, they themselves were of a manurial 

 nature, and not mere make-weight or bulk, as sand would be. 



In the excellent paper which Professor Voelcker had published 

 in the recent number of the 'Journal,' he had suggested the use of 

 potash in addition to farmyard manure. But what farmers holding poor 

 land wanted was a manure that would do instead of farmyard dung — - 

 a complete substitute for farmyard manure, if possible. That being 

 so, it must contain phosphate, and on light soils probably potash 

 also ; and they woiild require to see the effect produced by potash in 

 conjunction with phosphate and nitrogen, quite as much in contrast 

 with farmyard manure as with plots to which no addition had been 

 made except that of common salt. 



They were bound, he thought, in a scientific point of view, to make 

 these experiments with potash, whatever might be the result. They 

 had been taunted with forcing their lands with nitrogen, and over- 

 looking or neglecting the mineral resources of the soil. .Now, 

 he took it that the most important mineral was phosphate ; and 

 certainly, so far as his own county (Cambridge) was concerned, 

 it could not be taxed with overlooking that. The next mineral in 

 importance was potash ; and up to this time they had not purchased 

 it, although, as far as they were able, they jirovided it from home 

 stores. German potash manures might be bought of two kinds — 

 the finer at SI. 10s., and the coarser at 31. 10s. He himself had 



