116 EUROPEAN AGRICULTURE. 



well when I left. I hope soon to have the pleasure of writing 

 you again on the subject. Meantime, 

 &quot;I remain, sir, 



&quot; Your most obedient servant, 



&quot;!AS. CAMPBELL. 

 &quot; HENRY COLMAN, Esq. London. 11 



There were exhibited, on this occasion, specimens of oats, 

 barley, wheat, and rye-grass, raised from seed chemically pre 

 pared. Mr. Campbell adds in another letter as follows : 



&quot; It is now a considerable time since I began to imagine that, 

 if the ultimate principles, of which the proximate constituents of 

 most of the gramineous seeds are composed, could by any means 

 be made so to enter the substance ol the seed, and at the same 

 time not to injure its vitality, as thoroughly to imbue its texture 

 with an excess of these principles, the end (viz., of superseding 

 manures) would be accomplished ; and it is by doing this to a 

 certain extent that I am certain I have succeeded. 



&quot; The specimens of oats prepared from sulphate of ammonia 

 are magnificent, both as to height and strength, being six feet 

 high, and having stems like small canes, and consisted of an 

 average of ten stems from each seed, and 160 grains on each 

 stem. The oats from muriate of ammonia were vigorous and 

 equally prolific, but not so tall ; and those from the nitrate of 

 soda and potass were nearly equally prolific, but still -less tall. 

 Big, or bear, from a preparation of nitrate of ammonia, like that 

 in which the barley was steeped, had an average of eleven 

 and a half stems from each seed, and seventy-two grains on 

 each stem.&quot; 



Mr. Campbell states &quot; that the ground in which his experiments 

 had been made had received no manure for eleven years, and in 

 it there was little organic matter of any kind.&quot; It was in a yard, 

 or old garden, next to his house ; but unless he had made an 

 analysis of the soil in respect to the amount of organic matter 

 contained in it, I should conclude that his judgment here was 

 at fault. This circumstance, however, is of little consequence, 

 since the experiments were comparative, and made in the same 

 soil, and under the same circumstances. The plants had been 

 principally removed from the ground when I saw it ; and I had 

 only to regret that the experiments, of which, from the apparent 



