348 



PHYSIOLOGY AT THE FARM. 



elaborate paper on the composition of turnips at different 

 stages of growth, is of much interest.* The examination was 

 made at four periods namely, 32 days after sowing ; then 

 after another interval of 35 days ; then after a third interval 

 of 20 days ; and lastly after a fourth interval of 35 days, 

 bringing the date of the last examination to so late a period 

 in the season as the 5th of the month of October. 



PERCENTAGE COMPOSITION. 



The particular organic substances contained in turnips are 

 not well agreed on. In the mean time it is useful to know, 

 from experiments by Boussingault, that in flesh-forming effect 

 about sixty pounds of turnips correspond to twelve pounds of 

 wheat-flour. Thus, in a cow, the quantity of flesh-forming 

 substances required to counterbalance the daily loss of such 

 substances was nearly eighteen ounces, which quantity is 

 equivalent to what twelve pounds of wheat-flour, or sixty 

 pounds of turnips, can supply. In the same animal, from four 

 to five pounds of carbon are necessary to furnish the carbon 

 contained in the carbonic acid thrown off by respiration ; and 

 to yield this amount of carbon daily, about 100 pounds of 

 turnips are no more than sufficient. 



* Transactions of the Highland and Agricultural Society. ' 



