EXPERIMENTS WITH THE CAEBONATES. 161 



salt. It not only leaves the subject perfectly open, but en- 

 courages us to further experiments. 



According to Lampadius, potash or wood -ashes aid the 

 growth of corn after turnips or potatoes j according to Sprengel, 

 carbonate of soda, in a remarkable manner, assists the growth 

 of buck- wheat ; while, according to Mr Fleming, they all greatly 

 hasten the growth and increase the produce of strawberries and 

 other garden fruits. These statements suggest and hold out 

 further inducements to experimental trials. 



3. Suggestions for experiments with the carbonates of potash 



and soda. 



Repeating the statement of the preceding section, that 87 Ib. 

 of dry* carbonate of potash are equivalent to and ought to be 

 tried in comparison with 179 of crystallised carbonate of soda, 

 I would suggest, 



1. Accurate experiments with each of the carbonates made 

 in duplicate. They may be applied as top-dressings either to 

 wheat, oats, barley, rye, or buck-wheat. 



2. As our green crops contain a larger proportion of alkaline 

 than of other mineral matter, their comparative action upon 

 such crops should be specially investigated. 



3. Their action upon strawberries, gooseberries, and other 

 garden fruits, is worthy of accurate estimation. On larger 

 fruit-trees, similar trials may also be made. 



4. Their effects on each crop, when applied in different doses, 

 all at once, or in successive portions, and at different seasons. 

 This investigation alone involves a widely extended series of 

 experiments. 



5. The comparative action of the two carbonates on different 

 crops, applied under the same circumstances, and in equivalent 

 proportions. These experiments will not only solve the prac- 

 tical question, whether the low-priced carbonate of soda can be 

 substituted for the high-priced carbonate of potash in artificial 

 manures, but will throw light also on the chemico-physiological 



* The quantity of water contained in the common pearl ash may be ascer- 

 tained by heating an ounce of it in a hot oven, or on a hot plate, and determin- 

 ing the loss of weight. 



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