THE GENESEE FAR\fER. 



207 



phosphates which they contain. One is found to 

 contain 18 per cent, of ammonia and 20 per cent of 

 phosphates, vliilt^ the other contains 1) per cent, of 

 ammonia and 10 per cecit. of phosphates. "We say 

 one is worth as much again as the other. Now, the 

 fact that a chemist cannot determine the amount of 

 ammonia and phosphates with any degree of certainty 

 nearer than 0.1 per cent, does not afiect the value of 

 the analysis at all. If it can be determined within 0..') 

 per cent! or even within 1 per cent, the analysis still 

 indicates the value of the manure with sufficient ac- 

 curacy for practical purposes. But in soil analyses, 

 if there is the slight variation of 0.1 per cent, the 

 analysis is utterly valueless i for when calculated to 

 the acre, it causes a variation of ^jOOO pounds — a 

 quantity of ammonia that it would take six tons of 

 guano, or two hundred tons of barn-yard manure to 

 furnish. The same is tru3 of phosphoric acid, pot- 

 ash, and other constituents of manures and soils. 



Dr. Lee is surprised that we doubt the ability of 

 a chemist to " determine the point whether water as- 

 cending into a soil in dry weather, by capillary at- 

 traction, brings with it salts of soda, potash, lime, 

 and magnesia, <fec." It will not be claimed that the 

 water which ascends during the drouth of a single 

 summer, brings to the surface more plant-food than 

 is required by a large crop. If it did, where would 

 be the necessity of manuring ? Supposing, then, the 

 water ascending during the summer from the subsoil, 

 brought to the surface enough potash (leaving out 

 of the question other ingredients) for the growth of a 

 crop of wheat of fifty bushels per acre, say fifty pounds, 

 could any chemist discover that the soil contain- 

 ed more potash in the fall than it did in the spring ? 

 This fifty pounds of potash would be mixed with two 

 million pounds (2,000,000) of soil, or one part in for- 

 ty thousand. Now, when duplicate potash analyses 

 agree within one thousandth part, they are considered 

 very accurate. To determine one part in forty thous- 

 sand, therefore, is utterly impossible. 



Dr. Lke says: "Destroy the value of chemistry in 

 its application to the organic and inorganic food of 

 agricultural plants in the soil, and you virtually dam- 

 age it to an equal extent in its application to these 

 substances when organized in the bodies of all living 

 beings, although hfe may be extinct." We cannot 

 see the force of this argument. If it is true that 

 soil analyses are of no practical utility, the fact 

 should be known. The cause of agricultural chem- 

 istry cannot be promoted by the suppression of truth, 

 or by unfounded pretensions. It is a good cause, 

 and truth will not hurt it. 



: FAIE OF THE ROYAL AGRICULTUSAL SOCIETY 



The Nineteenth Annual Fair of the Royal Agri- 

 cultural Society of PjUgland was held this year at 

 Salisbury, July 21 — 26, and according to our English 

 exchanges, " is generally allowed to be the best ever 

 known." The first prize of £30 for Short-horn bulls, 

 over two and not exceeding four years old, was 

 awarded to William Sterling of Keir, Dumblaine, 

 Perth, for " John O'Groat," which the Mark Lane 

 Express says "we shall be bold enough to rank 

 as one of the best bulls of his breed ever exhibited. 

 He is altogether a far grander animal than the 'Mas- 

 ter Butterfly' of last season, of quite as fair a quality, 

 and yet more symmetrical proportions. As the 

 Yorkshire man said of the horse he was trying to 



cheapen, ' Dang him ! I can't see a fault about him,' 

 so it is, or at least very much so, with John O'Groat. 

 He has gone on improving since ho was first shown by 

 his breezier — the well known Mr. Fawkes, of Farnley 

 — at the Carlisle Meeting of two years since. In 

 fact John 0'(Jlroat is a better animal than he at first 

 promised to be — a recommendation which is not too 

 common with high bred, over-fed cattle of any kind. 



"Asa class, however, as containing the greatest 

 number of good animals, there has been nothing like 

 that of the Short-horn cows. * * We 



do not know whether in these Cow and Heifer 

 Classes the judges took the milking qualities at all 

 into consideration. Few speeches of late, however, 

 have had more etfect than that short, pithy sentence 

 of the American, Mr. French, at the Ipswich Meet- 

 ing : " If they don't give plenty of milk, I don't 

 care how short their horns are." Any how, it is very 

 certain one exhibitor of Short-horns at Salisbury, 

 brought a spare cow with him, to feed his stock from. 

 This is the great mistake our breeders have for some 

 time been running into, and it is one which the So- 

 ciety should take especial pains to correct." 



" The show of Herefords," says the Agricultural Ga- 

 zette, " was extraordinarily great in number, and good 

 in quality." There were fifty five animals exhibited. 

 " As far as we may take the test of these Agricul- 

 tural exhibitions," says the Mark Lane Express, 

 " the taste for Herefords is rapidly reviving. During 

 the last two or three years the entries of this breed 

 have in every way improved. In none of the classes 

 has it been more remarkable than where this must be 

 most wanted — in the female animals." 



The Devons were out " in greater force than for 

 some time. * *■ The pure, thorough-bred 

 home-reared Devon carried all before it at Salisbury." 



The show of sheep was without a parallel. la 

 South Downs, it will be recollected that last year, Mr. 

 Overman of Norfolk, to the surprise of every one, 

 carried ofi' the prizes from that world renowned 

 breeder, Jonas Webb. It was then said that Mr. 

 Webb " must show again." And this year he did 

 show again "with a vengeance" — and carried all 

 before him. There were between fifty and sixty year- 

 hng rams exhibited, and among the competitors were 

 such celebrated Down men as Rigden, Overman, 

 Ellman, Sainsbury, Farquuarson & Harding, Lord 

 Walsingham and the Duke of Richmond. In this 

 class the judges selected out six sheep. After great 

 deliberation they gave two of them the prizes {£25 

 and £15), they specially commended two more, and 

 they highly commended the other two." All six 

 sheep turned out to be the property of Mr. Jonas 

 Webb ! 



Next to Mr. Webb, indisputably came Mr. 0\"er- 

 MAN, first and second in a very good class of ewes. 

 The Duke of Richmond showed by no means on 

 fair terms, as his sheep were much injured on the 

 train by the accidental firing of the straw on which 

 they stood. 



"The show of Leicesters was good, and Mr. W. 

 Sanday of Holme Pierrepont Nottingham, carried 

 off all the prizes that were offered. The Agricultu- 

 ral Gazette says : " Mr. Sanday's shearling rams 

 are beauvl!"nl;y formed, with good backs and loins, 

 cliues full out, plaits good, and wool heavy. * * 

 T'oe prize rams older than one year, are very straight, 

 broad, and with very good hacks ; their ears long 

 and fine, and necks exceedingly good. * * He 



