No. I.] or TURNIPS. 7 



will be permanently useful to his landlord (if carefully recorded), ought to be 

 an inducement to the latter to give every facility and encouragement to his ten- 

 ant in making them. 



2°. That, mstead of involving expense and outlay, which in many instances 

 may ill be spared, they are sure in almost eveiy case to do more than repay tkecost 

 of tnaking them, by the increased quantity or value of the produce obtained. 

 Any of the series of experiments, on the scale suggested, may be made for five 

 pounds, so that were the outlay all to be lost, the accurate knowledge obtained 

 m reference to the general tillage of his lemd, would be wortla more money to 

 the holder of a farm of a Jmndred acres. 



3°. I need scarcely add, as a further inducement, the additional interest which 

 such experiments give to the practice of farming — and the means they afford 

 of calUng forth tlie intelligence of the agricultural population. The moment a 

 man begins to make experiments under the guidance of an understood principle, 

 from that moment he begins to think. To obtain materials for thought he will 

 have recourse to books — and thus every new experiment he makes, will further 

 stimulate and awaken his intellect, and lead him to the acquisition of further 

 knowledge. Does it require anything more than this general awakening of the 

 minds of the agricultural class, to advance the science of agriculture as surely 

 and asf rflpidly as any of the other sciences, the practical application of which 

 have led to those extraordinary developments of natural resources which are 

 the characteristic and the pride of our time 1 



III, OF TURNIPS. 



The raising of turnips is of such vast importance in the prevailiti|; system 

 of husbandry, that any improvement in the mode of culture must be of exten- 

 sive and immediate benefit. Experiments so numerous and so varied have been 

 made with this view, that it may almost seem superfluous in ^^^e now to make 

 any further suggestions on the subject. But when experiments have been 

 made witli a view to one subject only, it often happens in all departments of na- 

 'tural science, that as new views are advanced or more precise methods pointed 

 out, it becomes necessary to repeat all our former experiments, — either for the 

 purpose of testing the results they gave us, or of observing new phenomena to 

 which our attention had not previously been directed. 



I. Numerous experiments, for example, have been made upon the use of bones 

 in the raising of turnips, but they have been chiefly directed to economiced ends, 

 and so far with the most satisfactory results. But among fifty intelligent and 

 thinking practical men, and who all agree in regard to the profit to be derived 

 from the use of bones with the turnip crop, how many will agree in regard to 

 the mode in which they act — how few will be able to give a satisfactory reason 

 for the'opinion they entertain ! The same is true of theoretical chemists, some 

 attributing their effect more especially to the earthy matter, others to the gelatine 

 they contain. Dry bonss contain about two-thirds of their weight of earthy 

 matter, the other third consisting chiefly of animal matter resembling glue. Of 

 the earthy matter five-sixths consist of phosphate of lime and magnesia, and 

 the rest chiefly of carbonate of lime. Thus a ton of bone dust will contain- 



Animal matter 746 lbs. 



Phospate of lime, (tec 1245 



Carbonate of lime, &c 249 



2240 



On which of these constituents does the efficacy of bones chiefly depend 1 

 Does it depend upon the animal matter 1 This opinion is in accordance with the 

 following facts : — 



1°, That in the Doncaster report it is said to be most effectual on calcareou* 

 soils, — for in the presence of lime all organic matter more rapidly decomposea. 



27 



