TIIE GEKESEE FAPw^fER. 



In pen 1 the five sheep consumed, in thirty-two 

 weeks, 8,65Si lbs. of hay, and increased in weight 

 84 lbs. 



In pen 2 the five sheep eat 805 lbs. of beans and 

 2,225 J lbs. of hay, and increased 124 lbs. 



In pen 3 the five sheep eat 1120 lbs. of barley 

 and 2,899 lbs. of hay, and increased 164 lbs. 



In pen 4 the five sheep eat 42Ci lbs. of beans, 

 226 lbs. of linseed oil, 2,949f lbs. of hay, and in- 

 creased 171i lbs. 



In other words, each sheep in pen 1 eat, on an 

 average, 22^ lbs. of hay per head per week, and 

 gained 8\ ounces. 



In pen 2 each sheep eat 6f lbs. of beans and 18| 

 lbs. of bay per week, and increased 1 lb. 



In pen 3 each sheep eat 7 lbs. of barley and 18 

 Jbs of hay per week, and increased 1 lb. Oi oz. 



In pen 4 each sheep eat 3 lbs. 10^ oz. of beans, 

 1 lb. 6i oz. linseed oil, 18^ lbs. of hay per week, 

 and increased 1 lb. li oz. 



Mr. Lawes remarks: "The general result of the 

 experiment is, as might be expected, that sheep 

 tnus fed upon dry food alone (with water) increased 

 very little compared with the average result ob- 

 tained with a good mixed diet of dry and succu- 

 lent food." 



Mr. Lawes does not say what he considers an 

 average increase when the sheep have dry and suc- 

 culent food, but we may state that in his previous 

 exf)eriments sheep fed on oilcake and turnips 

 (Swedes) increased, on an average, 1.14 oz. per 

 week; those fed on oats and turnips, 2 lbs 0^ oz. ; 

 tliose fed with clover-hay and turnips, 2 lbs. 3| 

 oz.; and those on oat-straw and turnips, 1 lb. 5| oz. 



In another experiment, 27 sheep, fed in the field 

 en turnips, clover-hay and barley-meal, gained, on 

 «n average, 1 Hi. 14J oz. per head per week. 



In another experiment, sheep fed on dry barley- 

 meal and niaii;.'ol wurzels increased 2 lbs. OJ cz. per 

 week, and tiid.se on barley-meal (steeped in water 

 fur .Go hours; luid mangel wurzels increased 2 lbs. 

 8i oz. per hertd per week ; and sheep having oil- 

 cake and mangel wurzels, 3 lbs. 0^ oz. per head 

 per week. 



In another experiment, 46 Cotswold sheep fed 

 for 20 weeks on oilcake, clover-hay and turnips 

 (Swedes) increased 8 lbs. 2J oz. per head per week, 

 •while 46 Hampshire Downs, with the same food, 

 increased 2 lbs. 12 oz., and 46 Sussex Downs 

 8 lbs. If oz. 



Tbpse experiments show very clearly the advan- 

 tage of furnishing sheep with succulent food, such 

 fts turnips or mangel wnrzelB, in connection with 



hay and other fodder. It may safely be asserted 

 that sheep fed liberally on hay and grain, with 

 some succulent food, such as turnips, will increase 

 three times as much as those fed on hay alone. 

 The above experiments show this to be the case. 

 So far, they sustain the opinion of our own farmers, 

 who attribute to turnip.s, mangels, beets, carrots, 

 parsneps, and other root crops, a higher value than 

 the amount of nutriment they contain would in- 

 dicate. A few roots given in connection with dry 

 food imparts tone to the stomach, and jirobably en- 

 ables the animal to extract more nourishment from 

 the dry food. 



There are several other interesting facts brought 

 out by these experiments, which we shall aUude to 

 in a future number. 



lOANUEES FOB TOBACCO. 



A ooEEESPONDENT wislies our opinion in regard 

 to the best manures for tobacco. 



In reply, we would say, we have had no ex- 

 perience in the matter, and our opinion, if we must 

 give one, must be based on purely theoretical 

 grounds. 



Some ten years ago we wrote an Essay on Phos- 

 phate of Lime, for the Transactions of the New 

 York State Agricultural Society, to which the 

 Society was kind enough to award a prize. "We 

 there alluded to the fact tbat super pliosphate of 

 lime had an astonishing effect on the growth of 

 turnips — doubling, trebling, and not unfrequently 

 quadrupling the crop. It also had a tendency to 

 give the turnips a small, highly elaborated leaf. It 

 also developed the small fibrous roots of the plant 

 to a remarkable degree, and the turnip grew with 

 great rapidity during the early stages of the plant. 

 The turnips, too, came to maturity much earlier 

 than those not manured with the superphosphate. 

 In the same field where these experiments were 

 tried, the turnips dressed with rich ammoniacal 

 manures were very late, as compared with all 

 others, and especially as compared with those hav- 

 ing superphosphate. « 



After stating these facfl«, we asked the question, 

 whether superphosphate wonld not be likely to 

 prove a valuable manure for tobacco ? As we un- 

 derstand the raattter, it is very desirable to get the 

 plants early, and also to get a leaf that is well ma- 

 tured. The seed is quite slow in germinating, and 

 the growth of the young plants is al.so slow, and 

 at tlie North the crop does not always mature as 

 early as is desirable. Superphosphate, we thouglit, 

 I would be likely to favor the more rapid permin»> 



