16 Experiments upon Swedes. 



Plot 1 6. Manured with 3 cwts. of Common Salt. 



tons. cwts. qrs. Ibs. 



Produce 15 "16 1 



Increase 1 13 24 



Common salt, it seems, has had little or no effect in this ex- 

 periment ; but it does not follow that it may not be beneficially 

 applied to swedes in conjunction with other fertilizing sub- 

 stances. On analysis the salt yielded the following results : 



Moisture .. .. .. 



Organic matter 

 Sulphate of lime 

 Chloride of magnesium 

 Chloride of sodium . . 



100-00 



Plot 17. Manured with 3 cwts. of Dissolved Bone-ash. 



tons. cwts. qrs. Ibs. 



Produce 20 15 2 24 



Increase 6 1 1 20 



In preparing the manure used in this experiment, 100 Ibs. of 

 good commercial bone-ash were mixed with 70 Ibs. of sulphuric 

 acid ; and after some time this mixture was dried up with 50 Ibs. 

 of sulphate of lime. By these means an excellent superphosphate 

 was obtained, as will be seen by the following analysis. The 

 manure, being made of bone-ash, did not contain any ammoniacal 

 salts nor appreciable quantities of nitrogen : 



Composition of Dissolved Bone-ash. 



Moisture 5-65 



Organic matter 3\51 



Bi-phosphate of lime 19-64 



Equal to bone-earth rendered soluble . . (30'65) 



Insoluble phosphates ''im'X .gg 



Hydrated sulphate of lime 64-96 



Alkaline salts 1-83 



Sand 3-55 



100-00 



The result of this plot affords another proof that a good 

 crop of swedes may be obtained with a superphosphate in which 

 all the phosphates are rendered soluble, and which contains no 

 nitrogenized matters. Some persons think that a good super- 

 phosphate should invariably contain insoluble as well as soluble 

 phosphates, for they imagine that the latter are washed away too 

 rapidly, and that therefore the superphosphate should contain 

 insoluble phosphates, to sustain, as they say, the after-growth of 

 the plant. It is a mistake to think that soluble phosphate is 

 very readily washed away into the subsoil, and that it there- 



