134 The. Bothamsted Grass Experiments. 



appropriated to the consumption by sheep of as many lots of 

 differently manured turnips, 10 tons of the roots being 

 eaten upon each acre. Neither these four acres nor the 

 remainder were manured in any other way during those two 

 seasons, nor were they manured at all in the three succeeding 

 ones prior to the commencement of the experiments in 1856, 

 at which time the character of the herbage appeared uniform 

 over all the plots. 



During the first nineteen years 1856-1874 the first crop 

 only each year was mown, made into hay, removed from the 

 land, and weighed. As a rule, the second crop on each plot 

 was fed off by sheep, who received at the time no other food, 

 the object being not to disturb the condition of the manuring. 

 Frequently, however, the animals suffered considerably, and 

 in 1866, 1870, 1873, and 1874 the second crops (and third, 

 if any) were cut and spread on the respective plots. In the 

 twentieth season 1875 the second crops being unusually 

 heavy, and the weather favourable, they were for the first 

 time cut, weighed as hay, and removed. In 1876 they were 

 cut and spread on the plots. In 1877 and 1878 the second 

 crops were again made into hay, weighed and removed. In 

 1879 the second crops were cut, sampled, carted, and weighed 

 green ; the dry matter in the weighed samples was deter- 

 mined, and the produce reckoned into hay by adding one- 

 fourth to the calculated dry matter per acre. In 1880 and 

 the following years the second crop was again made into hay 

 and removed, and it is intended in future to adopt this plan, 

 whenever the weather will permit. 



The earlier reports of these experiments were communi- 

 cated by the investigators to the Journal of the Royal 

 Agricultural Society of England. They are six in number, 

 and appeared, the first in 1858, and the sixth and last in 

 1863, and they extend altogether through 180 pages of the 

 Journal. 



For a reason which will presently appear, it is not neces- 

 sary to examine each of these reports in detail; but, 



