268 



GROUND KAPE-CAKE. 



pretty fast, and the effect of rape-cake makes itself felt, 

 accordingly, in the very first year of its application. 



It is owing to this greater diffusibility of its con- 

 stituents in the earth that rape-cake appears to exer- 

 cise a somewhat more powerful effect upon vegetation 

 than guano, for instance, with an equal amount of phos- 

 phoric acid. 



However, rape-cake holds no very important rank 

 as a manure, simply because very few agriculturists 

 are in a position to procure any considerable quantity 

 of it for manuring purposes. Besides, when its great 

 value as an article of food for cattle shall be more uni- 

 versally known and acknowledged, the increasing price 

 will restrict, still more, its use as a manuring agent ; 

 the more so since the excrements of animals fed upon 

 rape-cake contain the principal bulk of the constituents 

 to which is due its efficacy as a fertilising agent. 



The following results were obtained, in the Saxon 

 experiments, by manuring with ground rape-cake : 



