1879.] Experiments on Mixed Heritage of Permanent Meadow, 231 



much more than reach the threshold of a very comprehensive inquiry. 

 Still, we hope to establish some points of general interest ; and possibly 

 to indicate promising paths of future research. 



From the title of our paper, it will at once be concluded that the 

 experiments were originally undertaken and arranged from an agri- 

 cultural point of view. But, as experimenting on the feeding of 

 animals soon led us into lines of inquiry of even more interest to the 

 chemist, the animal physiologist, and the dietetician, than to the 

 agriculturist, so the investigation of the effects of different manures 

 on the mixed herbage of grass land has led us far beyond the limits of 

 a purely agricultural problem, and has afforded results of more interest 

 to the botanist, the vegetable physiologist, and the chemist, than to 

 the farmer. Indeed, agriculture, the most primitive, and commonly 

 esteemed the rudest of the arts, requires for the elucidation of the 

 principles involved in its various practices, a very wide range of 

 scientific inquiry ; and the investigation of them may, in its turn, eon- 

 tribute facts of interest to the student of various and very distinct 

 branches of natural knowledge. 



It will be readily understood that, as a necessary foundation for the 

 discussion of the botany and the chemistry of the subject, it will be 

 essential first to put on record, and call attention to, what may be 

 distinguished as the agricultural data. It is proposed, then, to arrange 

 and consider the results obtained under the following heads : — 



Part I. . The Agricultural Results. 



Part II The Botanical Results. 



Part III The Chemical Results. 



The general scope, objects, and results of the whole inquiry may be 

 briefly indicated as follows : — 



About seven acres in the park at Rothamsted have been set apart 

 for the experiments, and divided into plots. Two of these have been 

 left without manure from the commencement ; two have received 

 ordinary farm-yard manure, whilst the remainder have each received 

 a different description of artifical or chemical manure, the same being, 

 except in special cases, applied year after year on the same plot. 



Referring first to the Agricultural Results, it may be premised that, 

 without manure, the produce of hay has varied from year to year, 

 according to season, from about 8 cwt. to nearly 39 cwt. per acre, and 

 the average yield has been about 23 cwt. per acre per annum. On the 

 other hand, the plot the most heavily artificially manured, and yielding 

 the highest amount of produce, has given an average of about 64 cwts. 

 of hay per acre per annum, with a variation from year to year from 

 under 40 cwts. to nearly 80 cwts. Intermediate between the extremes 

 here quoted, very great variation in the amount of produce has been 

 exhibited on the other differently manured plots. 



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