88 
KOYAL UOKTTCULTUEAL SOCIETY. 
considerably increased the early crops ; whereas ammonia-salts 
had little or no beneficial effect, and were sometimes injurious. 
It may be added that even up to the present time the beneficial 
eftects of long previous applications of potass are apparent when- 
ever there is any growth at all. 
To go into a little more detail : The crops were throughout very 
heavy in the first year (18.19), especially on the plots of series 1, 
with mineral, but with, no carbonaceous or nitrogenous manure. 
In the autumn of that year wheat was sown, and in the spring 
of 1850 Eed Clover. In 1851 small cuttings were taken ; and in 
1852, though the crops were not heavy, there was by no means 
a failure. Since that time, however, all attempts to grow" clover 
year after year on the same land have failed to give anything 
like a full crop, or a plant which would stand the usual time on 
the ground. Small cuttings were obtained in the autumns of 
1855-and 1859 from seed sown in the spring of those years, and 
small cuttings, but rather heavier than in the former cases, in 
1865 (June and August) from seed sown in 1864. 
On the plots of series 1, seed has been sown ten times during 
the tvventy-three years of the experiment, namely, in 1818, 1850, 
1853, 1854, 1855, 1859, 1864, 1868, 1869, and 1870. In seven 
out of the last eight trials the plant has died oft^in the winter or 
spring succeeding the sowing the seed ; and at the present time 
the land is again ploughed up, the plant having entirely died off 
in the spring, now three years in succession. The plots of series 
2 and 3, on the other hand, though previously sown as frequently 
as those of series 1, were not sown in either 1868 or 1869, but 
were ploughed and left fallow, and only sown again in 1870 ; and 
they carry, at the present time, a rather thin, but fairly healthy 
crop ; whilst, as already said, the plants from the seed sown at 
the same time on series 1 entirely died away in the spring. 
The difference between the conditions of the plots of series 1, 
resulting at the present time in entire failure, and those of series 
2 and 3, affording at least comparative success, may be briefly 
summarized as follows : — 
In the first place, in the cases of the utter failure, seed was 
sown, and plants came up, in 1868 and 1869, as well as in 1870, 
that is in three consecutive seasons ; whereas in those of the 
partial success none was sown between 1864 and 1870. 
So far as regards manure, the chief distinctions are — that 
where there is entire failure, neither carbon nor nitrogen has 
