SOS Agricultural Chemistry — Sheep- Feeding and Manure. 



much useful information as to the conditions, other than those of 

 mere per-centage composition, which are required to constitute a 

 healthy food. Having reference, for the present, to this part of 

 the subject more especially, and leaving the question of the ma- 

 nure produced for future notice, it will not be necessary to give 

 the results in much detail, but only such a summary as will illus- 

 trate the point in question. 



The animals taken were ewe lambs, bred upon the farm. About 

 one hundred were weighed November 27, 1848, from which six 

 were selected for each of the four pens. They were supplied 

 with Norfolk-white turnips from the commencement, but the 

 weighed quantities of those grown by the different manures were 

 not commenced until December 9, up to which time there was a 

 loss of weight in all the pens. The average weight of the animals 

 was about 75 lbs. 



The Table in the following page gives some insight into the 

 composition and quality of the four lots of turnips. 



In our former papers in this Journal we have called attention 

 to the fact, that, notwithstanding it is well known that turnip- 

 leaves are far inferior to the roots as food, yet they contain a 

 much higher per-centage of nitrogenous compounds, which, other 

 things being equal, are taken to indicate the feeding value of dif- 

 ferent articles of food ; and we have suggested, that to the rela- 

 tively low state of elaboration of the constituents of the leaves may 

 be due their defective feeding properties, containing, as they do, 

 a comparatively large amount of matters, " only brought within 

 the range of the organism, themselves as yet unorganized, and 

 existing as saline and other changeable fluids, to which we may 

 readily attribute a medicinal and purgative rather than a direct 

 nutritive effect — elaboration to some extent being, as we are aware, 

 an important element in the condition of food for animals." We 

 have further shown, too, that although the per-centage of nitro- 

 genous compounds in the root may be much increased by the use 

 of nitrogenous manures, yet when these are in excess, the tendency 

 to the over-production of leaf will be much enhanced, whilst the 

 root, though richer in nitrogen, may not be profitably developed ; 

 and the results now to be detailed will sufficiently prove, that the 

 high per-centage of nitrogen in the root can no more than in the 

 leaf be taken as unconditionally indicating its feeding value. 



Referring to the Table of composition just given, and assuming 

 that, other things being equal, a greater degree of ripeness or 

 maturity of specimens of turnips — after an equal period of growth, 

 and the produce of different manures — is indicated by a large 

 amount of dry matter, a small amount of mineral matter and of 

 nitrogen, and a small proportion of leaf to bulb — and, that a rela- 

 tively small amount of dry matter, a large amount of mineral 



