Agricultural Chemistry — Turnips, 



^7 













Drilled 







Drilled 



J^rilled 



Drilled 



Manures, 



Plot 

 Nos. 













Description of Alkaline Manures (drilled). 



Manures 



and 10 cw t 



and 8 cwt. 



Sulph, Am. 





Rape-cake 



Sulpli. Am. 



and 10 cwt. 







only. 



per Acre. 



per Acre. 



llape-cake 

 per Acre. 



01 



400 lbs. calcined bone-dust and 400) 

 lbs. sulphuric acid • • • • j 



1-22 



1-41 



MO 



MS 



10 



400 lbs. calcined bone-dust, 420 lbs.) 



SUjpUUIXC dCltl, diiU, %JLO lUo* ouuo. / 













1*11 





1 • 14 



1 '10 















1 a 

 Id 



400 lbs. calcined bone-dust, 420 lbs. 1 

 sulphuric acid, and 220 lbs. m<ig- / 













I'll 



1 '35 



1 •91 



I'll 



I l-k 













17 



400 lbs. calcined bone-dust, 420 Ibs.j 

 sulphuric acid, and 470 lbs. pearl- ; 













1-02 



1-27 



M6 



M3 















18 



400 lbs. calcined bone-dust, 105 Ibs.j 













soda ash, 74 lbs. magnesian lime- | 



116 



1-33 



1-18 



1'25 





stone, and 157 lbs. pearlash , . j 













Mean by alkaline supply . , 



1-10 



1'33 



1-17 



M5 



the several alkaline conditions, that where potass, soda, and mag- 

 nesia are used together is the best. The differences exhibited 

 are at any rate sufficient to show that there was no advantage 

 derived by the use of alkaline manures in this soil, which had 

 been subjected to an unusually severe exhaustion of them. 



We have, indeed, uniformly observed, not only in the case of 

 turnips, but of other plants, that by the direct supply of alkalis no 

 good effect has resulted in the season of the application, though 

 the succeeding crops have apparently, to a small extent, been 

 benefited. It is our opinion that, in the ordinary course of 

 farming, the special supply of alkalis to the soil is exceedingly 

 rarely requisite, — and, if ever it be so, they should never be ap- 

 plied in an alkaline condition (which seems to be very prejudicial 

 to healthy vegetation), but always supersaturated by acids. Fur- 

 ther, alkalis should not be drilled, but should always be sown 

 broadcast, and well incorporated with the soil. In the case of 

 turnips especially is this to be carefully attended to ; and, indeed, 

 it might be almost laid down as a general rule, that those manur- 

 ing substances which take their value as mere constituents of the 

 plant (alkalis and organic manures), should be well distributed 

 through the soil ; and those which further exercise an influence 

 upon the health and vigour of the plant, such as superphosphate 

 of lime, should be drilled near the seed. 



Whether or not superphosphate of lime owes much of its effect 

 to its chemical actions in the soil, it is certainly true that it causes 

 a much-enhanced development of the underground collective appa- 

 ratus of the plant, especially of lateral and fibivus root, distribut- 



