542 Agricultural Cliemistry — -Turnips. 



those of the same conditions upon the average acreage produce, no 

 correspondence, either direct or inverse, would be clearly defined ; 

 for we see in the table just given a pretty uniform depreciation 

 from the first column to the third, and the fourth is not wide of 

 the thirds but the acreage amounts of produce were as under : — 



Average acreage produce of Bulb, in tons, cwts., qrs., and lbs. 



Drilled Manures 

 only. 



Drilled Manures, 



and 



Top-dressing of 

 Rape-cake. 



Drilled Manures, 



and 



Top-dressing of 

 _Amm. Salt. 



Drilled Manures, 

 and Top-dressing of 

 Rape -cake and 

 Amm. Salt. 



Tons. cwts. qrs. lbs. 



Tons. cwts. qr?. lbs. 



Tons. cwts. qrs. lbs. 



Tons. cwts. qrs. lbs. 



12 8 2 3 



13 4 2 20 



11 18 1 24 



11 6 1 11 



We have before stated, that at the time of the first gathering of 

 the crops, a short time prior to which the specimens for analysis 

 were taken, the plants growing by purely mineral manures were 

 very markedly the ripest, their leaves having much drooped ; 

 next in order, in this respect, came those having rape-cake in ad- 

 dition ; then those having sulphate of ammonia ; and, lastly, those 

 with both rape-cape and ammoniacal salt. The proportion of leaf to 

 bulb at the time of weighing shows this to some extent. It was 

 as under : — 





Drilled 

 Manures 

 only. 



Drilled^ 

 Manures, 

 and Top- 

 dressing of 

 Rape-cake. 



Drilled 

 Manures, 

 and Top- 

 dressing of 

 Amm. Salt. 



Drilled 

 Manures, 

 and Top- 

 dressing of 

 Rape-cake 

 and Amm. 

 Salt. 



Proportion of leaf to 1000 of bulb . 



326 



421 



559 



669 



Mean percentage of dry matter .... 



8-34 



7-97 



7*41 



7-48 



We have, then, the largest amount of dry matter with the 

 ripest bulb and poorest supply of organic manure, very 

 nearly the smallest amount of dry matter with the plants 

 least advanced to the points of heaviest bulb, but which had the 

 largest stores of food in the soil, and probably the prospect of the 

 longest life and fullest eventual growth, at least of entire plant, if 

 not of bulb itself. The second weighing of the crops did indeed 

 show in this case an increase in bulb and a decline in the propor- 

 tion of leaf to bulb. Here^ then, the influence of manures is 

 indirect ; for the proportion of dry matter is seen to be mainly 

 dependent upon the degree of maturity of the plant, — and that this 

 is affected by manures has been already shown ; and since the 

 largest proportion of dry matter may show an early advanced stage 

 of maturity, frequently arising from an exhaustion of the materials 



