Agricultural Chemistry — Turnips. 



565 



tbrowincr away his time and money. The naturally light and 

 porous nature of a tuimip soil points out what are the require- 

 ments of these plants ; and when the necessary degree of tilth has 

 been obtained, and the seed sown, the introduction of air beneath 

 the surface of the soil by means of the horse and hand-hoe cannot 

 be too frequent ; for it is useless to place a large amount of dung 

 in the soil to be converted into the substance of the turnip, unless 

 the free action of the air is provided for at the same time, by 

 which alone the decomposition of the dung can be effected. 



J. B. Lawes. 



JRothamsted, November, 1847. 



NoTE.—In placing my name to this article I must observe that whatever 

 merit may be assigned to it is mainly due to the skill and talents of Dr. 

 Gilbert, upon whom the responsibility attending the investigation has 

 devolved. Those who have endeavoured to conduct with accuracy only a 

 few experiments in agriculture will be capable of forming some estimate 

 of the labour which so extensive a series requires.— J. B. L. 



XXIV. — Shepherd's Corner Farm. By Lord Portman. 

 (Continued from Vol. IV.) 

 To Mr. Pusey. 



Dear Pusey, — I send you herewith the final statement of my 

 farm at Shepherd's Corner, that you may insert it in the Journal 

 of the Royal Agricultural Society of England. I must remind you 

 that I have made my experiment under circumstances peculiarly 

 unfavourable to profitable farming. I have, however, converted a 

 district formerly unproductive into a fruitful farm without any 

 loss at the end of my work, but, on the contrary, with the small 

 gain which the account shows. I have changed the rental from 

 25. 6c?. per acre into the average rental of the neighbouring arable 

 lands, and thereby augmented the value of the estate to my heirs. 

 I have let the farm to an excellent tenant for a term of twenty- 

 one years, and I have the pleasure of seeing it covered with good 

 crops. I would draw attention to the Field No. 3, where in 1843 

 I obtained a good crop of turnips by the aid of great pressure of 

 the fold, but in spite of it I had to grapple with the wireworm 

 in 1844, and saved the oats only by a repetition of pressure. 

 Also to Field No. 2, where in 1845 I first tried rape as a pre- 

 paration for wheat, and succeeded so well, that I have ever since 

 adopted the system on my Bryanston farm with great success. 

 In the account of Shepherd's Farm, in the Journal of 1843, there 

 is an error which I wish to correct, as it is important. The mis- 



VOL. VIII. 2 p 



