363 



I cannot conclude these observations on the elementary 

 constituents of red clover, without a remark on the large 

 quantity of nitrogen it is always found to contain ; this 

 nitrogen is the principal constituent of the nutritive matters 

 of plants, and consequently proves the highly nutritive 

 qualities of the clover. It must, however, be borne in 

 mind that this larger amount of nutriment requires for its 

 production considerable quantities of ammonia, or some sub- 

 stance that will yield it by decay in the soil ; the ammonia 

 simply supplied by rain water, or absorbed from the atmos- 

 phere by the leaves of plants, can scarcely be sufficient 

 to furnish a quantity which is double in amount to that 

 contained in a crop of wheat ; hence it is possible that a 

 crop might fail, or be only imperfect, from a deficient supply 

 of ammonia. This, however, would not be the case in the 

 soils now under notice, because they have been supplied with 

 manures to an equal extent. Nor do I think the failure on 

 the sands generally is owing to this cause, or any other than 

 the one just described, namely, a deficiency of soluble potash, 

 arising from the slow decomposition of a mineral ivhich is 

 here found in small quantity. 



Having now taken each element separately, and shown 

 from the analysis of the soils the only possible means of 

 accounting for the disappearance of the red clover, during 

 the winter and early part of spring, it will of course be my 

 duty, in the next place, to point out such remedies as I think 

 calculated to prevent it. Before doing so, however, I must 

 observe, that it is possible there may be other causes pro- 

 ducing the death of the clover plant, besides the simple 

 deficiency of its constituents. It is only a few weeks ago 

 I had the opportunity of observing, in a field belonging to 

 J. C. Althorpe, Esq., of Dinnington, the gradual disappear- 

 ance of the red clover from disease at the root ; of what gave 

 rise to this disease I am unable to form an opinion. It had 



