470 Abstract Report of Agricultural Discussions. 
were of the nature of stimulants ; so far, therefore, as tlieir virtue 
was a stimulating virtue, which induced the soil to part with more 
of its plant-food than it would otherwise do, so far it would leave 
the field in a poorer condition than it found it. So that some 
charge must be made against the crop for impoverishing the field. 
No doubt, ifvre are justified in believing that the soil of a field has 
a standard fertility which could be but little changed either by the 
application of manure or by exhausting crops, so far the deteriorating 
influence of stimulating manures might be overlooked. 
Mr. Blackburn said, as to the difference in value of different crops 
of grass, he had believed that plants, inchiding grass, which grew 
quickest, contained the largest amount of sugar and starchy matter, 
and that, from slowness of growth, the sugar and starchy matters 
became converted into woody fibre. He found, for example, that 
the quicker his garden crops, celeiy and other vegetables, grew, the 
better was their quality. He believed that Professor Way sup- 
ported that view. 
Dr. VoELCKER said, it was^at one time generally believed that the 
amount of nitrogenous matter was the measure of the nutritive 
quality of the produce, and Professor Way, with other chemists, 
having found in the grass and hay of irrigated meadows more nitro- 
genous matter than in ordinarj' produce, arrived at the conclusion 
that it was really more nutritious. But now the tide has set in a 
different and more reasonable direction — a direction that is borne 
out by practical experience. Now an excessive quantity of nitro- 
gen in produce is regai'ded rather as an indication of unripeness, of 
which one defect is a deficiency of sugar. If in young produce 
there is not so much woody fibre as in old, there is not so much 
sugar. If the produce be allowed to get ovei'-ripe the sugar be- 
comes converted into cellular fibre ; but to a certain extent both 
went on being formed together. In j^oung celery there is one 
thing in much larger quantity than in old, that is water. Indeed, 
in all forced produce, the quicker the growth the more water you 
have. The crisp condition of celery is in a great measure due to 
the large proportion of water present, which comes to 93 or 94 per 
cent. 
In reply to an inquiry by Mr. Eaymond Barker, Dr. Voelcker said 
that hay could not be made on irrigated meadows at all. He had 
stated that irrigated meadow-land did not yield so nutritious a pro- 
duce as natural pastures ; he might go further and affirm generally of 
all kinds of produce, that just in whatever degree an abundance of 
manure was applied and larger crops were obtained, in that degree 
would the quality of the crops be inferior. The rule holds good for 
wheat and barley, and even turnips. If you want something good, 
you must be content with a small quantity ; if you want much, jow 
must take it in a cruder state. If you want a good leg of mutton, for 
example, you must be content with a small one, and kill a South- 
down sheep ; if you want a large one, you will kill a Cotswold, and 
get coarser meat. 
