246 Annual Report of the Consulting Chemist for 1877. 
On the four acres of Rotation No. 2, sown with mangolds last 
spring, the growth of weeds was so great before the mangolds 
were well up, that the plant was retarded in its early stages. 
The season, too, was generally unfavourable for roots. But, if 
sufficiently highly manured, the crop of mangolds in Stack-yard 
field would, no doubt, have been equal to any in the neighbour- 
hood in the same season. With the quantities of manure 
actually applied, much larger crops than those grown could 
hardly have been expected under the circumstances mentioned. 
Crawley Hill Farm was given up by the late tenant in an 
exceedingly foul condition, and great expense has been incurred 
in endeavouring to clean it ; but, owing to the very unfavour- 
able character of the past summer, the efforts made have been 
only partially successful. 
A. VOELCKEE. 
J. B. Lawes. 
XI. — Annual Report of the Consulting Chemist for 1877. 
By Dr. Augustus Voelckeb, F.R.S. 
In the Annual Report for 1876 I stated that, during the period 
of December 1875 to December 1876, an unusually large number 
of oilcakes were sent to the Laboratory for examination, no less 
than 206 samples having been received during that period. In 
my present Report, I have to mention that only 136 samples 
of oilcakes were sent for analysis in the past season. This dimi- 
nution in the number of cakes sent for examination finds a ready 
explanation in the fact that spring food was abundant and the 
hay crop good, and that there was less demand for purchased 
food in the past season than in the preceding one. 
Grossly adulterated cakes, at present, are not sold so frequently 
as they were at one time, and little difficulty is experienced in 
most localities in obtainingpure linseed- and unadulterated cotton- 
cakes. Green German rape-cake has been very scarce, and only 
a few samples of good quality were received for examination. 
The superior feeding-value of green rape-cake appears to be 
better appreciated than formerly by Continental farmers, and, 
in consequence, but little German rape-cake is now imported 
into England. 
The practice of selling linseed-cake made from imperfectly 
screened linseed as "pure," I regret to say, still continues, as 
will be seen from the following Quarterly Reports of the 
Chemical Committee (pp. 2.5.') ct scq.), in which reference is 
made to a number of cases of this kind. 
Purchasers of linseed-cake should insist upon being supplied 
