On the Rain and Drainage- Waters at Bothamsled. 
23 
should always be borne in mind when their application to soils 
poor in lime is in question. 
The nitrate of sodium applied on Plot 9, has apparently little 
or no influence in increasing the proportion of lime in the 
drainage-water. The mixed mineral manure being applied 
only on one-half (the a portion) of this plot, the amount of lime 
supplied is but one-half of that applied to Plots 5, 6, 7, 8, &c. 
Though receiving some lime in the manure, the quantity present 
in the drainage-water is less than in the water from Plot 10, 
receivinff ammonium-salts without lime. This difference in 
action between nitrate of sodium and salts of ammonium is 
what we should expect, as there are no known chemical reac- 
tions within the soil by which nitrate of sodium could render 
lime or magnesia soluble. 
From Plot 10 to 15 there is a gradual increase in the amount 
of lime contained in the water. It rises with the application of 
superphosphate of lime to Plot 11, and is still further increased 
by the sulphates of sodium, potassium, and magnesium, added 
to Plots 12, 13, 14 ; the two latter sulphates will have the 
greatest influence in removing lime, the potash and magnesia 
being to a large extent retained by the soil, while the sul- 
phuric acid passes into the drainage as sulphate of calcium. 
The steady increase in strength of the waters from Plot 12 to 
15 is, however, much greater than can be accounted for by the 
above considerations, and is shared by nearly all their con- 
stituents ; the waters from Plots 13, 14, and 15 are, indeed, 
among the strongest in the field, equalling or exceeding in 
strength the water from Plot 8. The special strength of the 
drainage from Plot 15 does not appear from the figures given in 
Table XLV. for the reason mentioned in the footnote. If we 
regard simply the five analyses made when all the plots received 
their ammonium-salts in the autumn, it will appear that the 
drainage-water from Plot 15 contained more nitric acid, more 
lime, and more total solid matter than that of any other plot in 
the field. As there is no obvious reason from the composi- 
tion of the manure for this unusual strength of the drainage- 
water, the cause must be sought in some circumstance affect- 
ing the drainage at this part of the field. The subject will 
come again before us further on. 
Plot 2, receiving farmyard-manure, yields a drainage-water 
containing a mean of 367 2 parts of solid matter per million ; 
this is considerably more than that shown by the drainage from 
the unmanured plots, but much less than that yielded where 
ammonium-salts are applied. The water appears from Voelcker's 
two analyses to be especially rich in sulphates. 
The magnesia applied occasions some, but not very much 
increase of magnesia in the drainage. With the exception o£ 
