On the Use of the Water-Drill. 
371 
and September, just when the bulbs should have been daily 
gaining considerable weight, altogether impeded their growth, 
and in one or two instances almost imperilled their existence. 
For the drought was accompanied with intense heat, which 
exerted a destructive influence upon vegetation generally, Nos. 
4, 5, and 6 were grown upon warm gravelly land, with a 
light blowing soil, and were consequently an almost perfect 
failure. Since these experiments were made I have altogether 
discontinued the cultivation of root-crops upon all such lands. 
Success could only be secured in a cool showery summer, suc- 
ceeded by a fruitful and forcing autumn ; the risk of a crop was, 
therefore, too great to warrant a further repetition of the attempt. 
In No. 7 the eight rows sown with the dry drill were a total 
failure — the whole of the plant was destroyed ; whilst the re- 
mainder of the field, where the water-drill had been used, ex- 
hibited as even and regular a plant as could be desired. This 
is the best field for mangolds, nafurally, of any on which these 
trials were made. From this Table it will be seen that the 
amount of artificial manure sown was very small, in three in- 
stances only 1 cwt. per acre, and yet the increase of crop where 
this small quantity was put on with the water-drill was very con- 
siderable. In one case — No. 3 — the increase was over 3^ tons per 
acre, and in No. 5 — one of the failing crops from heat and drought 
— the difference was about the same. In Nos. 1 and 2, which 
were less susceptible of atmospheric influence, and were con- 
sequently not so seriously affected by the drought and high 
temperature of the autumn months, we find 1|- cwt. of super- 
phosphate, sown in a liquid form, produced upwards of 5 tons 
per acre more mangolds than the same quantity sown in a dry 
state. These experiments also reveal very clearly the benefits 
accruing from the use of artificial stimulants in the growth of 
root-crops. In Nos. 1 and 2, where \ 6 loads of good farmyard 
manure were put upon an acre, a heavy crop was not realized, 
but when 1^ cwt. of superphosphate of lime, at a cost of only 
lis. 3c?. per acre, was added, the crop was increased to the 
extent, in No. 1, of upwards of 7 tons, and, in No. 2, of nearly 
6 tons per acre, whilst in No. 3, where only 11 loads of 
manure were put upon an acre, 1 cwt. of superphosphate, at a 
cost of 7*. 6c?., nearly doubled the produce. I should, however, 
observe that this large increase in the weight of roots per acre is 
not entirely owing to the increased size of the bulbs obtained by 
the use of the artificial manure and the water-drill, but partly, and 
in some instances largely, to the better and more perfect plant 
secured thereby : the one being uniformly even and regular, 
the other broken and patchy. 
In the following year I made a precisely similar series of ex- 
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