On the Use of the Water-Drill. 
373 
factory, that I cannot fail to regard them as worthy of an 
extended publicity. 
In 1853 I was spending a few days in North Lincolnshire, 
and whilst there witnessed some experiments made in a field 
of turnips whicli, in some respects, resembled those made by 
myself during the two following years with mangolds. I give 
this case as it is one of considerable importance, and tends 
to elucidate the correctness of the water-drill principle as ap- 
plied to a different crop, and on a soil widely varying in every 
Inspect from any of those already referred to. The experi- 
ment was made upon a field just skirting the Lincolnshire Wolds, 
forming a part of Mr. Francis Sowerby's Aylesby Farm. The 
particulars are tabulated below. 
Table III. 
Xo. of 
Kxperi- 
inent. 
•WTien 
SOWTI. 
^\^Jat Drill 
used. 
Quant itj- and Descriptif^n 
of ^\jtificial Manure 
used. 
Farm- 
yard 
Manure 
per Acre. 
When 1 Produce 
Weighed, j per Acre. 
1 
1. 
JiUielT 
AVator drUl 
C 2 cwt. guano, and 2 busb. "( 
\ dissolved bones . i 
10 loads 
tons. cwt. stlbs. 
Xov. 15 j 23 0 0 0 
2. 
June 17 
Water drill 
2 bush, dissolved bones 
10 loads 
Xov. 15 j 22 15 0 0 
3. 
June 18 
Dry drill . 
C 6 bush, bones, and 1 2 bush. ) 
lOIotids 
X'ov. 15 17 10 0 
4. 
Juno 24 
Water drill 
2 bush, dissolved bones 
Xone 
Xov. 15 j 18 15 0 0 
From the above table it will be seen that 2 bushels of dis- 
solved bones sown with the water-drill produced 5 tons 14 cwts. 
more turnips per acre than did 6 bushels of bones mixed with 
12 bushels of ashes, and sown with the dry drill, all other things 
being equal. It also shows that 2 bushels of dissolved bones 
sown with the water-drill, and without farmyard manure, pro- 
duced 1 ton 14 cwt. greater weight of turnips per acre than 6 
bushels of bones and 12 bushels of ashes with 10 loads of manure 
per acre added. These are important and telling facts, but 
there is one other which appears even more remarkable still. I 
refer to the fact that 2 cwt. of Peruvian guano only gave an increase 
of 5 cwt. of turnips per acre, as shown in Nos. 1 and 2, all other 
things being equal. These turnips were sown upon ridges, the 
manure being spread down the rows, and the guano sown dry 
upon it, were covered in in the usual way with the plough, and 
the seed was then drilled with the application of the dissolved 
bones and the water. Since these experiments were made I 
believe Mr. Sower by has discontinued the practice of dissolving 
the bones for his own use, as it was attended with considerable 
trouble and inconvenience, and with no direct practical benefit, as 
