EXPERIMENTAL STATIONS — REPORT FOR 1881. 323 



weight by nearly 1 lb., and at Harelaw by 1^ lb. In conse- 

 quence of this two-fold superiority, there is an increase in the 

 weight of heavy grain at Pumpherston of 3J cwt. per acre, and 

 at Harelaw of 5 cwts. per acre, which is an increase of 27 per 

 cent, and 19 J per cent, respectively. So far the results obtained 

 at the two stations corroborate each other ; but when we examine 

 the figures of the fourth column, indicating the amount of light 

 grain produced by the use of soluble and insoluble phosphates, we 

 find that the results are entirely at variance with each other. At 

 Pumpherston the effect of dissolving the phosphates has been 

 extraordinarily to increase the yield of light grain, while at Hare- 

 law the effect has been still more extraordinarily to decrease it. 

 Conflicting as these results are, they admit of a very satisfactory 

 explanation if we consider the great differences of soil and 

 climate at the two stations, and also the very exceptional 

 character of the summer of 1881. At Pumpherston we have a 

 thin exhausted and retentive soil, a high exposed situation, and 

 a comparatively wet and cold climate. In such circumstances 

 we must expect that the proportion of light grain, that is to say, 

 of ill-nourished and unripened grain, will be very considerable 

 even at the best ; but when we consider further the cold, moist, 

 sunless character of the past summer, we can quite understand 

 that the application of a manure which increases the amount of 

 the crop will more especially increase the amount of unripened 

 grain. Moist weather during the growing season increases the 

 amount of straw, and in a less degree the amount of grain ; but 

 warm dry weather is wanted during the latter part of the sum- 

 mer to check this growth, and accelerate the ripening process. 

 But the prevalence of wet dull weather during July and August 

 greatly protracted the growing season and interfered with the 

 ripening of the grain. On the other hand, at Harelaw, with a 

 fine porous and fertile soil and a warm dry climate, the applica- 

 tion of manure did not produce so marked an increase in the 

 bulk of the crop, and the use of soluble phosphates in this early 

 district was favourable to the large crop produced there in 

 accelerating the time of ripening, and thus enabling a larger pro- 

 portion of grain to be ripened than was possible on the plots to 

 which the slower-working undissolved phosphates were applied. 

 A very instructive lesson is thus conveyed by the disproportionate 

 amount of light grain produced at those two stations, for it shows 

 us very forcibly how much the effects of manuring are dependent 

 on the conditions of soil, climate, and season, and how cautious 

 one should be in drawing conclusions derived from experiments 

 conducted in one particular }»lace at one particular time, and it 

 also shows us how necessary it is for the farmers of each dis- 

 trict to study for themselves the special kind of manurial treat- 

 ment most suited to the conditions of their soil and climate. The 



