EXPERIMENTAL STATIONS — REPORT FOR 1881. 317 



EXPERIMENTAL STATIONS.— EEPOET FOR 1881. 

 By Dr. A. P. Aitken, Chemist to the Society. 



Experiments at Harelaw and Pumpherston. • 



The crop on the experimental stations during the past season was 

 oats. The manures described on pages 329 and 330 were applied 

 to both stations under the most favourable conditions, and no 

 accident of any kind occurred to interfere with the success of 

 the experiments. The season throughout was cold, wet, and 

 sunless, and was one which will long be remembered by farmers 

 as the gloomiest of the cycle of disastrous seasons which have 

 had so depressing an effect upon our agriculture. The inclem- 

 ency of the weather told most severely upon white crops, and 

 upon no crop more than upon oats. The harvesting was not 

 begun till far on in jNovember, and successive showers of rain 

 while the crops were in the stook made it late before the whole 

 was securely stacked. In the following tables are contained the 

 statistics of the crops at both stations. 



Despite the unpropitious character of the season, the crop 

 obtained at Harelaw was a very heavy one. As much as ten 

 quarters per acre was obtained on several of the plots, and two 

 even exceeded that amount. Three crops had been removed 

 from the field without any application of manure, in order to 

 reduce its fertility, and while there was noticed a considerable 

 falling off, yet there is still a large amount of unexhausted 

 wealth lying in the soil. For experimental purposes it is 

 desirable to operate upon a soil in low condition, in order that it 

 may respond more readily and decidedly to the manurial treat- 

 ment it receives. We have to consider, however, that the object 

 of our experiments is a practical one, and is meant to convey 

 information ref^ardincr the relative value of various forms of 

 manures when applied to soils in ordinary cultivation, whether 

 rich or poor, and on that account it is rather an advantage than 

 otherwise that we have in our two stations subjects differing 

 so widely in their fertility and general character. 



It is satisfactory to find that although the average crop here 

 is high there are yet considerable differences in the produce of 

 the various plots, so that the high condition of the soil does not 

 seem to interfere with its utility as a subject for experiments. 

 If we direct our attention in the first place to the table of results 

 obtained at Pumpherston, we find that the figures show a great 

 range of difference. As years go on the characters of the various 

 plots become more and more marked, and we are enabled now 

 to trust with confidence to the information conveyed by the 

 various plots, as tliey year after year report the same story in 

 language ever more emphatic. 



