012 AgricuUural Gazette oj N.S.IF. l-^i([/- 



3, 1908. 



manner, I obtained some alkaline soil wliifli Iki'1 Immmi uihIit iiTigatiou \>y 

 artesian water, and on Se|)tenil)er 2.^th. r.MKi. lillcd three G-incli flower-pots 

 with the soil. No. 1 being the soil as obtained. Nos. 2 and 3 were treated with 

 nitric acid. Two grains of wheat were sown in each pot and allowed to 

 mature. The wheat was cut on January 2Sth. J!i()7. and the giain weighed, 

 which gave the following results: — 



No. 1, untreated 2"f).") grainn;es of wheat. 

 No. 2, treated 11 ••")() „ „ 



No. .3 „ U-4() 



The latter showed more than live times the yield ol'^the iirst named, wliick 

 was considered a very satisfactory result. 



In oidei' to makequite 

 sure, I repeated the ex- 

 periment in (biplicate 

 on February 2nd, l'.)U7, 

 and the illustrations. 

 Figs. 1 and 2, show 

 the latter series of ex- 

 periments; and although 

 the season (winter) was 

 against the growth and 

 ripening of the gi-ain, 

 the results showed an 

 increase of from eight 

 to ten fold. 



The pot on the left of 

 each illustration, Nos. 1 

 and 5, contain the alka- 

 line soil untreated ; the 

 other pots contain the 

 same soil in which the 

 injurious effects of the 

 alkali have been cor- 

 rected, by the addition 

 of nitiic acid. Nos. 2 

 and G received '2 per 

 cent., Nos. o and 7 re- 

 ceived '5 per cent., and Nos. 4 and S received 1 per cent, nitric acid. 



Tivo grains only were grown in each pot ; consequently it is fair to assume 

 that the " stoohng " properties of wheat are greatly assisted by the process, 

 and as the pots containing '2 per cent, nitric acid showed an increase in yield 

 practically equal to those containing 1 per cent., it is only reasonable to 

 suppose that the same result would be obtained by the use of a iiiucli lower 

 percentage of acid. 



Fig. 1. 



