Ang. S,190S.'] Agricultural Gazette of N.S. TV. 613 



From these^experiments, whicli must be regarded as purely of a pre- 

 liminary nature, it is quite impossible to attempt to estimate the cost, and 

 until the experiment has been tried in the field, on a comparatively large 

 area, I would prefer not to express an opinion on this point. 



Mr. F. B. Guthrie, Chemist, Department of Agriculture, on seeing the 

 photographs of this experiment, sent to Moree for soine alkaline soil, in 

 order to ascertain, by experiment, the smallest quantity of nitric acid necessary 

 to correct the poisonous properties of the alkali. 



The Moree soil, when wet, is naturally a very sticky clay, and in a com- 

 paratively short time, under the influence of the alkali, " puddles " to such 

 an extent as to render percolation practically out of the question. The 

 soil used for the follow- 

 ing experiment was 

 specially selected from 

 an old drain or chan- 

 nel which had been 

 alternately saturated 

 with bore-water, and 

 dry, for the past nine 

 years. It was very 

 hard and tough when 

 dry, and in order to 

 bring it into something 

 like a suitable condi- 

 tion or tilth, it was 

 necessary to use a ham- 

 mer to pulverise the 

 clods. It was strongly 

 alkaline, and contained 

 sufficient carbonates 

 and chlorides to pre- 

 vent the proper growth 

 of cereals. 



The pots, nine in 

 number, were sown 

 with wheat on June 

 1-ith, 1907 ; germina- 

 tion was excellent. Four ^plants only were allowed to grow in each pot. 

 No. 1 contained the untreated alkahne soil as obtained. No. 2 was treated 

 with -002 per cent, nitric acid, No. .j -004 per cent., No. 4 -008 per cent., 

 and so on up to No. 8 ; No. *.) received -25 per cent, nitric acid. 



The illustration, from a photograph (Fig. -j), represents four of the pots 

 on September 13th, 1907, and was taken in order to record the date on which 

 the benefit of the treatment became clear. The plants in No. 1 made very 

 little progress after that date, and practically remained stationary ; all the 



Fig. 2. 



