REPORT OF EXPERIMENT ON OATS. 117 



stead of galvanised wire being stretched between each plot, at 

 harvest time I stretched a rope between till one plot was cut, then 

 shifted the rope to the other, and so on. Of course, this plan 

 would not answer if the crop was lodged. 



The oats and manure were sown on the 20th of April. The 

 quantity of manure applied to each plot is stated in the table, 

 and the quantity of grain sown 3| bushels of Scotch birley oats 

 per acre, drilled 5 inches apart. The experiment had every 

 advantage as regarded the sowing of the manure, being a nice 

 calm day, and the land otherwise in the best order possible for 

 receiving the seed. There was no difference that I could perceive 

 in the brairding of the different plots ; but further on in the 

 season, and during the severe heat and drought, the plots con- 

 taining sulphate of ammonia appeared greener than the rest, and 

 had a more bulky appearance all through. The season being so 

 adverse I paid less attention to the progress of the different plots 

 than I usually do in conducting experiments. All the plots were 

 cut on the 7th of September, carried and weighed on the 15th, 

 thrashed and dressed on the ICth; dressed grain deducted from 

 the gross produce. 



I may mention, that all the work connected with the experi- 

 ment was done with my own hands. The only difficulty I found 

 was in the thrashing and weighing. My steelyard I did not 

 consider suitable for such small quantities, and the thrashing- 

 machine is too large for the same reason. I had to cart the 

 whole a considerable distance to a crofter's barn, who had a light 

 thrashing-machine driven by hand, and by laying a sheet in 

 below to receive the grain of each plot I got it done then to my 

 entire satisfaction. All the nothing plots seemed so very equal 

 that I did not consider it necessary to weigh more than one plot. 



The plan adopted previous to carrying was, that I had each 

 plot tightly bound up and numbered, the weight of each ascer- 

 tained with a common balance; the grain belonging to each plot, 

 when thrashed, was pat into a bag with its number attached, 

 then taken home and dressed, which completed the process. 



Perhaps it might be partly owing to the adverse season that 

 the applications have, with the exception of one case, proved to 

 be a loss. The nature of the season has always so much to do 

 with experiments that we can never draw any practical informa- 

 tion, unless from the results of two or three years. The manure 

 is put down in the table at what it cost at the nearest railway 

 station. 



