364 EXPERIMENTAL STATIONS — EEPOET FOE 1880. 



hand, if the season is a wet one, there is a danger of the more 

 soluble part of the manure, and especially nitrates, being car- 

 ried down through the soil and run off in the drains. The season 

 of 1880 was a very dry one ; and at Pumpherston scarcely any 

 rain fell from the time of sowing till the beginning of Septem- 

 ber. The turnips (Fosterton hybrid) were so\Yn on the 12th 

 June, and brairded so slowly that they were not fit for singling 

 till 12th July, but the growth was so unequal that on all the 

 plots there were parts that were not singled till a fortnight 

 later. In these circumstances, it was some time before the 

 effects of the various manures were visible on the crop, but 

 when differences were observed, it was found that the plots 

 which had received dissolved manures took the lead just as 

 they did two years previously. When moist, favourable weather 

 set in, it was noticed that the other plots made rapid progress, 

 and it seemed as if they would eventually have made good their 

 deficiency, but the growing season was suddenly cut short by 

 the occurrence of a severe frost on 20th October, when the ther- 

 mometer registered 15° Fahrenheit. At Harelavr the crop was 

 purple top swedes, and there also the brairding was very un- 

 equal, and it appeared for a time as if the little crop would be 

 a failure, but after the occurrence of genial weather a great 

 improvement took place, and, considering all things, a satisfac- 

 tory result was obtained. 



Plots 9 and 10 were manured with genuine Canadian apatite. 

 These plots have always been marked as apatite plots in the 

 scheme of experiments,, but hitherto the phosphate employed 

 was not Canadian apatite. As, however, this mineral occurs in 

 large quantity in Canada, and has already been imported into 

 this country, and as our experiments have been quoted in refer- 

 ence to it, it was considered desirable to test its efiicacy along- 

 side of another mineral phosphate equally rich in j^hosphate of 

 lime. Accordingly plots 116 and 12b were manured with Cura- 

 i;oa phosphate, and it will be noticed that there is a great differ- 

 ence in the results obtained with these two forms of manure. 

 Only one other change has been made in these plots, — viz., plot 

 146, which is a duplicate of 14 instead of being a duplicate 

 of plot 15. The rood plot of that number has hitherto received 

 shoddy as its nitrogenous constituent ; but this form of manure 

 has been a complete failure, and it "may be questioned whether 

 it is worth while continuing it among the experiments, especially 

 since it is not a manure which farmers ever purchase, and is 

 only used in small quantity by manufacturers as a source of 

 nitrogen in highly dissolved manure. The other ^-l^ acre plots 

 have received numbers corresponding to those of the large plots 

 of which they are duplicates. 



The following tables show the weight of bulbs grown on the 

 various plots at both stations in lbs. per plot or in cwts. per acre, 



