360 



EXPERIMENTAL STATIONS — EEPORT FOR 1880. 



27, somewhat exceeded that proportion. Warm weather, with 

 genial showers, favoured the second growth, so that backward 

 plots were able to better their position considerably before the 

 end of the growing season. 



Owing to this cause, only the first crop at Harelaw should be 

 compared with that of Pumpherston. But even when this is 

 done there are numerous discrepancies between the two stations. 

 At Harelaw the dissolved phosphate plots still show a superio- 

 rity of from 6 to 8 per cent., while at Pumpherston the undis- 

 solved phosphate plots have uniformly the best of it. On 

 comparing the plots at the latter station among themselves, it is 

 seen that those which carried larger crops of turnips and barley 

 produced smaller crops of hay, and this shows that the soil is in 

 a very exhausted condition, and dependent on the immediate 

 supply of manure for the production of a good crop. The meagre 

 store of nourishment in the soil is especially shown on the (a) 

 series of plots 31 to 34, which had received only half doses of 

 manure. This poverty of soil, although from an agriculturist's 

 point of view very undesirable, is a condition of soil which is 

 nevertheless very suitable for experimenting. 



One other circumstance requires to be noted, as affecting not 

 only the amount but also the character of the crop of hay pro- 

 duced, viz., that there w^as no clover sown with the grass seed, 

 and the hay therefore must be considered as of the nature of a 

 cereal crop, and the results obtained should be compared with 

 the barley crop which preceded it, and especially with the straw 

 of the barley crop. Although no clover was sown, there yet 

 appeared in many plots considerable patches of white clover. 

 An attempt was made to classify the plots according to the 

 abundance of clover growing on them, but, owing to its sparse 

 and patchy distribution, this was found to be impossible. 



The crop at Pumpherston was analysed, and the following are 

 some of the results. The amount of moisture w^as found to be 

 very uniform, viz., about 14 per cent. In the following table, 

 the dry matter is therefore reckoned at 86 per cent. : — 



Hay Crop, Pumpherstox. 



