EXPERDIENTAL STATIONS —BArtLEY CROP 1883. 393 



mature without damage tlie advantage of late top-dressing, in 

 that respect, would have been still more apparent. It will be 

 seen, however, that the advantage in respect of quoMtAty of grain 

 is got at the expense of quality, for the weight per bushel of the 

 heavier crop is decidedly inferior, and the proportion of light 

 grain is enormously increased. It may be that late top-dressing, 

 even in the most favourable circumstances, has the effect of 

 producing an inferior quality of grain, and a greater proportion 

 of light grain, but that is by no means proved by these 

 experiments. It has been already explained that the damage 

 done by the storm was most felt in that part of the stations 

 where the bulk was greatest, and the sudden check which was 

 given to the growth of that part of the crop would have the 

 direct effect of preventing the tilling of the ears, especially when 

 it is remembered that one of the effects of late top-dressing is the 

 retarding of the time of ripening. Had the second top-dressing 

 been applied about three weeks later than the first, as it would 

 have been in a normal season, very little difference in the time 

 of ripening would have occurred ; but as more than double that 

 time elapsed between the two applications of nitrate, it was 

 noticed that the late manured section was still green when a 

 yellow tinge was apparent over the rest of the station. Accord- 

 ingly, when the storm came on a large amount of the nourish- 

 ment stored up in the roots of the late manured corn had not 

 yet been carried up into the stem, and its progress in that 

 direction was checked when the stem was broken over. This 

 nutritive matter was thus prevented from adding to the weiglit 

 of the ears already formed, and expended itself in the formation 

 of a puny second growth, which, running to seed, greatly 

 augmented the amount of light grain. It is highly probable 

 that if the crop had been allowed to mature without accident, 

 the later manured section would liave produced as heavy a 

 quality of grain as the other, and perhaps in even greater 

 abundance. This is undoubtedly a subject well worthy of 

 investigation, and it will receive careful attention at the first 

 opportunity. The relative quantity and quality on the two 

 sides of the table are thus found to compensate each other in 

 some measure, so that when we consider the total weight of 

 grain and of straw, the differences due to the early and late top- 

 dressings are not so striking as at first sight they appear. It 

 is to the two columns containing the total weights of grain and 

 straw per acre that we must direct our attention in estimating 

 the relative eOicacy of the various forms of manure. 



In the first i)lace as regards phos})hates, it will be seen on 

 conijiaring the results of the ground phosphate with those of the 

 dissolved phosphate plots, that the advantage remains with the 

 latter, despite the levelling effects of the storm. They have 



