394 



EXPErJMEXTAL STATIONS — BAELEY CROP 1883. 



produced 13 per cent, more grain at Pumpherston, and about 3 per 

 cent, more grain at Harelaw. There is on the whole very little 

 difference in the weight of straw. The late top-dressing has 

 produced a heavier crop than the early one, both in grain and 

 straw. As regards the individual phosphates, it would scarcely 

 be prudent, in the exceptional circumstances of the crop, to 

 examine them too narrowly. The most notable thing to remark 

 is the good crop on the bone meal plot. When the experiments 

 began this was the most backw^ard of all the phosphate plots, but 

 it has been going on steadily improving its position from year 

 to year. There are two reasons for this. In the first place, the 

 coarser particles of the meal employed in former years are still 

 in the soil, and slowly decomposing, so that the roots of the 

 crop are feeding partly upon phosphate which should have been 

 used by former crops; and in the second place, the bone meal now 

 being manufactured is much finer than anything that could be 

 got a few years ago ; and it is to be expected that the bone meal 

 plot will continue to improve for some time to come. 



Among the nitrogen plots at Pumpherston, it will be observed 

 that plot 14, which received sulphate of ammonia, has yielded 

 the largest return, and the quality of the grain on that plot is 

 the best on the station. Plot 13, with nitrate of soda, comes 

 very near it, and has the advantage in straw. Dried blood has 

 also proved a good manure, but it has not produced much straw. 

 Dissolved shoddy has given a poor return, and no more straw 



