EXPERIMENTAL STATIONS — BARLEY CROP 1883. 395 



than plot 17, which got no nitrogenous manure. Of the two 

 forms of potash manure the sulphate is the best, but the muriate, 

 with a late top-dressing of nitrate, has done very well Among 

 the guanos the differences are less than in former years. The 

 fish guano plot is steadily improving, for the same reason as the 

 bone meal one above referred to. The results upon the super- 

 phosphate plots resemble on the whole those of the former 

 years ; the 25 per cent, soluble superphosphate is the best, but 

 the more highly dissolved one would probably have been quite 

 as good if it had not been so much damaged by the storm. 



The plots with incomplete manures are every year showing their 

 respective wants more and more markedly. The great want of 

 the soil is nitrogen. Phosphate alone produces a poor crop, and 

 potash alone is worse than nothing ; while nitrate of soda alone 

 is yearly becoming less efficacious, showing that the small store 

 of mineral food in the soil is rapidly becoming exhausted. 



The quantity plots tell the same story as in former years, but 

 not so remarkably as formerly, for the heavier manured plots 

 were very severely hurt by the wind and rain. 



Three new manures were applied to the crop, viz., plot 26, 

 steamed bone flour ; plot 33, calcined fossil phosphate ; and plot 

 34, Fray Bentos guano. The first and last of these have shown 

 themselves to be good manures, but it would be premature to 

 classify them from the results of a season so exceptional. They 

 will be applied again to the bean crop this year, along with other 

 forms of manure of animal origin, which are now coming into 

 the market. 



ANALYTICAL ASSOCIATIONS. 

 By Dr A. P. Aitken. 



At the General Meeting in January, of which a report is given 

 in Appendix A, p. 17, it was shown in the Report of the 

 Chemical Department that a great improvement had taken place 

 in the character of the manures supplied to local analytical 

 associations since the Society began to take an interest in that 

 matter. There is no doubt that the improvement is directly 

 due to the working of the Society's scheme fur the regulation 

 and encouragement of these associations. Three years ago 

 deficiency in the character and overcharge in the i»rice of 

 manures supplied to some of these associations was the rule, 

 and now it is the excei)tion. 



Of the 150 samples of manure and feeding stuffs sup^died last 

 year, only nine were found to be so deficient as to require 

 investigation. In the case of two of these it was found that 

 there had been some misunderstanding regarding the guarantee, 

 for which the buyer was responsible. Other two had been made 



