18 EXPERIMENTAL FARMS 



9-10 EDWARD VII., A. 1910 

 Branch Experimental Fanns. 



The correspondence conducted by the superintendents of the Branch Experimental 

 Ifarnis is also large, as is shown by the following figures : — 



21,924 21,212 



Much additional information has also been sent out from the Branch Farms in 

 printed circulars. By adding the correspondence conducted at the Branch Farms to 

 that of the Central Farm, the total number of letters received is found to be 101,006, 

 while those sent out number 60,912. 



SPECIAL EXPERIMENTS WITH FERTILIZERS. 



In the Annual Report of the Experimental Farms for 1893, details were given, on 

 pages 8 to 24, of the result-s of a series of tests which had then been carried on iov. 

 some years, on plots of one-tenth acre each, with the object of gaining information 

 regarding the effects which follow the application of certain fertilizers and combina- 

 tions of fertilizers on the more important farm crops. 



These experiments have been continued, and a summary of the results obtained 

 has been given each year, by taking the average yield of crops from the beginning of 

 the test, adding the results for the current year, and then giving the average yield for 

 the full time. These tests were undertaken on virgin soil, on a piece of land which 

 was cleared for the pur^jose. For particulars regarding the clearing and preparing of 

 the land for crop in 1887-8 and its subsequent treatment, the reader is referred to the 

 earlier issues of this report. 



VALUABLE INFORMATION GAINED. 



From this long-continued series of tests some useful information has been gained. 



These trials have shown that barnyard manure can be most economically used in 

 the fresh or unrotted condition ; that fresh manure is equal, ton for ton, in crop- 

 producing power to rotted manure, which, other experiments have shown, loses during 

 the process of rotting about 60 per cent of its weight. In view of the vast importance 

 of making the best possible use of barnyard manure, it is difficult to estimate the 

 value of this one item of information. 



When these experiments were planned, the opinion was very generally held that 

 untreated mineral phosphate, if very finely ground, was a valuable fertilizer, which 

 gradually gave up its phosphoric acid for the promotion of plant growth. Many years' 

 exijerience has shown that mineral phosphate, untreated, is practically of no value as 

 a fertilizer. 



Sulphate of iron, which, at the time these tests were begun, was highly recom- 

 mended as a means of producing increased crops, has also proven to be of very little 

 value for this purpose. 



