REPORT OF MR. R. ROBERTSON 



SESSIONAL PAPER No. 16 



EXPERIMENTS WITH FERTILIZEHS ON WHEAT. 



247 



These experiments which were also conducted last year are for the purpose of learning 

 the value of different fertilizers for economic grain production. The variety ' Preston ' 

 was used and the size of each plot was one-fortieth acre. Six plots were included in the 

 test. 



One half of the nitrate of soda on plots 1 and 2 was sprinkled finely over the ground, 

 when the grain was 2 inches high, and the other half when it was 6 inches high. The 

 fertilizers on plots 4 and 5 were scattered on the ground just before sowing and lightly 

 covered with the harrow. On plot 6 one-half of the fertilizer was scattered on the 

 ground just before sowing and lightly covered with the harrow, and the other half was 

 scattered over the ground when the grain was 2 or 3 inches high. Plot 3 was not fer- 

 tilized, being left for a check. The land on which these plots were located was previously 

 in grain. The i-esults obtained are given in the following table : — 



Experiments with Fertilizers on Wheat. 

 (Sown May 22. Cut Sept. 13). 



Plot. 



Variety of Wheat Sown. 



Preston. 



Fertilizers used per Acre, 



Nitrate of Soda . 



Check 



Superphosphate 



Muriate of Potash 



r Superphosphate. . . 

 Mixture of < Muriate of Potash . 



(^Nitrate of Soda. . . 



Lbs. 



100 



200 



400 

 400 

 200 

 100 

 100 



Yield per 

 Acre. 



Bush. Lbs. 



} 



.38 

 40 

 34 

 41 

 44 



39 



40 

 20 



20 



SPECIAL EXPERIMENTS WITH FERTILIZERS. 



These experiments were repeated again this season, the object being to ascertain 

 the relative value of fertilizers commonly used for field crops of various kinds. The 

 plots were one-eighth acre each 38x143^ ft. for each kind of fertilizer used. These 

 were subdivided into ten strips 14 ft. wide, each running lengthwise across all the differ- 

 ently fertilized plots. These strips were sown with ten different kinds of crops, namely : 

 potatoes, turnips, carrots, mangels, oats, wheat, barley, pease, corn, and mixed grain 

 makin<T in all 140 plots, A margin of 2 feet was left between each plot, and one foot 

 between each crop plot. Two plots were left without any fertilizer to serve as check 

 plots. The strips that are in grain one year are planted to roots, potatoes and corn the 

 following year. The quantity and kind of fertilizer used is applied each year. Each of 

 the crops is sown at about the same time as the uniform trial plots with the same 

 amount of seed per acre, and is cultivated in the same manner. This is the fourth 

 year of the test. The following table gives the yield per acre of the various crops. 



