HEPORT OF MR. R. ROBERTSON 283 



SESSIONAL PAPER No. 16 



EXPERIMENT WITH BEANS. 



Three varieties of beans were sown with a view to test their relative value as a 

 fodder plant: Common Soja beans, early Soja beans and Velvet beans. The Velvet 

 beans did not come up, and seemed to rot in the ground. The following was the yield 

 of the others from plots of one-thirtieth of an acre: — 



Variety. Yield per acre. 



Soja beans (green) 1,035 lbs. 



Soja beans (white) 475 " 



Velvet beans (did not come up). 



EXPERIMENTS WITH MILLET. 



Six varieties of millet were grown in plots of one-fortieth acre each. The land 

 was a heavy clay loam in a rather poor state of fertility, not having had any manure 

 for some years. The ground was ploughed in the fall and well worked up in the 

 spring, and sown June 17. The crop was cut September 22. The following is the 

 yield per acre cut green : — 



Yield per acre. 



Variety. Tons. Lbs. 



Italian 10 2S0 



Algerian C 1,200 



Green California 4 1,680 



Moha Hungarian 3 CSO 



Wliite Round French 3 200 



Pearl or Cat Tail 1 600 



CLOVER EXPERIMENTS. 



Experiments were again conducted for the purpose of indicating the gain, if any, 

 from clover grown with grain crops and ploughed under as a fertilizer. These experi- 

 ments have been conducted on the same land for the same three years. No fertilizer 

 except the clover has been used. The soil was a clay loam, in a fair state of fertility. 

 Twelve plots of one-fortieth acre each were used in this experiment, four plots e:^.ch of 

 oats, wheat and barley. In two of each (six in all) Mammoth Red clover was 

 sown with the grain at the rate of 10 lbs. per acre. On the other six plots, no 

 clover was sov,Ta. The plots sown with clover were the same as had been sown with 

 clover in the previous years. The ground was ploughed in the spring and sown 

 May 27. The following yields were obtained : — 



