Itl'.PORT OF MR. R. ROBERTSON 



293 



SESSIONAL PAPER No. 16 



EXPEKIMENTS 



WITH LIME AND COMMERCIAL FERTILIZERS 

 MARSH AND DYKE LANDS. 



ON 



The soil on which this experiment was carried on was what is considered sandy 

 marsh, ijloiighed the previous fall and well worked up at seeding time with the spade, 

 spring-tooth and smoothing harrows. This was sown broadcast, and seeded with clover 

 and timothy. The fertilizer was harrowed in. The lime was air-slaked and sown on 

 the surface. 



The clover take was good, particularly on the plots on which lime was sown. The 

 following table shows the fertilizers used and the yields obtained. The plots were 

 A acre each and the grain used was Waverley oats. 



Experiments with Fertilizers on Marsh Land. 



Xo. 

 1 



2 

 3 

 4 



9 

 10 

 11 

 12 



3 casks lime aud 800 lbs. Basic Sla^' 



3 II » 400 II Bone meal 



3 11 only • ■ • •. 



3 y and 400 lbs. Bowker fertilizer (Square Brand) . 



No lime, 800 Ib^. Basic S'.acf 



It 400 II Bone meal 



Check. No fertilizer used 



No lime, 400 lbs. Bowker fertilizer (Square Brand) . 



6 casks lime and 800 lbs. Basic Slag 



G II M 400 M Bone meal 



C II only 



6 II and 400 lbs. Bowker fertilizer (Square Brand). 



Yield 

 per Acie. 



SPECIAL EXPERIMENTS WITH FERTLLIZERS. 



Experiments having been carried on for 5 years previous to 1904, without any 

 change of fertilizer per plot for the entire period, it was decided to discontinue the 

 use of fertilizer with a view to determine to what extent the fertilizers already applied 

 would continue to supply plant food for the crop. The field was seeded to grain two 

 series of plots each, oats, barley, wheat, pease, and mixed grain. Each series running 

 across the various plots where different fertilizers had been used. With each kind of 

 grain was sown Mammoth Red clover at the rate of 10 lbs. per acre, on the other series 

 of plots the grains were sown alone without clover. This was the third crop since 

 receiving any fertilizer. The ground was ploughed in the spring and cultivated 

 thoroughly. The plots were one-eighth of an acre each. The following yields were 

 obtained from these plots. 



