REPORT OF TEE DIRECTOR 



39 



SESSIONAL PAPER No. 16 



It is proposed to grow the same crops on this land for a series of years, using the 

 same fertilizer in the same quantities every second year. In this way it is hoped that 

 some further information may be gained as to the effect of these different fertilizers 

 when used singly and in combination on the important crops named. As this land 

 was at the start in a fair average condition as to fertility, it may be regarded as re- 

 presenting in a general way average sandy loams on farms properly worked. The 

 fertilizers were applied in the spring of 1900, but none were used in 1901. The spring 

 wheat and oats were both sown on May 4, and both were ripe on August 5. 



RESULTS OF THE APPLICATION OF FERTILIZERS TO SPRING WHEAT. 



c 

 c 



Name of Variety, Preston. 



Fertilizers used. 



Superphosphate, 400 lbs. per acre 



Thomas' phosphate, 400 lbs. per acre 



Thomas' phosphate, 800 lbs. per acre 



Check 



Thomas' phosphate, 400 lbs., kainit, 200 lbs. per acre. . . 



Superphosphate, 400 lbs., kainit, 200 lbs. per acre 



Check 



Thomas' phosphate, 400 lbs., kainit, 200 lbs., nitrate soda, 



100 lbs. per acre 



Superphosphate, 400 lbs., kainit, 200 lbs., nitrate soda, 



100 lbs. per acre 



Season of 

 1900. 



Yield 



of grain per 



acre. 



Bush. Lbs. 



25 

 25 

 25 

 20 

 26 

 24 

 25 



20 



20 

 20 

 20 

 40 

 40 

 40 

 20 



26 — 



Season of 1901. 



Yield 



of grain per 



acre. 



Bush. Lbs. 



26 

 30 

 28 

 26 

 24 

 24 

 27 



26 



24 



40 

 40 



40 



20 

 40 

 40 



Weight 



of straw per 



acre. 



Lbs. 



2,800 

 2,240 

 2,480 

 2,400 

 2,000 

 2,000 

 1,960 



2,240 



2,120 



RESULTS OF THE APPLICATION OF FER11LIZERS TO OATS. 



c 

 S 



o 



9 



Name of Variety, Improved Ligowo. 



Fertilizers used. 



Superphosphate, 400 lbs. per acre 



Thomas' phosphate, 400 lbs. per acre 



Thomas' phosphate, 800 lbs. per acre 



Check 



Thomas's phosphate, 400 lbs. kainit, 200 lbs. per acre 



Superphosphate, 400 lbs., kainit, 200 lbs. per acre 



Check 



Thomas' phosphate, 400 lbs., kainit, 200 lbs., nitrate soda, 



100 lbs. per acre 



Superphosphate, 400 lbs., kainit, 200 lbs., nitrate soda, 

 - 100 lbs. per acre 



Season of 

 1900. 



Yield 



of grain per 



acre. 



Bush. Lbs. 



70 

 72 

 72 

 75 

 70 

 73 

 73 



68 



20 

 22 

 22 

 10 

 20 

 18 

 18 



20 



Season of 1901 



Yield 



of grain per 



acre. 



Bush. Lbs. 



M 

 51 

 45 

 42 

 40 

 40 

 42 



49 



51 



20 

 26 

 30 

 12 



12 

 14 

 20 



Weight 

 of straw per 



Lbs. 



3000 

 3280 

 2920 

 2400 

 2240 

 2560 

 2800 



3200 



3680 



In both these series of tests the two check plots to which no fertilizers have been 

 applied have given crops of grain averaging as large as those on which fertilizers have 

 been used. The crops of straw, however, average heavier on the plots which were fer- 

 tilized. This would seem to indicate that the land still contains as much available 

 plant food as the crops could utilize for grain production under the conditions prevail- 

 ing during these two seasons. With the partial exhaustion which successive crops 

 will produce, the relative usefulness of the several fertilizers will probably be more 

 clearly shown. 



