REPORT OF TEE DIRECTOR 



21 



SESSIONAL PAPER No. 16 • 



(3) Hoed crops form a large proportion of every rotation. An attempt to farm 

 a small area without a hoed crop was not successful. Weeds could not readily be kept 

 in check. 



(4) No field is left in hay for more than two years. Our records shoAv that the 

 second crop almost always costs more than the first per ton, and that suc-ceeding crops 

 are very liable to be gi-own at a loss. , ' , 



(5) Barnyard manure is applied frequently in comparatively small quantities, 

 rather than at long intervals in large quantities. 



The following record shows the comparison of the chief items in connection with 

 these rotations : — 



Cost, Returns and Net Profits or Losses of Eotations " A,'' " B," '' C," " D," and '' E." 



Rotation. 



A(nve years' duration) . . . 

 B (five yeans' duration).., 

 C (four years' duralio-ij , 

 D (tliree years' duration) 

 R (tlirce years' duration ) 



Cost to 

 operate 

 per acre. 



cts. 



17 21 



17 13 

 16 83 



18 83 

 18 76 



Valut' of 

 returns 

 per acre. 



cts, 



18 14 

 18 63 

 15 02 



18 17 



19 49 



Profit or 



loss per 

 acre, 1914. 



cts. 



9 93 

 1 50 

 -1 21 

 66 

 73* 



Profit, 

 average 



of 

 8 years 

 1904-11. 



cts. 



8 78 



9 03 

 8 15 



10 08 



•Records kept for two years only. 



SHALLOW PLOUGHING AND SUBSOILING VERSUS DEEP PLOUGHING. 



This experiment has been under Avay for eleven years. Two four-year -rotations 

 differing only in the preparation of the sod land for corn or roots as mentioned above 

 are used but the results have~not yet shown any decided advantage in favour of either 

 method. 



COMMERCL\L FERTILIZER AS A PART SUBSTITUTE FOR BARNYARD MANURE. 



In 191J? there were completed five years of experiments designed to supply inform- 

 ation concerning the relative fertilizing merits in regular farm rotation of: — 



(1) No manure or fertilizer of any kind but pastured one year in four (records 

 kept for two years only). 



(2) Barnyard manure. 



(.3) Complete commercial fertilizer. 



(4) Barnyard manure, together with commercial fertilizer. The results show a 

 distinct advantage in barnyard manure alone over commercial fertilizer alone for this 

 soil, but point to the possibility of combining the two to good advantage when barn- 

 yard manure is scarce or high in price. 



DIVISION OF CHEMISTRY. 



During the latter half of the year just closed the work of this Division has been 

 carried forward under considerable difficulties, enlistments, for active service . and 

 resignations having very seriously depleted the staff. The dislocation of the organiza- 

 tion and the unavoidable interruption in the work, both investigational and casual. 



