FIELD CROPS. 589 



only a small increase, bat of frood (luaiity; gun no gave an excellent crop of fine qual- 

 ity; and aiiunonium snlphato alone a splendid crop of good nuxed grasses. . . . 

 Common salt at the rate of 200 lbs. per acre gave au increased yield of 500 lbs. of 

 hay, and favored the finer grasses." 



The other series of plats were upon drier land and were affected 

 by drought. Upon these plats superphosphate and kainit, singly or 

 together, produced little effect. 



"Guano gave a small increase, but of good bottom and fine grasses; rape-cake 

 meal gave a good increase of fair quality; sodium nitrate alone and ammonium sul- 

 phate alone in equivalent quantities gave the same amount of increase, but the qual- 

 ity of the produce of the ammonium sulphate plat was rather better. The best 

 results were obtained by a mixture of cinereals with nitrogenous manure, and gen- 

 erally the mixtures containing ammonium sulphate gave heavier crops and of a rather 

 better quality than those containing sodium nitrate."' 



The residual value of manures applied to the hay crop, as shown 

 in the effect on a second hay crop, K. P. Wright {Glasgow and 

 West of Scotland Technical College, Agl. Dept. E2)ts. 1895, pp. 60-67). — 

 Tabulated details and discussion are given for experiments carried out 

 in different seasons on li farms. Similar fertilizers were used in both 

 cases, but comparison is limited by difference iu seasons and in soils. 

 The following general conclusions were reached : 



All the manures employed, soluble as well as insoluble, had a decided 

 influence upon the second year's crops. The application of muriate of 

 potash exerted a marked effect, increasing the yield greatly the first 

 year in both cases, and in the second year somewhat in one case and 

 more than the first year in the other case. This fertilizer improved the 

 clover and the author believes that the increase in the second year may 

 be partly attributable to the effect of the clover iu enriching the sur- 

 face soil with nitrogen. On the plats to which larger dressings of 

 mixed manures were applied the residual effects were clearly marked, 

 though the increase was slight. On both farms mineral manures with- 

 out nitrate of soda gave smaller crops in the first year, but in the sec- 

 ond year showed a larger increase over the unraanured plat, this being 

 due to the exhausting effect of the heavy crop of the first year upon the 

 plats receiving nitrate of soda. 



The application of salt alone gave disappointing results the first year, 

 but a moderate increase over the unmanured plats in the second year. 



Barnyard manure in moderate (piantity with nitrate of soda proved 

 more i)rofitable than twice the amount of manure alone. 



From these experiments and those with oats following turnips (p. 593) 

 the author draws the following general conclusions: 



"(1) Potassic manures, and all phosphatic manures, whether of a soluble or insol- 

 uble character, even when applied in small quantities, have a distinct effect in pro- 

 ducing increase of crop in the second year as well as in the year of application. 



" (2) The effect on a second crop as well as on a first confirms tlie conclusion 

 derived from other experiments, that much more profitable returns are to be obtained 

 from barnyard manure by apjilying it to crops iu small rather than in large dress- 

 ings, and by supplementing the small dressings with suitable artificial manures." 



