874 EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 



period of 4 years gave the lowest yield during the last period, etc. The application 

 of liquid manurial dressings during the swelling of the fruit had on an average no 

 appreciable effect on the crop, and no evidence was accumulated to show that the use 

 of water alone has any appreciable effect or can be justified, even where it can be 

 applied at reasonable cost. 



In this experiment there was a noticeable difference in the effect of the different 

 fertilizers on the plants themselves, as shown by their dried weights at the end of the 

 experiment. The values obtained in the different cases were practically identical, 

 except as regards the nitrated plats, where the mortality was 2 to 6 times greater than 

 in any of the other plats and the average weight of the plants was only about one- 

 half that of those in other plats. The sodium nitrate had a more deleterious effect 

 than the potassium nitrate. 



Gooseberries (pp. 35-44, 91, 92). — The manurial experiments with gooseberries have 

 been under way for 8 years, but owing to crop failure and insect pests satisfactory 

 results were secured during only 5 seasons. The work of 3 seasons has already been 

 noted (E. S. R., 12, p. 648). At the time of that report the results which had been 

 obtained were contradictory. Further work has thrown fresh light on the subject, 

 so that definite conclusions may now be drawn. 



The fertilizers used on the different plats were (1) nothing, (2) 12 tons London 

 city manure, (3) 30 tons London city manure, (4) commercial fertilizers equivalent 

 to 12 tons London city manure, minerals being applied in November and nitrate in 

 February, (5) commercial fertilizers equivalent to 30 tons of London city manure 

 applied as in (4), and (6) commercial fertilizers equivalent to 30 tons London city 

 manure, the minerals applied partly in November and partly in February and the 

 nitrate in February. 



The first season in which results were available all manured plats gave about equal 

 results. The next season those fertilized with commercial fertilizers led, but the 

 third and subsequent seasons the gooseberries on the city-manured plats showed the 

 greatest benefit from the use of fertilizers. At the time of writing the manured 

 bushes were vigorous and healthy, while the unmanured bushes and those fertilized 

 with commercial fertilizers were stunted in growth and practically useless for bearing 

 purposes, the fruit being too small and poor for market. Primings from manured 

 bushes were 6 to 10.5 times greater than from unmanured plats and about 5.5 times 

 greater than from the plats receiving commercial fertilizers. 



The anomalies of the first 3 seasons are thus accounted for: "In the first season 

 the dung had not had time to make its effect felt; in the second year it did so, but 

 its first action was that of promoting growth at the expense of fruiting, and the crops 

 were, therefore, reduced below the level of the other plats; after the first vigor of 

 the tree had been expended in growth the fruit began to benefit by the dung, and 

 the crop were further increased by the increased size of the trees which bore it." 

 The increase from 12 to 30 tons of city manure was not productive of any increase in 

 the fruit yield, the proportion being 136 : 131. There was an increase in wood 

 growth, however, the primings being in the proportion of 609 : 1,065 from the light 

 and heavily manured plats, respectively. 



The experiment is interesting from another standpoint, in showing that gooseberry 

 bushes were almost killed for want of manure on the same soil in which manure was 

 practically without benefit to the strawberry plant. The absence of effect of the 

 commercial fertilizers in the case of gooseberries indicates that the beneficial effect 

 in the case of manure must have been due almost entirely to its action on the phys- 

 ical properties of the soil. Analysis of the soil from the different plats showed that 

 manured plats contained from 2 to 3 per cent more moisture than the unmanured 

 plats or the plats which had received commercial fertilizers. 



Stating the matter concisely, "the dunged plats were much superior to the others 

 as regards size and quality of fruit and as regards the growth and vitality of the 



