Two Years' 'H'ork in the Chemical Branch. 13 



with the application of manures themselves of almost equal import- 

 ance. There is the time of application, the method of distribution, 

 and the quantity to a})ply under given climatic conditions — questions 

 which open up fields for investigation, as full of interest and practical 

 importance as the questions just dealt with. Tests on all these points 

 were attempted. That full answers have not been obtained, is the 

 fault of the farmer and not the branch. One of the most interesting 

 of these tests was the ap])lication of the superphosphate in various 

 ways. An application with the drill was com])ared with a surface 

 application ploughed in, in one case — in the other the application with 

 the drill was compared with a like quantity given as a top dressing 

 after the crop had come up. In the ploughing in test there were the 

 results of five fields available for comparison. The returns showed, 

 taking the average of the five fields, a slight gain in favour of plough- 

 ing in. Foiir fields showed in favour of ploughing in — one 

 decidedly in favour of the ajjplication by the drill. 'j^his has 

 influenced the average results, for an average of the four fields 

 shows a gain in favour of the ploughing in of '58 bushels. The results 

 of such a small number of fields do not warrant one in speaking too 

 decidedly in favour of the latter method of application, but the figures 

 are certainly enough to suggest the thought that a deeper applica- 

 tion of our manures, and the encouragement it would give to root 

 development at a greater depth from the surface, removed from the 

 effect of long dry spells — might exert a powerful influence on the 

 welfare of our crops — at critical periods of the year. 



Experiments, as already stated, were also carried out to test the 

 advantage, if any, of an application of a superphosphate at the time 

 of sowing the grain, over an application as a top dressing after the 

 crop had come up. The results were so irregular as to indicate that 

 the farmer in many cases had omitted the after application entirely. 

 The same tests Avere to be carried out with the sulphate of ammonia. 

 There are fewer irregularities in these returns, and the results in this 

 case indicate a very slight increase in favour of the drill application at 

 the time of sowing. 



Horse-hoeing the Growing Crop. 



In addition to the manure experiments, plots were included (jn the 

 field's of several of the farms for tests in the cultivation of horse-hoeing 

 of the crop in the spring of the year. In only one case was informa- 

 tion received at the laboratory that the test had been carried out as 

 requested, and Mr. Mackay of the vSt. Am and district wrote enthusias- 

 tically of the success of the operation. The returns were as follow : — 



Increases Due to Manuring and Horse-hoeing. 



Plot 1. — 51 lbs. superphosphate, but not horse-hoed, 5-50 bushels. 



Plot 2. — 51 lbs. superphosphate and horse-hoed, 8"0 bushels. Increase 

 due to horse-hoeing, 2-50 bushels. 



Plot 8. — No manure, but horse-hoed, 2-83 bushels. Increase due to 

 horse-hoeing, 2*83 bushels. 



