Two Years' Work in the Chemical Branch. 181 



The increased yields reach, in most cases, very high figures. In the 

 plot with the medium dressing complete manure, there has been a 

 gain, taking an average of four fields, of 3,632 lbs. of hay, while the 

 heavy dressing has resulted in an increase of 4,030 lbs. That phos- 

 phoric acid is the dominant deficiency, as far as the requirements of 

 the hay crop are concerned, of the soils experimented on is evident in 

 the returns of plot 5, where phosphoric acid has been omitted in the 

 manure given. This has residted in a loss of over 22 cwt. of hay per 

 acre. That nitrogen and potash are also required to a less degree, is 

 shown in the falling off in yields on plots 4 and (3. In the first case 

 there has been a falling off of, approximately, 10 cwt., in the second 

 of 8 cwt. to the acre. Very much the same results come out in the 

 grain crop of Mr. Edwards, of Hamilton. The manures used in these 

 experiments were heavy, but the results show splendid profits. On 

 the plot with the medium dressing we find an increase of 18'67 

 bushels, while with the heavy application there is a gain of 22"34 

 bushels. The omission of phosphoric acid in plot 5 has resulted in a 

 loss of 12| bushels, while the loss owing to the absence of nitrogen is 

 6 bushels. 



Manuring of Rape. 



In the manuring of rape, however, in one of the same districts, 

 the interesting fact seems to come out that the requirements of this 

 cro]) may differ a little from those of a hay crop. The rape was 

 grown on the farm of Mr. Greenham, who also grew a crop of hay. 

 In the case of the hay crop the results distinctly show a dominant 

 deficiency in phosphoric acid, a marked want in nitrogen, and a 

 slight res])()nse only to potash. In the case of the rape, however, 

 phosphoric acid appears, perha]:)s to be the only manurial require- 

 ment of the soil requiring serious consideration. The increased yields 

 in this crop are very fine, amounting to over 24 tons. 



A Soil That Does Not Respond to Phosphoric 



Acid. 



There are of course soils in Victoria so fertile that they show 

 little or no response to the application of manures, but these are in a 

 small minority only. The great fertility of some of the soils of 

 Warruambool is well known. Attention might, therefore, be called 

 to the case of Mr. Glasgow, of Wangoon, where phosphoric acid has 

 apparently had little effect ; but where nitrogen appears to be the 

 dominant want. The weight of sheaves without phosphoric acid is 

 considerably above that where it has been applied, while the 

 application of phosphoric acid only has in one case resulted in a loss, 

 and in the other an apparent gain so trifling that it requires no 

 consideration. 



Summary— Central, Southern, and Western Districts. 



To generalise then on the soil requirements of the Southern, Central, 

 and Western districts is not the easy matter that it is with the 



