Field Experiments in Manuring, 1903-4. 



695 



observed, ou the otlier hand, that the very heavy rains of the spring, 

 following in instances immediately after the application of the nitrate 

 to a number of crops, interfered with results — the returns from such 

 fields, following from the nitrogen application, being lower than 

 those from other fields not similarly aft'ected. It may however, I 

 think, be accepted that, with the absence of conditions tending to 

 seriously check the crop through the winter, sulphate ammonia will 

 give retui'ns slightly higher than equal quantities of nitrate of soda. 

 All crops treated with the first manure had stooled much better than 

 any of the other plots not similarly treated. 



The Effect of Potash. 



Taking the average figures of the first year's experiments (season 

 1902-8) potash appeared to show some effect, but hardly, with few 

 exceptions, to an extent covering the cost of the application, more 

 especially where used in addition to the phosphatic and nitrogenous 

 combination which has proved so effective in the experiments of both 

 years. With phosphoric acid only, potash showed a more marked 

 but still relatively small effect. The two years' returns indicating the 

 effect of potash are given below : — 



It will be seen from these figures that in the first year's experi- 

 ments a further addition of potash to the phosphatic and nitrogenous 

 fertilizer resulted in an increased yield of only "07 tons per acre, 

 while in the last year's tests the increased yield was still less, 

 amounting to "Uo tons only. It must be here remarked, as already 

 shown in Table B, that on a number among the 50 fields, potash 

 chloride was replaced by potash sulphate. 



Additional Tests Showing the Slight Effect of 

 Potash Manuring. 



Eeference to Tables B and C will indicate a comprehensive system 

 of tests devised with the object of discovering the extent of the 

 effective action of potash as a fertilizer. As with nitrogen, combina- 

 tions were tried with the two forms of phosphoric acid as well as with 

 the third remaining ingredient, forming a complete manure. As 

 evident in the following figures, all the results obtained confirm the 



