96 



Grand general average 



Moisture, 79.46 per cent; starch, 16.02 per cent. 



Grand average of : 



Nothing plots, moisture, 79.12 " " 16.13 " 



Plots receiving : 



Nitrate of soda alone, " 79.05 " " 17.27 " 



Phosphoric acid " " 78.88 " " 16.83 



Potash " " 80.74 " " 14.94 " 



All plots receiving : 



Nitrate of soda '' 79.60 " " 16.17 " 



Phosphate " 79.74 " " 1.5.57 " 



Potash, moisture, 80.56 per cent; starch, 14.98 per cent. 



Manure, " 80.23 " '' 15.02 



"Complete'Tertilizer," 80.26 " " 14.51 " 



The differences brought out b}' these figures are not large, but it 

 is thought they are significant. It is true, as a general rule, (see 

 reports of these experiments: Amherst, p. 47; Shelburne, p. 31; 

 and Hadley, p- 40) that the percentage of moisture is greater and 

 that of starch less in proportion as the crop is larger ; but there are 

 several exceptions to this rule, notably, the potash plots in Shelburne 

 which, although giving a liglit yield, show a low quality, also the 

 manure plot in Shelburne which gives a large crop of better quality 

 than the much smaller crop on the potash plots. 



The number of determinations made is insuflflcient, and the differ- 

 ences are too small to justify very positive conclusions ; but our 

 results indicate a favorable effect of nitrate of soda and the dissolved 

 bone-black upon the quality ; for where these fertilizers are used the 

 average of moistrwe is lower, and that of starch higher, than either 

 the general average, the average of the nothings, the average of plots 

 where other fertilizers loere used, or the average of plots where manure 

 was used. 



It is often asserted that fertilizers will produce a crop of better 

 quality than manure. In two out of three experiments, the potatoes 

 grown on mafture show a higher percentage of starch than those 

 grown on " complete " fertilizer; and tiie average is considerably 

 above that for " complete" fertilizer, viz., 15.02 per cent, against 

 14.51 per cent. This unfavorable result from the use of fertilizer 

 may hnve been due to the form of potash used, viz., the muriate. 



The influence of this salt appears to hf>ve been decidedly unfavor- 

 able io starch formation. The average per cent of starch where it 



