48 THE ESSEX EXPERIMENTS 



THE APPLICABILITY OF THE RESULTS 



It must be borne in mind when considering these experiments that 

 the rainfall conditions in Essex are not favourable to insoluble phos- 

 phate. In view, therefore, of the fact that rock phosphates have 

 proved, even under unfavourable conditions, to be but little inferior 

 to the best grades of basic slag, it seems fair to conclude that the 

 results detailed here are applicable to the heavy clay pasture and 

 meadow land which cover large areas in this country. 



The impression gained from close observation of the various experi- 

 ments over a period of five years leads to the conclusion that rock 

 phosphates are slower in their action during the spring and early 

 summer, but if the crop continues to grow until the latter end of 

 July this disadvantage disappears. If, however, the harvest is early, 

 the advantage is with the higher soluble phosphate. It is probable, 

 therefore, that for root crops where the growing period continues 

 well into the autumn, rock phosphates will prove almost as effective 

 as the best grades of basic slag 1 , and in the northern and western 

 parts of the country, where the corn harvest is late and the rainfall 

 high, rock phosphates of the North African type may reasonably be 

 expected to prove a suitable substitute for the high grade basic slags 

 of the past. 



1 Journal Department of Agric. and Tech. Institute for Ireland, Jan. 1917. 



