Vegetable Growing for Market 137 



This set of experiments shows that the manures which apparently gave 

 good results in Wexford were valueless, if not injurious, in Antrim. It 

 is curious that in all but the " No manure " experiment Wexford County 

 gave the greatest yield, while in every case Antrim gave the poorest. The 

 figures given represent the gross yield, but the quantity of small or unsale- 

 able tubers varied greatly, being 40 per cent in one case, 37 per cent in 

 another, but rarely below 13 per cent. 



In a second set of experiments in the same leaflet (No. 38), 15 tons per 

 acre of farmyard manure were given in every case, but the quantities of 

 sulphate of ammonia, superphosphate, and muriate of potash were increased 

 or decreased. Here, again, taking every county in Ireland, the results for 

 Antrim are generally poor in comparison with the results obtained in 

 Wicklow, Wexford, Down, &c., the highest gross yield being in Wicklow 

 17 tons 7 cwt. (55 cwt. small) from 15 tons of farmyard manure, 1 cwt. 

 sulphate of ammonia, 4 cwt. of superphosphate, 2 cwt. muriate of potash, 

 the cost of which was 5, 7s. 



In the year 1899 an elaborate series of manurial experiments with 

 Potatoes were carried out and tabulated at the Agricultural Side Brewood 

 Grammar School, Brewood, Staffs. Thirteen varieties were manured in 

 eleven different ways, making a total of 143 separate plots. The tubers were 

 planted with a mould plough on 4 and 5 May, 1899, but the distance apart 

 between sets and furrows is not stated. It may be assumed, however, that 

 the furrows were 24 to 27 in. apart, and the sets 12 to 15 in. The manures 

 used were nitrate of soda (1 to 4 cwt. per acre), kainit (4 to 6 cwt. per acre), 

 superphosphate (3 to 5 cwt. per acre), and farmyard manure (10 tons per 

 acre). There was also a plot unmanured in any way for each variety. 

 The results of these experiments were rather extraordinary, the difference 

 being very slight in any case. Indeed, the plots that had no manure at 

 all beat those that had, in seven cases. The " no-manure " plot was better 

 than 4 cwt. of nitrate of soda and 4 cwt. of kainit in one case; better than 

 4 cwt. nitrate and 3 cwt. of superphosphate in two cases; better than 3 cwt. 

 of superphosphate and 4 cwt. of kainit in one case; better than 4 cwt. of 

 nitrate, 5 cwt. of superphosphate, and 6 cwt. kainit in one case; better than 

 2 cwt. nitrate, 2 cwt. superphosphate, and 4 cwt. kainit in one case; and 

 better than 10 tons of farmyard manure in one case. The greatest yield 

 was 9 tons 17 cwt. from a variety called "Farmer's Glory", and the poorest 

 was 2 tons 17 J cwt. from land that had been manured with 10 tons of farm- 

 yard manure. The highest yield from the no-manure plot was 7 tons 1J 

 cwt., and the lowest 2 tons 16| cwt. 



For several years interesting experiments have been carried out with 

 Potatoes at the Agricultural and Horticultural School, Holmes Chapel, 

 Cheshire. Here again, however, the results leave one entirely in the dark, 

 if not mystified, as to which is the best manure for Potatoes. The follow- 

 ing table shows manurial experiments with "Sutton's Reliance" Potato^ 

 carried out on ten different plots: 



