to be used in place of nitrate of soda, a fifth less of the sulphate 

 will be required. \Yheii nitrate of soda is to be used in place of 

 sulphate of ammonia one fourth more will be required than of the 

 sulphate. It must be remembered that the nitrate of soda is much 

 dearer than sulphate of ammonia ; and that Pearson in Victoria 

 obtained better results with the latter than the former, as it is 

 better adapted to the soils and climate there, which will most 

 probably be the case here.* 



When farmyard manure is used less quantities than those 

 mentioned by Ville can be used. The quantities laid down must 

 not be considered as hard and fast lines in any case, as one soil 

 differs from another. A great deal also depends on the previous 

 manuring and crop that has been taken off. 



The cereals generally require a rich nitrogenous manure. 

 When wheat is grown in a rotation after roots or a leguminous 

 crop, it is considered economical to have sufficient mineral manure 

 left in the soil for the wheat from the previous crop, and only to 

 supply a rich nitrogenous manure, such as sulphate of ammonia or 

 nitrate of soda. In the case of a light soil it is also advisable to add 

 some superphosphate or bone-meal, 2 cwt. of the former and 

 3 cwt. of the latter. 



Lawes and Gilbert have grown year after year wheat on the 

 same land with the following mixture added annually : 



Potassium sulphate ... 2Oolbs. 



Sodium sulphate ... loolbs. 



Magnesium sulphate ... loolbs. 



Superphosphates ... 3^cwts. 



Ammonium sulphate ... -2Oolbs. 



The yield per acre during the thirty-seventh season was 

 35 ] bushels and 40 c\vts. of straw. 



Land continuously unmanured gave in the thirty-seventh season 

 1 1 !> bushels and 10] c\vts. of straw. The following experiments 

 were made by Lawes and Gilbert with wheat and different manures, 

 and extending over a period of 40 years (1852-91). They show the 

 difference between the mineral manure and the nitrogenous, and 

 the mixture of mineral and nitrogenous. The mineral manure in 

 itself gives very little over the unmanured land ; the nitrogenous 

 manures give a very decided increase, but the combination of the 

 two gives a very large increase. 



* Since calculating out these formuUc, I have been informed that several 

 large deposits of gvpsum are said to exist near the Midland and Yilgarn railways, and 

 also in a. smaller degree in the Swan district. The gypsum or calcic sulphate was 

 omitted, as I did not know it could he obtained at a sufficiently low rate to allow of its 

 being used as a manure. By adding the amount of calcic sulphate given in Ville's 

 formulae to those I have calculated out, a more extended use of superphosphates ran 

 be employed on soils poor in lime. At present I have no knowledge of the purity of 

 these deposits of gypsum, but there is every possibility that they aie not pure, so it 

 would be advisable to use at least 25 per cent, more than that stated by Ville. 



