EXPERIMENTS SUGGESTED. 115 



believing that sulphate of soda will, upon certain soils and 

 possibly upon his prove a profitable application to certain 

 crops. 



a As a top-dressing upon wheat or oats, applied in early 

 spring in a quantity not exceeding 2 cwt. of the dry, or 4 cwt. 

 of the crystallised salt. He may, however, by way of experi- 

 ment, try the effect of sowing it along with the seed, either all 

 at once, or only one-half with the seed, and the other half when 

 the young crop begins to shoot in spring. The degree of humi- 

 dity of the local climate will have its influence upon the efficacy 

 of either method. 



1) On beans, peas, and tares, either harrowed in with the 

 seed, applied in the drills along with the manure, or as a top- 

 dressing along the rows, after the plants are up, and previous 

 to the hoeing. 



On clover and grass and turnips, its action does not appear to 

 have been so generally favourable ; the practical man, there- 

 fore, will use his own discretion as to the propriety of expend- 

 ing money in the purchase of this sulphate as a sole application 

 to these crops. 



2. But to the scientific agriculturist, there are many trials to 

 be recommended with the two sulphates of potash and soda. 

 I enumerate a few. 



a We have no carefully conducted duplicate or triplicate 

 experiments with either of these substances upon any crop; 

 any such, therefore, which may now be made and published 

 will be a gift to science. 



b Especially experiments are desirable on the comparative 

 effects of the two sulphates in the same circumstances, and upon 

 the same crops and soilsc 



c Applied in different quantities at different seasons of the 

 year all at once and in successive portions. 



d On soils possessing different physical, calcareous, and 

 general chemical conditions. 



e Are their effects greater on leguminous crops generally, 

 or on corn crops what is the difference of the two sulphates 

 in this respect and what their respective effects compared with 

 those of gypsum ? 



