32 



iihese are, however, quite reliable results. The only difference in 

 the manuring was that 250 Ib. of nitrate of soda was given instead of 

 325 Ib. The results were, from the complete manuring, 15 cwt. 80 

 Ib. of grain and 25 cwt. 90 Ib. of straw more than from the un- 

 manured; without kainit, 1H cwt. of grain and 16 cwt. of straw; 

 without phosphoric acid, 11 cwt. 80 Ib. of grain and 19 cwt. of straw ; 

 without nitrogen, 4 cwt. and 80 Ib. of grain and 6 cwt. 85 Ib. of straw 

 per acre. The profit was 5/2/ per acre with the complete manure ; 

 without kainit, 3/8/; without Thomas phosphate, 3/15/; without 

 nitrate of soda, 1/2/10. Other experiments with oats were made by 

 Mayor Heddaeus, at Wolf skehleii, wherehe used in each case at the rate 

 of 494 Ib. of kainit and of Thomas phosphate, together with respecti- 

 vely 250 Ib. and 325 Ib. of nitrate of soda. The former manures were 

 given on the 5th of March, the nitrate (in two doses) on the 9th 

 day of Apiril and the 4th day of May. The soil was medium heavy 

 loam. The larger return with the additional 75 ib. of nitrate of 

 soda was very marked, viz., 11 cwt. 70 Ib., against 8 cwt. of grain 

 and 23 cwt. 40 Ib., against 13 cwt. 20 Ib. of straw per acre above the 

 unmanured plots. Without any nitrate only 1 cwt. 80 Ib. more 

 grain was harvested, and the same quantity of straw, as from the 

 unmanured plots; without kainit, 4 cwt. 40 Ib. more of grain and 11 

 cwt. 20 Ib. of straw ; without phosphoric acid, 7 cwt. 25 Ib. of grain 

 and 22 cwt. 60 Ib. of straw were obtained. The profit with 325 Ib. 

 of nitrate of soda was 3/0/3 per acre ; with 250 Ib., 1/12/3 ; with 

 none, a loss of 7/3. Without kainit the profit was 10/10 ; without 

 phosphoric acid, 1/17/8. The soil contained much phosphoric acid 

 and little potash, and still less nitrogen. It shows that to manure 

 oats merely with potassic and phosphatic manures seems hardly to 

 improve the crop over uiimanured land. Nitrogen also is re- 

 quired to give a full crop. (See plate V.). 



On a wet, sandy soil the Agricultural School at Zwischenahn, 

 in Oldenburg, applied 4 cwt. Thomas phosphate, 4 cwt. 80 Ib. kainit, 

 and 1 cwt. 20 Ib. nitrate of soda, Unmanured, the crop was only 

 2 cwt. 80 Ib. per acre, against 11 cwt. 20 Ib., and the profit 2/19/5. 

 On dry, good, sandy soil the difference and profit was much less. 

 Mr. Hellwig, of Torsholt, manured with the same quantities of fer- 

 tilisers, and harvested from good sandy soil, unmanured, 9 cwt. 60 

 Ib., against 19 cwt. 20 Ib., making a profit of 3/1/6. With twenty 

 loads of dung his crop was only 2 cwt. better than the unmanured. 



Experiments made at the Agricultural College of Dookie. Vic- 

 toria, must have been made on land in very good heart, as the plot 

 without manure gave 35 bushels per acre ; with 1 cwt. of Thomas phos- 

 phate, 39v' bushels ; and with 1 cwt. sulphate ammonia and ^ cwt i-iuri- 

 ate of potash added to 1 cwt. of superphosphate, 59 bushels. This showed 

 how good a complete manure acted, probably the potash in particular, 

 for Professors G. M. Aikman and R. P. Wright, of Glasgow, say 

 that a crop of 60 bushels and 3,175 Ib. of straw require 22 Ib. of 

 phosphoric acid, 5^ Ib. of nitrogen, and 62 Ib. of potash. The great 

 -quantity of potash required may be the reason that our crops are not 



