1902.] 



PUBLIC DOCUMENT — No. 33. 



41 



Onions. 



Results of the Addition to 

 Nothing op — 



Complete Fer- 

 tilizer. 



Land Plaster. 



Uulimed (pounds), 

 Limed (pounds), 



+17,500 

 -(-20,000 



+150 

 +300 



The results of this experiment for this year are exactly 

 similar in kind to those of the last two years, but the yield 

 on the limed portion of the plots shows a falling off as com- 

 pared with last year. A chemical test of the soil taken from 

 this portion of these plots indicated that it is once more acid 

 on all plots where muriate of potash and nitrate of soda have 

 been used. There can be no doubt that the heavy applica- 

 tions of these fertilizers have again brought about conditions 

 such that lime is once more needed. The principal points 

 to which attention is called are : — 



1 . The need of lime is the most striking where the muri- 

 ate of potash and nitrate of soda are the only fertilizers used. 



2. The necessity for lime is strikingly evident where the 

 muriate of potash alone is used. 



3. Where dissolved bone-black is used in connection 

 either with muriate of potash alone or with muriate of pot- 

 ash and nitrate of soda there is apparently far less need of 

 lime. The dissolved bone-black, containing a considerable 

 proportion of land plaster, supplies this element. 



4. The best ripened crop was found where the dissolved 

 bone-black was used, and attention is called to the desira- 

 bility of using either this or acid phosphate freely wherever 

 onions fail to ripen well. 



"5. The results make it evident that potash in abundance 

 is highly essential for this crop. Potash alone in combina- 

 tion with lime gives a much better crop than either of the 

 other fertilizers alone under similar conditions. 



In conclusion, the belief is expressed that the soil of this 

 field would be much benefited by an increase in its store of 

 humus. Having received applications of fertilizers only for 

 twelve years, and not having been in grass for six years, the 

 stock of humus in the soil is very low and its physical con- 



