330 



BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



The fertilizers used during the past season, the food they 

 supplied and that which it was estimated a good crop would 

 remove from the soil were as follows : — 



Nitrate of soda, . 

 Dried blood, . 

 Dry ground fish, . 

 Cotton-seed meal, 

 Plain superphosphate, 

 Floats, . 

 Muriate of potash, 



Plant Food. 



Crop. 



Nitrogen, 

 Phosphoric acid, . 

 Potash, . 



lbs. 



68 



84 

 200 



lbs. 



76 



49 



196 



The crop for which I calculated was 20 tons. The hail 

 injured the plants severely, and the yield was not quite one- 

 half that amount. It will be noticed that the crop makes a 

 very heavy demand for potash. Experiment and the every- 

 day experience of many practical farmers, both in England 

 and in this country, has shown that this crop is dependent 

 to an unusual degree upon an abundant supply of available 

 phosphoric acid. Hence in England superphosphates are 

 generally largely used in connection with manure, and I 

 have secured the best results when I have followed this plan. 



In this connection our experience this year in the growth 

 of white mustard, a member of the turnip family, is of par- 

 ticular interest. White mustard seed was sown about the 

 1st of August upon what we call the "south soil-test acre." 

 This land has for seven years received upon one plat nitrate 

 of soda, upon another dissolved bone-black, upon another 

 muriate of potash, upon another nitrate of soda and bone- 

 black, upon one nitrate and potash, upon one bone-black and 

 potash, and upon one the nitrate of soda, dissolved bone- 

 black and potash, in each case the same amounts every year. 



