398 



BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc 



(linary field method ; and, from the fact that all the circmn- 

 stances can be controlled, they give far more accurate results. 



Professor Waijner's work has been translated into English, 

 French, Italian and Norwegian. 



He discredits the use of the ordinary so-called complete 

 or mixed fertilizer, from economical as well as scientific 

 reasons, believing that we have, to an extent at least, 

 })assed beyond that stage in the science and art of manuring. 



Let me, by a simple illustration, show you how an experi- 

 ment is made to prove a certain point. Suppose we wish to 

 compare the relative value of nitrate of soda and sulphate 

 of ammonia. A soil is selected that is })()()r in nitrogen ; 

 phosphoric acid and })otash are applied in sufiicicnt quan- 

 tities. The following table shows the remainder: — 



Oats. 



If Ave let 100 represent the amount yielded by the soda 

 nitrate, then 71.8 and 7() represent the yield obtained with 

 sulphate of ammonia. This is very low in this special case, 

 as their relative value (sec below) has been j)roved to be as 

 100 to 90. 



In closing, I ask your attention to some of the results 

 that Professor Wagner claims to U-aw ])roved or confirmed. 

 Lack of time prevents me from entering at all into detail. 



JVitrof/en. 



(a) He has sul)jected the results obtained by Hellriegel 

 to a very critical test, and concludes that all leguminous 

 croj)S and oidy higuminous (•roj)s have the i)ower to take 

 their nitrogen supply from the free nitrogen of the air. 



