»4 



EXPERIMENTS UPON POTATOES. 



[Appe-ndiXf 



No. 



Manures. 



Guano 



Farmyard manure 



Guano f. 



Farm-yard manure 



Farmyard manure 



Guano 



Farm-yard manure 



Guano 



Farm-yard manure 



Gypsum 



Farm-yard manure 



Gypsum, powdered on 



sets 



Farmyard manure 



Farm-yard manure 



and top-dressed 7th Jaly 



with Guano 



Guano.. ..• 



Farm yard manure 



Guano 



Gaano 



Farm-yard manure 



Farm-yard manure 



Guano 



spread upon the top of it. Cut sets were then laid on and covered up with 

 aoout three inches of soil. Particular attentioyi should be paid when guano is 

 used, that it be well mixed with the soil, as this is of the greatest importance to the 

 health of the plants and the bulk of the crop, especially in Ike case of potatoes and 

 turnips. This conclusion has been arrived at after three years' extensive ex- 

 perience in the use of guano as a manure ; as it has been found here that the 

 more minutely it is spread and worked into the soil the crop is the heavier and 

 the better matured. When it has been used in a body immediately under the 

 plant, it has always been found to induce a strong vigorous growth of stems 

 and leaves, and, in general, to ripen the plant prematurely, and both the potatoes 

 and turnips were in consequence deficient in tubers and bulbs. From these 

 circumstances it may be inferred — what is indeed known to be the case — that 

 the guano does not contain all the ingredients which are required by the plants, 

 and that the large proportion of ammoniacal salts it contains — when it is laid 

 in a mass in immediate contact with the roots of the plants — pushes on the 



frowth too quickly with small stems and delicate leaves. Numerous small 

 ulbs are the consequence, and the cultivator being disappointed is led to pro- 

 nounce the guano wortliless, whilst his inferior crop may be in a great measure 

 owing to bad management. Whatever may be the reason, however, it has 

 been found in using it here that when sown broad-cast the crops of every descrip- 

 tion have been benefitted, while, on the other hand, 7vhen laid in a body near 

 the roots the reverse has been the case. In cutting the potato for seed, gypsum 

 in powder was strewed upon the sets when newly cut, and it will be seen from 

 No. 6 of the table, with good effects in adding to the produce, as where the cuts 

 were so powdered, as in No. 6, their superiority over No. 7 (which was not 

 done so) m point of strengthand vigour was most remarkable, and when lifted 

 the produce was 1 ton 5 cwt. per acre more than No. 7. It may also in a certain 

 measure be a means of preventing failure in the potato, as there was no failure 

 in this field where the gypsum was so used on the cuts, while the same seed 

 potatoes failed upon another field which was planted at the same time, but 



