PROFITABLE FARMING. 37 



berry by promoting starch formation, they 

 also prolong the maturity of the barley and 

 darken its colour slightly. Hence, potash 

 manures must be used carefully and are only 

 likely to be valuable on light, sandy or gravelly 

 soils." 



Oats 



The manurial requirements of this crop are 

 similar to those of barley, except that it is 

 unnecessary to be so careful as to the presence 

 of nitrogen, for fear of injuring the quality 

 of the grain, and also that potash is not of so 

 great importance owing to the short 

 time this crop is on the land. Dis- 

 solved bones or bone compound at 

 the rate of 3 or 4 cwts. per acre are found very 

 efficacious for this crop. Should the land be in 

 poor condition, 2 to 3 cwts. of superphosphate 

 per acre at sowing, followed by a top dressing 

 of i cwt. sulphate of ammonia on wet soils, or 

 its equivalent (about ij cwt.) of nitrate of soda 

 on lighter soils, will be found of considerable 

 advantage and profit. 



Numerous experiments have been conducted 

 for some years in Scotland and Lancashire by 

 the West of Scotland Agricultural College and 

 the Lancashire County Education Committee 

 respectively at their farms, and these have de- 

 monstrated that oats which have been manured 

 following seeds have given such an increase over 

 unmanured as to yield the very handsome profit 



