63 



2. Cofitiniiotis Growing of Barley (Stackyard Field), 

 46th Season. 



Owing to the wet state of the land it was not possible to drill 

 the barley until April 18th, 1922, when "Plumage Archer" (10 

 pecks per acre), was sown, the mineral manures going on at the 

 same time. Farmyard manure had been previously (March 13th) 

 ploughed in on plot IIB, and Rape Dust (plot lOB) applied on 

 April 12th. 



The nitrogenous top-dressings were given on June 17th and 

 July 3rd. 



The barley, despite an unfavourable season, grew better than 

 usual; this may in no small measure be due to selected seed being 

 used; indeed, the variety ("Plumage Archer") proved, over the 

 farm generally, to answer considerably better than the other 

 varieties, "Bevan's Archer" and "Chevalier," also grown. The 

 newly-limed plots (3aa and 'ibb, limed January, 1921,) seemed, 

 from the outset, to be better than the unlimed. The crop was cut 

 on September 11th, stac^ked October 11 th, and threshed on 

 December 21st. 



The results are given on page 64. 



The crop was the highest recorded since 1917, the unmanured 

 produce being l.'^.T) bushels of corn and 9^ cwt. of straw per acre. 

 The highest yield was .'58. 'i bushels of corn per acre, with farmyard 

 manure; the next highest, 33.8 bushels, with minerals and nitrate 

 of soda. Unlike with wheat, rape dust gave but a poor crop. As 

 in previous years, the use of potash (plot 11a) seemed to benefit 

 the barley more than that of phosphate. The most striking 

 results, however, are those showing the influence of lime. Not 

 only have there been notable increases in plots 2B, 2BB, 5AA, 5B, 

 8AA, and 8BB, as compared with the corresponding unlimed plots, 

 but, where lime was put on plots previously treated for many 

 years with nitrate of soda, there was a marked restoration of the 

 yield, though the lime had only gone on the year previous. It 

 would appear from this that not only where sulphate of ammonia 

 is used continually is lime a necessity, but that lime will also tell 

 where nitrate of soda has been similarly used. 



It should be mentioned that some of the barley area was 

 attacked by "gout-fly," and this was investigated on the spot by 

 Mr. Frew, of the Entomological Department. The plots least 

 affected were the ones most highly manured. 



