168 



BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



The crops of straw taken as a whole shoAV a tendency 

 towards regular increase, though with some exceptions. It 

 will be remembered that this tendency to regular increase 

 was also striking in the three-year rotation, as shown by the 

 following arrangement of data from that rotation : — 



Table showing the Regular Increase in the Yield of Straw in the Three- 

 year Rotation. 



These results show the increased yield of the straw, 

 which was usually at the expense of grain. This led to the 

 belief that perhaps the spring top-dressing of 120 pounds 

 of nitrate of soda should be omitted, owing to the probable 

 increase in assimilable nitrogen in the soil. So long, how- 

 ever, as the straw is a more important factor in this section, 

 from the market point of view, than the grain, it is possible 

 that the top-dressing might have l)een continued profitably 

 so long as a tendency to lodging did not arise. The small 

 amount of seed sown is out of consideration for the subse- 

 quent grass crop, which would be likely to be lessened by 

 heavy seeding with rye, particularly if the season were a 

 dry one. 



The following tal)le gives the results with clover for the 

 first course and for the first two years of the second course 

 of the rotation : — 



