86 



SCIENCE AND FRUIT GROWING 



vSoil, and constitutes a very small proportion of the total potash 

 present. The soil is probably very near the limits of potash 

 starvation, which, according to Dr. Dyer, is less than 0*01 per 

 cent, for cereals. The very dry character of the soil would help 

 in rendering it unsuitable for farm crops. 



In cases where a general artificial manure has been applied in 

 the manurial experiments, the mixture used was the following : 



Such a mixture is, probably, equivalent to a dressing of 12 tons 

 of dung to the acre, and in these quantities it was used in the 

 normal plots, i. e. those plots which were taken as the standards 

 of comparison for other differently treated plots. Except in 

 certain special cases, the nitrate was applied in February, and 

 the other minerals in winter. 



The top nine inches of soil at the upper stations, A, B and C, at 

 Ridgmont were found, after drying, to weigh 318 kilos per square 

 metre, equivalent to 636 Ibs. per square yard, or 3,080, ooolbs. 

 per acre ; the second and third nine inches weighed six per cent, 

 more. At the lower stations, D and E, the weights for the top 

 nine inches were 248 kilos per square metre, 500 Ibs per square 

 yard, or 2,420,000 Ibs. per acre; the lower layers weighing 

 i'7 per cent. more. 



