Ill 



DUNG SUPPLIES POTASH 



33 



150 Ibs, equivalent to nearly 3 cwts of sulphate of potash. It 

 therefore reduces the need for potassic fertilisers. This is shown 

 in one of the Back House field rotation experiments at Cockle 

 Park 1 . The soil is a light sandy loam of good texture, overlying 

 Millstone grit sandstone: it is poor in potash, and just the kind 

 of soil one would expect to benefit by potassic fertilisers. And 

 so it does when artificials alone are used : the value of the produce 

 fell off by over 17 s. per acre per annum when potash was left out. 

 But when farmyard manure was used the omission of potash had 

 not nearly so bad an effect: 



The dressings were: 



Dung, 10 tons per acre. 



Artificials (full dressing), 7 cwts per acre (1 cwt sulphate 

 of ammonia, 5 cwts superphosphate, 1 cwt muriate 

 of potash). 



The after effects. It must be clearly remembered that all 

 these are only emergency measures, strictly representing the 

 liquidation of capital. As soon as cheap potash is available once 

 more it must be applied to the land so as to replace the stocks 

 now being drawn upon. 



The value and price of manures. 



Owing to difficulties of transport the farmer can no longer 

 rely on getting just the manure he wants at the time he wants it, 

 and he may have to take something else. He must therefore be 



1 Cockle Park Bull. No. 19, p. 47, 1913. 



R. 



