396 Ever-sporting Varieties 



the manured plants one-half gave full crowns, 

 of the non-manured only one-fifth, and on the 

 sandy soil a still smaller proportion. Other 

 trials led to the same results. I have often made 

 use of steamed and ground horn, which is a ma- 

 nure very rich in nitrogenous substances. One- 

 eighth of a kilo per square meter is an ample 

 amount. And its effect was to increase the 

 nmnber of full crowns to an exceptional degree. 



In the controlling trial and under ordinary 

 circumstances this figure reached some 50^, 

 but with ground horn it came up as high 

 as 90^. We may state this result by the 

 very striking assertion that the number of large 

 crowns in a given culture may be nearly doubled 

 by rich manure. 



All other external conditions act in a similar 

 manner. The best treatment is required to at- 

 tain the best result. A sunny exposure is one 

 of the most essential requisites, and in some at- 

 tempts to cultivate my poppies in the shade, I 

 found the pistillody strongly reduced, not a 

 single full crown being found in the whole lot. 

 Often the weather may be hurtful, especially 

 during the earlier stages of the plants. I pro- 

 tected my beds during several trials by covering 

 them with glass for a few weeks, until the young 

 plants reached the glass covering. I got a nor- 

 mal number of full crowns, some 55%, at a time 



