FIELD EXPERIMENTS ON MANURE CONSTITUENTS. 163 



liad a slight beneficial effect, which was not the case in the experiments 

 which I tried on other soils in past years. 



Plots 9 and 12. Manured with sulphate of ammonia. 



The sulphate of ammonia used on Plot 12 has had a better effect on 

 swedes than in former years. The effect, however, was not great when com- 

 pared with that produced by phosphatic manures. 



Plot 11. Manured with 3 cwt. of fine bone-dust. 



Bone-dust, as might have been anticipated, gave a considerable increase. 

 The bone-dust used in this experiment was very fine, it having been specially 

 reduced to a coarse meal. On analysis it was found to consist of — 



Moisture 10'58 



Organic matter* 30*61 



Phosphates of lime and magnesia 51*67 



Carbonate of lime 6*03 



Alkaline salts -58 



Sand '53 



100-00 



Plot 14. Manured with 1 cwt. of nitrate of soda. 



I am not aware of any accurate experiments in which nitrate of soda has 

 been used by itself for turnips. The effect which so small a quantity as 

 1 cwt. of nitrate of soda produced on the crop was decidedly beneficial, for 

 it will be seen that as large a produce was obtained with 1 cwt. of nitrate of 

 soda as with 3 cwt. of fine bone-dust. This result is certainly encouraging, 

 and suggests a series of trials with nitrate of soda upon root-crops. Tlie 

 nitrate should be used in such trials by itself, as well as in conjunction with 

 superphosphate or bones. 



The nitrate of soda used in this experiment was a good sample, which 

 contained 95-68 per cent, of the pure salt. 



Plot 16. Manured with 3 cwt. of common salt. 



Common salt, it will appear, has had little or no effect in this experiment ; 

 but it does not follow that it may not be beneficially applied to swedes, in 

 conjunction with phosphatic fertilizers. 



Plot 17. Manured with 3 cwt. of dissolved bone-ash. 



In preparing this manure, 100 lbs. of good commercial bone-ash were 

 mixed with 70 lbs. of brown sulphuric acid ; and after some time this mixture 

 was dried up with 50 lbs. of sulphate of lime. By this means an excellent 

 superphosphate was obtained, aswill be seen by the following analysis. The 

 manure, being made of bone-ash, did not contain any ammoniacal salts nor 

 appreciable quantities of nitrogen. 



Composition of dissolved bone- ask. 



Moisture 5-65 



Organic matter 3-51 



Biphosphate of lime 19*64' 



Equal to bone-earth rendered soluble (30-65) 



Insoluble phosphates -86 



Hydrated sulphate of lime 64'-96 



Alkaline salts 1-83 



Sand 3.55 



100-00 



* Containing nitrogen , 3*71 



Equal to ammonia ,,....... 4-50, 



m2 



