Sucar Cane ExPeRIMENTS. 146 
devoted to experimental purposes should be surrounded 
by canes cultivated in the usual manner. 
Plan No. 1, shows a scheme of experiments using 
twenty-four half acre plots with the more promising of 
the new seedling varieties. In it the Bourbon variety 
occupies two plots, in each series of trials, and each new 
varizty occupies two plots at some distance from each 
other in the field. The results from sucha series carried 
over one crop of plant canes and three of ratoons should 
give to the estate fairly reliable data as to the advisa- 
bility or not of planting parts of it with one or other 
variety on a more extended scale. 
Plan No. 2, gives the details of a group of experiments 
with manures arranged in asimilar manner. On our soils, 
in my opinion, the principal points to be decided upon on 
an estate now are :— | 
istly. Can nitrate of soda be used with financial ad- 
vantage in the place of sulphate of ammonia? 
2ndly. Are moderate applications, say of 150 Ibs. per 
acre, of sulphate of ammonia pecuniarily as advantageous 
as higher ones of, say, 225 lbs? 
3rdly. Ought applications of nitrogenous manures to be 
supplemented with phosphatic ones ? 
4thly. If so, is it most advantageous to apply the 
phosphates in the form of superphosphate with the nitro- 
genous manures each year, or to apply a heavy dressing 
of superphosphate to the plant canes only, or to use heavy 
dressings of slag phosphates to the plant canes with later 
cross dressings of nitrogenous manures ? 
The group proposed will give answers more or less deci- 
sive to these questions if due care is given to the choice of 
the field for experiment and to the details of planting, etc, 
