26 BITTER PIT INVESTIGATION. 



The highest yield was obtained with a complete manure superphosphate, sulphate of potash, 

 and sulphate of ammonia and practically the same when kainit replaced sulphate of potash. The 

 lowest yield was obtained with superphosphate and sulphate of ammonia, and also the highest per- 

 centage of Pit. The smallest amount of Pit occurred when bonedust was added to a complete manure, 

 but there was very little difference between this and the complete manure by itself. The unmanured 

 plot gave a good yield, and the percentage of Pit was only 3'Gl.- 



The general effect of manuring on the yield was that a general mixture or complete manure, 

 consisting of phosphoric acid, potash, and nitrogen, gave the best results, while the omission of potash 

 from the complete manure produced the lowest yield. 



In this particular variety the amount of Pit was so relatively small, and the fruit so slightly 

 affected, that no definite distinction could be made between the effect of different manures, with the 

 exception of superphosphate and sulphate of ammonia, which produced practically double the amount 

 of any of the other plots. 



2. AT GOVERNMENT FARM, BATHTJRST, NEW SOUTH WALES. 



It is now five years since the commencement of these manurial experiments, and during the past 

 season no manure was applied. The results will therefore give the action of the residue of the manure 

 on the crop. 



The trees were all 20 years old, and therefore of an age favourable for showing average results. 



The manager of the Experiment Farm informs me that the rainfall for the year was 18'80 inches, 

 one of the main features being a dry November. A hailstorm was experienced on 4th December, 

 1915, which marked a percentage of the fruit, and it was difficult to differentiate in all cases when 

 selecting for Pit. 



In the previous Report it will be noted that the rainfall for 1914 was 22| inches, and early frosts 

 occurred. 



The fruit was picked from 29th March to 3rd April, just a little later than the previous season. 



TABLE IX. 



MANURIAL EXPERIMENTS WITH CLEOPATRA AT BATHURST EXPERIMENT FARM, 

 NEW SOUTH WALES 1915-16. 



Plot Tree Clean Pitted Percent. 



No. Manure applied 28/7/14. No. Yield. Fruit. Fruit. Pitted. 



Ibs. Ibs. Ibs. 



1 91 72 19 20-88 



2 42 21 21 50- 



* .. I HI is s *: 



5 172 147 25 14-53 



6 83 67 16 19-27 



Total 662 552 110 



Average 110-33 92 18-33 16-61 



