﻿152 
  

  

  Transactions. 
  — 
  Miscellaneous. 
  

  

  It 
  might 
  have 
  been 
  of 
  advantage 
  to 
  the 
  farmers 
  of 
  the 
  hills 
  near 
  

   Wellington 
  and 
  other 
  parts 
  of 
  New 
  Zealand, 
  if 
  the 
  phosphates 
  there 
  had 
  

   also 
  been 
  entirely 
  wanting, 
  because 
  by 
  this 
  time 
  they 
  would 
  have 
  learnt 
  the 
  

   necessity 
  of 
  applying 
  them. 
  As 
  the 
  case 
  stands 
  the 
  phosphates 
  are 
  merely 
  

   deficient 
  in 
  quantity, 
  not 
  absent 
  altogether, 
  and 
  thus 
  the 
  farmers 
  have 
  been 
  

   able 
  to 
  get 
  along 
  somehow. 
  A 
  liberal 
  dose 
  of 
  bone-dust, 
  repeated 
  when 
  

   required, 
  would 
  vastly 
  increase 
  the 
  produce 
  of 
  their 
  soils. 
  

  

  I 
  am 
  inclined 
  to 
  suppose 
  that 
  there 
  is 
  generally 
  a 
  sufficient 
  supply 
  of 
  

   potash 
  in 
  the 
  soils 
  of 
  this 
  Colony, 
  but 
  no 
  doubt 
  the 
  quantity 
  is 
  constantly 
  

   subjected 
  to 
  diminution. 
  On 
  grazing 
  lands 
  a 
  considerable 
  portion 
  is 
  an- 
  

   nually 
  removed 
  in 
  the 
  wool, 
  and 
  sent 
  to 
  England, 
  and 
  in 
  cultivated 
  land 
  it 
  

   is 
  carried 
  away 
  as 
  a 
  constituent 
  of 
  the 
  crop, 
  and 
  if 
  not 
  restored 
  in 
  manure 
  

   is 
  lost 
  to 
  the 
  soil. 
  

  

  I 
  suppose 
  fresh 
  supplies 
  of 
  potash 
  might 
  be 
  procured 
  by 
  taking 
  more 
  

   care 
  of 
  our 
  waste 
  timber 
  — 
  by 
  saving 
  ashes 
  from 
  timber 
  land 
  when 
  cleared, 
  

   and 
  from 
  the 
  topi^ings 
  of 
  branches 
  at 
  the 
  saw 
  mills, 
  and 
  also 
  from 
  sea- 
  

   weeds. 
  

  

  Growing 
  continuous 
  grain 
  crops 
  is 
  not 
  confined 
  to 
  new 
  countries 
  but 
  

   has 
  been 
  tried 
  in 
  England 
  — 
  of 
  course 
  in 
  that 
  country 
  with 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  

   manure. 
  

  

  I 
  think 
  that 
  Mr. 
  Dawes, 
  the 
  celebrated 
  agriculturist, 
  first 
  tried 
  the 
  

   system, 
  and 
  I 
  have 
  come 
  across 
  an 
  account 
  of 
  some 
  experiments 
  in 
  the 
  

   same 
  direction, 
  conducted 
  at 
  Paxton 
  in 
  Berwickshire. 
  These 
  experiments 
  

   seem 
  to 
  have 
  extended 
  over 
  seven 
  years, 
  and 
  a 
  statement 
  of 
  the 
  results 
  may 
  

   prove 
  of 
  interest. 
  I 
  therefore 
  give 
  it 
  : 
  — 
  

  

  Four-Acre 
  Field. 
  

  

  Year. 
  

  

  1870 
  

  

  1871 
  

  

  1872 
  

   1873 
  

  

  1874 
  

   1875 
  

  

  1876 
  

  

  1877 
  

  

  Kind 
  of 
  Crop. 
  

  

  Turnips, 
  after) 
  

  

  Barley 
  . 
  . 
  | 
  

  

  Hay 
  . 
  . 
  

  

  Oats 
  

  

  Beans 
  . 
  . 
  

   Wheat 
  .. 
  

   Barley 
  . 
  . 
  

  

  Barley 
  . 
  . 
  

  

  Barley 
  . 
  . 
  

  

  Kind 
  of 
  Manure 
  and 
  quantity 
  per 
  Acre. 
  

  

  Portion 
  of 
  turnips 
  eaten 
  on 
  ground 
  by 
  

   sheep 
  

  

  2 
  cwt. 
  nitrate 
  of 
  soda 
  

  

  1^ 
  cwt. 
  guano 
  

  

  2 
  cwt. 
  dissolved 
  bones 
  

  

  20 
  tons 
  farmyard 
  dung 
  . 
  . 
  

  

  1 
  J 
  cwt. 
  nitrate 
  of 
  soda, 
  and 
  1 
  cwt. 
  super- 
  

   phosphate 
  of 
  lime 
  

  

  1^ 
  cwt. 
  nitrate 
  of 
  soda, 
  and 
  1 
  cwt. 
  super- 
  

   phosphate 
  of 
  lime 
  . 
  . 
  . 
  . 
  . 
  . 
  [ 
  

  

  2^ 
  cwt. 
  nitrate 
  of 
  soda, 
  and 
  2 
  cwt. 
  super-) 
  

   phosphate 
  of 
  lime 
  . 
  . 
  . 
  . 
  . 
  . 
  ) 
  

  

  Value 
  of 
  

  

  Crop 
  

  

  per 
  acre 
  

  

  with 
  Straw. 
  

  

  £ 
  

  

  s. 
  

  

  d. 
  

  

  9 
  

  

  17 
  

  

  6 
  

  

  11 
  

  

  13 
  

  

  4 
  

  

  9 
  

  

  

  

  

  

  14 
  

  

  10 
  

  

  

  

  10 
  

  

  

  

  

  

  9 
  

  

  10 
  

  

  

  

  9 
  

  

  10 
  

  

  

  

  7 
  

  

  5 
  

  

  8 
  

  

  