AGRONOMY 29 



Concerning these soils and their fertility, Cheal 

 states that the calcareous clay for fruit growing 

 requires " an occasional dressing of good stable 

 manure, say, from ten to twenty tons per acre, and 

 bringing it into play by the application of from 

 one to two cwts. of nitrate of soda per acre ; 

 whilst for the purpose of giving colour to the fruit 

 add one cwt. of sulphate of iron every second 

 year." The same authority states that the fertility 

 of the loam would be kept up by an application of 

 farmyard manure " to which might be added a 

 mixture composed of three cwts. of superphosphate 

 of lime, two cwts. of nitrate of soda or sulphate of 

 ammonia, and one cwt. of sulphate of iron." The 

 heavy clay " would be greatly benefited for fruit 

 growing by a liberal application of ' old mortar 

 rubbish ' [calcareous matter] and an occasional 

 dressing of two cwts. pf superphosphate, two or 

 three cwts. of basic slag, one cwt. of muriate of 

 potash, and one cwt. of nitrate of soda " per acre. 

 Even clay soils are improved in more ways than 

 one by the addition of iron sulphate ^ and other 

 minor constituents. The fertility of the vegetable 

 mould would be maintained by an occasional 



'See A. B. Griffiths, "A Treatise on Manures," "Special 

 Manures for Garden Crops," and "Manures and their 

 Uses." 



