38 



Notes on Manures. 



[APRIL, 



Mangolds.— The mangold crop is one of the most responsive 

 on the farm to good treatment, and is capable of giving more 

 produce per acre than any other. Naturally this is only 

 possible where manuring is liberally practised. A suitable 

 dressing is : — 



Up to 20 loads of dung. 



1 cwt. sulphate of ammonia. 



2 to 4 cwt. superphosphate or basic slag. 



4 cwt. kainit or i cwt. sulphate or muriate of potash. 

 2 to 4 cwt. salt in the drills. 



i J cwt. nitrate of soda as a top dressing when the plants 

 are hoed and singled. 



In moist districts basic slag may be used instead of super- 

 phosphate, but in the Midlands and southern parts of England 

 superphosphate is the better fertiliser. 



Swedes and Turnips. — The amount of manure which can be 

 supplied to these crops depends on the yield that can reasonably 

 be expected. In the southern parts of England it is not usual 

 to obtain more than 12 to 15 tons of roots per acre. In such 

 cases it is not advisable to spend too much on manure, and the 

 most suitable dressing is 3 or 4 cwt. of superphosphate, with a 

 little sulphate of ammonia or nitrate of soda to give the plants 

 a good start and help them to grow away from the flea beetle. 

 The advantage of phosphate is that a good development of 

 root is secured and the feeding value is also enhanced. Ex- 

 perience all over the world shows that the quality of crops of 

 very varied kinds is increased by the use of phosphatic fertilisers. 

 In cases where there is the likelihood of drought in the early 

 summer, it is desirable to use farmyard manure in order to 

 improve the water-holding capacity of the soil. The full 

 benefit of the manure, however, is obtained only when it has 

 been worked into the soil during the winter so as to give it time 

 to decompose. Professor Somerville has shown that swedes 

 and turnips do not generally respond to combinations of 

 farmyard manure and artificials, therefore little benefit can be 

 expected apart from the effect on the moisture-holding capacity 

 of the soil. 



Where larger crops can be expected as in the north and west 

 of England and in Scotland larger dressings can be given. 

 The superphosphate can be increased to 5 or 6 cwt. per acre 

 and the sulphate of ammonia to 1 or ij cwt. In place of 

 superphosphate it is often possible to use basic slag, and 

 nitrolim can be substituted for sulphate of ammonia. Potash 

 is not usually needed except on peaty soils, where 1 cwt. 



