1920.] 



Notes on Manures. 



117 



Experiments at the Harper Adams Agricultural College 

 (1910) and at Reading {1907-190 9) gave the following yield: : — 



Harper Adams * Reading. 



Loam. Strong Loam, 

 igog. Tons cwt. Tons cwt. 

 No nitrogen .. 30 19 28 13 28 3 



Nitrate of Soda •• («)33 18 32 8 34 18 



Nitrate of lime . . (6) 40 i • 36 17 35 i 



Sulphate of ammonia (a) 36 15 — 33 i 



Nitrolim .. (6)40 19 — 33 3 



(a) = I cwt. per acre. (&) = 2 cwt. per acre. 



The Manuring^ of Sugrar Beet. — The following has been found 

 satisfactory : — 



In Autumn or not later than early Spring — 10 to 15 loads of 

 farmyard manure if necessary ; a dressing of hme during 

 winter. 



In Spring — 3 to 4 cwt. superphosphate, or 4 to 5 cwt. basic 

 slag ; 1 to I cwt. sulphate of potash, or 2 to 4 cwt. kainit ; 

 I to 1 1 cwt. sulphate of ammonia. 



After Singling — J to i cwt. nitrate of soda as top dressing. 



Sugar beet should be grown on the fiat and not on ridges. 



Two important points arise in connection with the manuring 

 of potatoes ; the choice of the potassic fertiHsers and of the 

 most suitable nitrogenous manure. 



It is often supposed that muriate of potash is inferior to 

 sulphate of potash, but the evidence is not very definite. 

 The question formerly possessed little economic interest, be- 

 cause both salts were supplied from the Stassfurt mines and 

 they were both controlled by the same syndicate. It now 

 assumes much greater importance, since muriate of potash 

 comes from Alsace, while sulphate of potash comes from 

 Stassfurt in Germany. More experiments are likely to be made 

 in the near future on the relative effectiveness of these two 

 substances. 



There is considerable evidence to show that sulphate of 

 ammonia is distinctly better than other nitrogenous fertilisers 

 for potatoes. The following are some of the experimental 

 results : — 



♦ Harper Adams Agric. Coll. Rept., 1910, p. 33. 



■\ Reading Univ. Coll. Dept. Agric, 1909, Bull. VII., p. 11. 



