480 Fertilisers for Market Garden Crops. 



Gooseberries. 



We have thus far only gathered three crops from a plantation 

 which we laid down in 1898. The results may be summarised by 

 stating that, while the heavy dressing of dung has, on the average, 

 done much better than the light dressing, its yield has been alto- 

 gether surpassed by that of the plot manured with light dung, 

 phosphates, potash salts and 4 cwt. of nitrate of soda per acre. 



While the non-potash half-plots, over three years, have given 

 an average yield of 817 lb. of fruit per acre, the potash half-plots 

 have averaged 1,411 lb., and this difference has been consistently 

 observed in the case of every plot throughout the three years. 



The yield of the plots receiving, with dung, phosphates and 

 potash salts, only 1 cwt. or 2 cwt. of nitrate of soda per acre, has 

 fallen far short of that of the plots receiving nitrate of soda at 

 the rate of 4 cwt. per acre. 



Currants, Plums, Raspberries, and A pfles. 

 Our plantations are too immature yet to enable any general 

 conclusions to be formed from their results. 



Strawberries. 



We have recorded six crops of " Paxton " strawberries, four 

 crops of " President," and two crops of " Royal Sovereign." 

 The manures have been applied on the same scheme as on most 

 of our other plots. 



Generally speaking, the influence of manure on the actual 

 weight of fruit grown has been insignificant compared with the 

 effects produced on most of our other crops ; but the addi- 

 tion of chemical fertilisers to the light dressing of dung has had 

 the effect of making the crop earlier. As an example of this, it 

 may be mentioned that in one strawberry season of great 

 abundance we gathered 4 tons 4 cwt. of strawberries per acre 

 from the lightly dunged plot, while from the plot on which 

 a light dressing of dung was supplemented by phosphates and 

 2 cwt. of nitrate of soda per acre we gathered 4 tons 7 cwt. per 

 acre — a very slight difference on so large a crop. But, during 

 the first few days of picking, the latter plot yielded nearly 

 700 lb. more fruit per acre than the former, and during this 

 time the market value of the strawberries per pound was at least 

 twice that of the fruit picked during the succeeding days. This 

 is a matter of very vital importance to the grower. 



