1908.] Summary of Agricultural Experiments. 537 



conclusions are drawn from the results, but the experiments will be 

 continued in future years. They showed, however that both nitrate of soda 

 and superphosphate could be used economically as top-dressings. The 

 effect of salt was also tried, and a gain of 4^ tons was obtained by a 10 cwt. 

 dressing : the plants did well and weeds were kept down. 



Manuring of Mangolds (Midla?id Agric. Coll., Bull. No. 8 J.— The trials in 

 1906 were supplementary to those which have been carried on since 1903. 

 The latter had shown that the following dressing gave the best results, when 

 applied in addition to the customary application of farmyard manure, which 

 varied at the seven centres from 15 to 20 tons: — 100 lb. sulphate of 

 ammonia (at seeding), 130 lb. nitrate of soda (at singling), 715 lb. super- 

 phosphate, 127^ lb. sulphate of potash, and 280 lb. common salt, all applied 

 at seeding time. The trials in 1906 were intended to show whether the 

 amount of phosphoric acid and potash could be increased, and what was 

 the best time to apply the two fertilisers and the salt. These trials are being 

 repeated. 



Manuring of Mangolds (Univ. Coll. of N. Wales, Bangor, Bull. 9, 1906, 

 Bull. 8, 1907).— In 1906 experiments were made to test the effects of varying 

 quantities of farmyard manure and nitrate of soda. Taking 20 tons of farm- 

 yard manure, 3 cwts. of superphosphate, 3 cwts. of kainit and 1 cwt. nitrate 

 as a basis, the addition of 10 tons of dung only gave an increase of 30 cwts. of 

 mangolds. The hot, dry summer was not favourable to large dressings of 

 farmyard manure. An extra cwt. of nitrate of soda, however, produced 

 an. increase of 5- tons per acre when added to the plot receiving 20 tons of 

 dung. Similar trials were made in 1907 to ascertain the effect of applying 

 an extra dressing (1) of 10 tons of farmyard manure and (2) of nitrate of 

 soda. The result showed that a top-dressing of 1 cwt. of nitrate of soda 

 produced as great an increase as an extra 10 tons of dung. The additional 

 quantity of farmyard manure could therefore have been more profitably used 

 elsewhere, seeing that it failed to produce more roots than the nitrate of soda, 

 which cost \2s. per acre. An extra cwt. of nitrate of soda increased the 

 yield by more than 2 tons, but when applied with the larger quantity of 

 farmyard manure it failed to produce any addition to the crop. 



Manuring of Mangolds (Essex Ediccatioji Com., Field Expts., 1906). — 

 These experiments were chiefly intended to investigate the effect of manures 

 upon quality, and were supplementary to some earlier experiments as to the 

 effect of manures on yield. The maximum yield was obtained at two centres 

 with 12 tons dung, 3 cwts. nitrate, 3 cwts. superphosphate, and 3 cwts. of salt, 

 and at another centre the highest yield was obtained by the same combina- 

 tion, with 3 cwts. guano instead of superphosphate. Taking the sugar and 

 dry matter produced per acre as indicative of feeding quality, the maximum 

 result was obtained with the dung, nitrate and superphosphate, without the 

 salt, the addition of the latter having a different effect at each centre, but 

 showing a tendency on the whole to reduce the amount of sugar. 



Varieties of Mangolds (Field Expts., Harper-Adams Coll., 1907).— 

 Trials have been carried out with a number of varieties since 1904. The 

 three highest yields in 1907 were obtained from Garton's Improved Yellow 

 and Red Intermediate and Dickson's Eclipse Red. 



Varieties of Mangolds (Univ. Coll. of Wales, Aberystwyth, Agric. Dept., 

 Ann Rept., 1906). — Twenty-one varieties were grown on the College Farm, and 

 the best results were obtained from Yellow Globes. This is contrary to the 

 opinion of farmers in the locality, who consider that globe and tankard man- 



