1910.] Summary of Agricultural Experiments. 855 



hours after spraying. Professor Winter remarks that the 3 per cent, 

 solution, at the rate of 50 gallons per acre, which appears to be 

 sufficient in dry climates, was, as usual, only moderately successful,, 

 and in a climate like that of North Wales, the application of a 4 or 5 

 per cent, solution, preferably the latter, is necessary. At several centres 

 there was a considerable amount of spurrey on the sprayed plots. The 

 results show that a 5 per cent, solution of copper sulphate can be 

 relied on to kill spurrey, while weaker solutions are comparatively 

 ineffective. 



Destruction of Moss (Cornwall C.C., Notes on Agric. and Poultry 

 Expts., 1905 and 1906).— From 1903 to 1906 old mossy pastures were 

 treated with 6 cwt. per acre of new superphosphate (28 to 30 per cent.) 

 phosphates applied in February in two consecutive seasons. In pastures 

 slightly affected with moss, a single application has been found sufficient, 

 and on very poor neglected pastures with a dense carpet of moss, some- 

 times an inch deep, the second application invariably eradicated the 

 moss. The superphosphate was followed by equal weights of bone 

 meal applied in the autumn, and in this way comparatively worthless 

 sheepwalks were rendered remunerative. 



Effect of Weeding and Hoeing on Roots (Univ. Coll., Reading, 

 Results of Expts., 1908). — The following results have been obtained with 

 mangolds by hoeing and weeding : — 



Tons per acre. 



1 1907. 1908. 



No weeding after setting out the plants 15! i6| 



Hoed once only 33a 33? 



Hoed twice only 37! 36! 



Kept clean by hoeing ... ... ... 29 2 3& 



Kept clean by hand weeding only, no hoeing being 



done after setting out the plants ... ... 40 38^ 



The results in 1908 confirmed those of previous years. It will be 

 seen that one hoeing added about 16 tons to the crop, as compared 

 with the rows in which no weeding was done, and a second hoeing 

 added about 4 tons per acre. Further hoeing, so as to keep down the 

 weeds completely, gave only a small increase of a little over a ton. 

 A comparison of the plot kept clean by hand-weeding only appears 

 to lead to the conclusion that the benefit of hoeing is due to the killing 

 of the weeds rather than to improvement in the texture of the soil. 



Destruction of Thistles (Field Expts. at Harper-Adams Agric. Coll., 

 Rept. 1908). — These trials were carried out in 1907 and 1908 on old 

 grass land which for years had carried a large crop of thistles. The 

 weeds were treated in various ways : — (1) Cut three times in the 

 season (on June 10th, July 9th, July 17th) and dressed with 4 cwt. 

 common salt after each cutting; (2) cut three times, but not salted; 

 (3) cut once in the season with and without application of salt ; (4) not 

 cut, but headed with a stick to prevent seeding, and salted ; (5) headed 

 only, without salt; (6) cut and sprayed with sulphate of copper; and 

 (7) headed and sprayed. The early cutting was found to be very 

 beneficial, reducing the number of plants and weakening the remaining 

 ones so as almost to clear the plots. A single cutting was also 

 beneficial. Salting after cutting and spraying with copper sulphate 

 had little effect. 



