228 Summary of Agricultural Experiments, [june, 



cases large. Only the produce of ^yth of an acre was weighed, and 

 errors are likely to have arisen from this cause. All the nitrogenous 

 manures gave an increase, though not always sufficient to show a 

 profit when the cost of the dressing was taken into account. The 

 heaviest crops were given by 3 cwt. of superphosphate and 4 cwt. kainit, 

 together with either 1 cwt. sulphate of ammonia, 143 lb. nitrate of 

 soda, or 175 lb. nitrate of lime, these amounts containing equivalent 

 quantities of nitrogen. When the roots were valued at 105. a ton these 

 three mixtures all showed a profit. 



A second experiment was intended to test the effect of kainit and 

 of nitrogen in four different forms. No farmyard manure was applied, 

 but all the plots received 3 cwt. per acre of superphosphate. The plots 

 in this experiment also were very irregular, and the area weighed was very 

 small. The general result was to favour the employment of a "com- 

 plete " manure. Taking the average of the six plots receiving kainit, 

 superphosphate, and nitrogenous manures, against the average of the 

 five plots receiving superphosphate and nitrogenous manures only, there 

 was an increase in yield of 3^ tons of roots in favour of the complete 

 mixture. 



Experiments with Mangolds (Harper Adams Agric. Coll., Report on 

 Field Expts., 1909). — A test of nine varieties of mangolds was made 

 at the College farm, and the following were the best yields : — Leighton's 

 Rentpayer 45 tons 3 cwt., Sutton's Prizewinner Yellow Globe 44 tons 

 4 cwt., Dickson and Robinson's Eclipse Red 43 tons 16 cwt. The next 

 in yield was 8 tons below this last. 



Trials have been carried out in the years 1907-9 to ascertain whether 

 top dressings of nitrate of soda and superphosphate can be profitably 

 used in addition to a complete dressing of manure. The standard 

 dressing consisted of dissolved bones 3^ cwt., sulphate of ammonia 

 1 cwt., sulphate of potash 1 cwt., farmyard manure 15 tons. On the 

 average of the three years this gave a yield of 48 tons 7 cwt. per acre 

 on one plot and 47 tons 13 cwt. on another, while that of the unmanured 

 plot was 34 tons 12 cwt. A top dressing of 1 cwt. nitrate of soda 

 produced a further increase of 2 tons 4 cwt., and 2 cwt. produced one 

 of 5 tons. No further increase was obtained with more than 2 cwt. 

 The results as regards superphosphate, used as a top-dressing, varied 

 too much for definite conclusions to be drawn. 



A trial of the new potassic superphosphate, basic slag, and super- 

 phosphate as manures for mangolds was made in 1908, and repeated 

 in 1909, quantities costing approximately the same being applied. Each 

 plot was dressed with 15 tons per acre of farmyard manure during 

 the winter, and the following were the additional manures applied. 

 Plot 1, 6 cwt. of potassic superphosphate; Plot 2, 8 cwt. of basic slag; 

 and Plot 3, 7! cwt. of superphosphate. In each year the basic slag 

 produced the heaviest crop. On the average of the two years the cost 

 of the artificial manures per ton of roots produced was, basic slag 6%d., 

 superphosphate 6fd., potassic superphosphate J%d. 



The value of salt was tested in the three years 1907-9. The salt 

 was applied across all the manurial and variety trial plots, and was 

 thoroughly worked into the soil by cultivating, harrowing, and rolling 

 three times before ridging up, the ridges being again split before 



