1910.] Summary of Agricultural Experiments. 



489 



SUMMARY OF AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENTS. 



Experiments with Cereals.* 



Continuous Growing of Wheat and Barley (Jour. Roy. Agric. Soc, 

 Vol. 70, 1909). — This was the thirty-third year of the growth of wheat 

 .at the Woburn Experimental Station, and the third since certain changes 

 were made in the system of manuring". The season was wet and 

 sunless, and though a fortnight's fine weather was experienced in 

 August, harvesting was much delayed by rain. Consequently the crop 

 was secured in inferior condition, and the accuracy of the results, 

 especially those relating to the straw, is less to be relied upon than in 

 other years. Although the condition was bad the yield was better than 

 might have been expected. On the unmanured plot it was 7! bushels per 

 acre, with 8 cwt.. of straw; the highest yield (27*8 bush, of corn and 

 33s cwt. of straw) was that on the plot which since 1907 has received 

 farmyard manure supplying 100 lb. of ammonia per acre, while the 

 next (235 bush, of corn and 22 cwt. of straw) was that from 3 cwt. 

 superphosphate, \ cwt. sulphate of potash, and sulphate of ammonia 

 containing 25 lb. of ammonia. The last plot received one ton of lime 

 in January, 1905. Nitrate of soda in this season appeared to result in 

 the production of much tail corn and a low weight per bushel. With 

 sulphate of ammonia alone the crop was, as usual in recent years, small 

 or absent when no lime was given, but a fair one when not less than 

 10 cwt. of lime to the acre was applied. It is remarked that the influ- 

 ence of 2 tons per acre of lime, applied as far back as 1897, can still 

 be traced, and sulphate of ammonia can still be applied with advan- 

 tage. 



Barley has been grown for the same number of years. This crop 

 also suffered from the unfavourable weather, and the quality was very 

 poor. The yield of the unmanured plot was 8 bush, per acre, and 

 the highest, that with farmyard manure supplying 100 lb. of ammonia, 

 was 45! bush, of corn with 37 cwt. of straw. Nitrate of soda (1 cwt.) 

 alone gave only 14! bush, per acre, while another cwt. produced little 

 more than an increase in straw, but where minerals (3 cwt. super- 

 phosphate and \ cwt. sulphate of potash) were used with 1 cwt. 

 nitrate of soda, the crop was 27 bush, per acre. With sulphate of 

 ammonia results similar to those of former years were obtained. 

 Where it has been used, either alone or with minerals, without lime, 

 there was hardly any crop. 



Varieties of Oats, Barley , and Wheat (Northumberland C.C., Bull. 

 14, Guide to Expts. at Cockle Park for 19 10). — Sixteen varieties of 

 oats were grown in 1909, and the heaviest crops of grain were pro- 

 duced by Mounted Police, Blainslie, Banner, and White Giant. Taking 



* The summaries of agricultural experiments which have appeared in the present 

 volume have been as follows : — Cereals, April ; Cereals and Root Crops, May ; 

 Root Crops, June ; Root Crops and Potatoes, July. The Board would be glad to 

 receive for inclusion copies of reports on inquiries, whether carried out by agri- 

 cultural colleges, societies, or private persons.. 



The present issue contains some additional experiments the reports of which 

 were received too late to be included in the earlier summaries. 



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