666 Summary of Agricultural Experiments, [nov,, 



tons ii cwt. ; Prizewinner Yellow Globe, 20 tons 4 cwt. The per- 

 centage of dry matter in the roots was greater in Mammoth Long Red, 

 so that the total weight of dry matter per acre produced by it was 

 2 tons 85 cwt., while that of Prizewinner Yellow Globe was 2 tons 

 2 cwt. 



From the results of trials carried out in the five years 1903-7 it was 

 concluded that nitrate of soda, basic slag, and sulphate of potash were 

 the most suitable artificials for the mangold crop on this soil, viz., a 

 loam lying on a subsoil of Millstone Grit sandstone mixed with clay. 

 The following standard dressing was therefore compared with various 

 other combinations in 1908 and 1909 :— 45 cwt. nitrate of soda, 2 cwt. 

 basic slag (39 per cent, phosphate), 2f cwt. sulphate of potash, and 



2 cwt. common salt. This produced an increase of 9 tons 4 cwt. over 

 the unmanured crop, and 4 tons 11 cwt. over the plot with 12 tons of 

 farmyard manure. 



Cabbages were grown in the centre of the mangold plots, with the 

 same system of manuring. Farmyard manure was much more effective 

 than with the mangold crop, and the following dressing is recom- 

 mended : — 10 to 12 tons farmyard manure, 1 cwt. nitrate of soda, 

 4 cwt. basic slag, and 1 cwt. muriate of potash, all applied in the drills, 

 with the addition of 1^ cwt. nitrate of soda applied in two top- 

 dressings. On the heavier classes of soils the muriate of potash might 

 be omitted. 



Experiments with Potatoes (Northumberland C.C., Educ. Com., 

 Bull. 14, Guide to Expts. at Cockle Park for 1910). — Varieties and 

 change of seed. — A number of varieties were grown in 1909 from seed 

 obtained from Scotland the same year. The soil was a sandy loam, 

 which was manured with 12 tons of farmyard manure per acre. The 

 heaviest yields in stones per pole, which is equal to tons per acre, 

 were: — Factor, 13^; Dalhousie Seedling, nf; Up-to-Date, iof ; Table 

 Talk, 10; Mayfield Blossom, 10. Four of the varieties were also grown 

 from seed obtained from Scotland in 1908, and grown in England in that 

 year. Factor and Dalhousie Seedling gave three to four tons more per 

 acre from the fresh Scotch seed. Mayfield Blossom gave about equal 

 results, while with Table Talk the crop from the seed grown one year in 

 England was better, viz., 12^ tons per acre. Golden Wonder and What's 

 Wanted, two varieties that have been found to resist infection by 

 Wart Disease, gave yields of 8| and 7! tons per acre respectively, with 

 seed fresh from Scotland. 



Winter and Spring Planting. — This trial has been carried on for 

 four years, 1906-9. In each year a heavier crop was obtained by 

 planting in March or at the beginning of April than by planting 

 in October, December, January, later in April, or in May. 



Sprouted v. Unsprouted Seed. — The sprouted seed gave a yield of 



3 tons per acre more than the unsprouted. 



Seeds Mixtures for Permanent Grass Land (Univ. Coll., Reading, 

 Bull, vii.).— Trials are in progress with various seeds mixtures, and the 

 results for 1909 are given in this Bulletin, with a description of the 

 scheme of the experiment. 



Grass and Clover Seeds and Seeds Mixtures (Northumberland C.C. 

 Educ. Com., Bull. 14, Guide to Expts. at Cockle Park for 1910).— 

 Four one-arre plots were sown with one-year seeds mixtures in 1907 



