752 Summary of Agricultural Experiments, [dec, 



exhausting effect usually attributed to it. Continued applications of 

 superphosphate without lime on one plot appear to have made the soil 

 rather acid. The results with broad red clover demonstrate the want 

 ■of potash in this soil. 



Trials were also made of the germination of various vegetable seeds 

 <of different ages and sown at different depths, and also with very 

 •small potato sets. 



Experiments with Live Stock. 



Feeding of Cattle with Soy Bean Cake (Edin. and E. of Scotland 

 Coll. of Agric, Bull. 21). — In this experiment soy bean cake was com- 

 pared with linseed cake by feeding equal weights to cattle. Analyses 

 of the foods used are given in the report. The linseed cake used con- 

 tained about 30 per cent, of albuminoids, 8 per cent, of oil, and 33 

 per cent, of carbohydrates ; the soy bean cake contained about 40 per 

 cent, of albuminoids, 6 per cent, of oil, and 28 per cent, of carbo- 

 hydrates. A mixture compounded as far as possible of soy beans and 

 soy bean cake to give the same analysis as linseed cake, and one lot 

 of soy bean cake, containing over 11 per cent, of oil, were also 

 tested. The cattle were two-year-old Irish bullocks, such as are ex- 

 tensively used for fattening in the east of Scotland. The trials were 

 made at two centres, and the results of each are given separately, as 

 the conditions were not exactly alike. 



At Pitskelly three lots of eight bullocks were put up on November 

 17th, and fed till ready for the fat market. All the lots did not become 

 prime equally quickly so as to be ready for slaughter at the same time, 

 but the comparisons are made on the increase in live weight during 

 the time the lots remained unbroken, viz., 121 days. The three lots 

 were all fed with the following ration per head per day : — 85 lb. 

 swedes, 8| lb. oat straw, which was partially replaced during the last 

 four weeks with hay, and 4 lb. Bombay cotton cake at first, decreasing 

 to 3I lb. To this the feeding stuffs on trial were added, 2 lb. per 

 day at first, gradually increasing to 5 lb. Lot I. got linseed cake, 

 Lot II. soy bean cake, Lot III. a cake made from soy bean cake and soy 

 bean meal, with a little maize and locust bean meal, so as to give 

 the same analysis as linseed cake. The prices of the cakes were : — 

 Linseed cake, £9 per ton ; soy bean cake, £6 15s. per ton ; compound 

 cake, £j 10s. per ton. The increases in live weight made by the 

 three lots were as follows : — 



Average Cost per 



wt. at Live-wt. cwt. of 



start. increase. live-wt. 



Per head. Per head. increase, 

 cwt. qr. cwt. qr. lb. £ s. d. 



Lot I. (Linseed Cake) 82 2 1 16 1 16 4 



II. (Soy Bean Cake) 8 i£ 1 3 2 5 1 18 1 



III. (Compound Soy Bean Cake) 82 205 1192 



The cost of the increase is calculated by taking the cost of the 

 whole food, not of the cakes alone. 



At the second centre, Spencerfield, the experiment started on 

 December 3rd, and lasted till April nth, when the cattle were sold in 

 the fat market. It was carried out on the same lines, but the food 

 differed slightly. The cattle got 15 lb. more swedes per day, and \ lb. 

 less oat straw, and the Bombay cotton cake remained at 4 lb. through- 



