i9i i.] Summary of agricultural Experiments. 595 



The permanent grass plots in the park also yielded much smaller 

 crops than usual, and the proportion of the leguminous herbage was 

 considerably below the average. The effect of lime on the half plots 

 was not so marked as usual, though its value was very apparent to 

 the eye on the plots on which the soil has become sour through con- 

 tinual applications of ammonium salts. On the limed portions of the 

 plots the peat that had accumulated previously has almost entirely 

 disappeared, and a close sward is beginning to form again. 



Manuring of Mangolds (Univ. Coll. of N. Wales, Bangor, Agric. 

 Dept., Bull, ix., 1910). — The experiment was carried out at eight 

 centres on plots acre i n s i ze - Ten tons of farmyard manure per 

 acre produced an increase of over 10 tons of roots per acre. Twenty 

 tons of farmyard manure gave only a small additional increase, and 

 either with or without artificials the extra ten tons appeared to give 

 an insufficient return to cover the extra cost. 



Manurial Experiments (Wilts C.C. Agric. Educ. Com., Results of 

 Field Manurial Demonstrations, 1909-10). — A series of manurial demon- 

 strations was arranged by the Agricultural Education Committee of 

 the Wilts County Council in 1909-10 on very similar lines to those of 

 the previous year. They are largely based on the scheme submitted 

 to the Board of Agriculture by the Agricultural Education Association, 

 and represent in each case a comparison between an unmanured plot 

 and a number of plots manured with various artificial manures applied 

 either singly or in combination. Tables are given showing the results 

 obtained at each centre separately, with a full account of the soil, 

 previous manuring, &c. 



The first group related to the manuring of grass for mowing, and 

 plots were set out at six centres. The results obtained differed very 

 materially at each centre when compared with the unmanured plot. 

 At one centre the same plots were used as last year, and here the 

 difference was large, owing to the residual effect of the manures 

 applied in the previous year. 



The average result indicated an advantage from a complete dress- 

 ing, and also to a lesser extent from mixtures of two manures. The 

 direct effect obtained from the single manures was small. The quan- 

 tities applied per acre, either singly or in combination, were as fol- 

 lows : — Kainit, if cwt. ; basic slag, 2-| cwt. ; sulphate of ammonia, 

 I cwt. ; superphosphate, 3 cwt. 



The second group of experiments related to the manuring of 

 mangolds. _ The average result showed the greatest advantage from a 

 complete mixture of kainit, superphosphate, and nitrate of soda. 

 Nitrate of lime appeared to be inferior either by itself or in 

 combination to nitrate of soda. Generally the results supported the 

 view that nitrate of soda is the most important manure for mangolds, 

 while kainit occupies the second place. Superphosphate proved useful 

 in combination with other manures, though its effect when used alone 

 was insufficient on the average to cover the cost. 



In the case of swedes eight plots at four centres were laid out, and 

 the complete mixture gave the best result. 



Two groups of trials at six centres were made with potatoes, the 

 distinction being that in one group kainit was used as a source of 

 potash, and in the other sulphate of potash. On the whole the kainit 



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