191 2.] Summary of Agricultural Experiments. 1035 



When grown on the flat in rows 18 in. apart, the weight of washed 

 roots was 12 tons 12 \ cwt. per acre, as compared with 11 tons 13 cwt. 

 and 9 tons 13 cwt. when grown in rows 21 in. and 27 in. apart respec- 

 tively. Of the varieties tried, Rabbethge and Giesecke's Klein 

 Wanzleben gave the heaviest crop — 15 tons 7 cwt. 



Different artificial manures to supplement the dung were tried. 



The percentage of sugar varied very little; it was between 18 per 

 cent, and 19 per cent, on all the plots, except where the beet was grown 

 in rows 27 in. apart, in which case it was only 17*7 per cent. 



Valuing horse labour at 2s. 3d. a day, farmyard manure at 45. 6d. 

 a load, and other items at actual prices, the cost per acre of growing 

 beet on the flat in 18-in. rows was ^"13 is* 2d., against which is set 

 the crop of i2-| tons of washed roots. This is compared with an acre 

 of mangolds, which, in rows 27 in. apart, cost £10 16s. qd., and gave a 

 crop of 20 tons. 



Soils and Manures. 



The Phosphate Nutrition of Plants (Jour. Agric. Sci., January, 19 12 : 

 Mr. A. Baguley, Univ. Qoll. of N. Wales). — A good deal of experi- 

 mental work has been carried out to determine the value of finely 

 ground naturally occurring mineral phosphates as manures for plants 

 of various kinds. In the experiments recorded in this paper the 

 question was approached by artificially preparing insoluble phosphates 

 of various kinds, and giving them as the only source of phosphoric acid to 

 plants grown in pure sand. 



In this way ferric-, aluminium-, and calcium-phosphates were tried 

 with oats, swedes, and peas, and as a control the same plants were 

 grown with superphosphate as the source of phosphoric acid. With 

 aluminium and ferric phosphate, both oats and swedes turned out finer 

 and healthier plants than with superphosphate. Peas grew into healthy, 

 sturdy plants, but were not so early or fruitful as when grown with 

 superphosphate. 



With calcium phosphate the results were different. Oats did not 

 thrive any better than those grown without phosphate at all, and died 

 without producing any ears. Until about six weeks after sowing, the 

 swedes appeared to do as badly as the oats had done, but then they 

 began to grow vigorously, and at the end of the season they were 

 good, healthy plants, though by no means so forward as the others. 

 Peas grew moderately well with calcium phosphate, but the plants 

 ripened early, and the crop was poor. 



Rothamsted Experimental Plots in 1911 (Annual Report of the 

 Rothamsted Exptl. Sta., 191 1).— The effects of the exceptionally hot, dry 

 summer of 191 1 were well marked on the different crops and plots. 

 In the case of wheat the yields were good, the continuously unmanured 

 plot giving i2| bush, per acre, and the plot grown after a bare fallow in 

 alternate years 17 bush, per acre, which is higher than for many years 

 past. The weights per bushel were remarkably high, the average 

 of all the plots being 65*5 lb. ; the weight on one plot was 66'8 lb., the 

 highest figures yet recorded. Barley was exceptionally poor, and the 

 continuously unmanured plot yielded less than 5 bush, per acre. 



On land cropped with them every year, mangolds were almost a 

 failure, except on the plots receiving farmyard manure. On others the 

 soil caked and germinating seed was unable to get to the surface. 



4 B 2 



