464 



Fertilisers for Market Garden Crops. 



as sulphate of ammonia, fish guano, dried blood, rape dust, &c. 

 The choice of nitrogenous fertilisers is one to be determined by 

 circumstances of soil, climate and cost, and it is quite likely that 

 many of the good results obtained with nitrate of soda might, 

 under suitable circumstances, be yielded by some of the other 

 nitrogenous fertilisers referred to. 



It should be observed that our work has been carried on 

 during an exceptionally dry cycle of years. On this account 

 dung has had the best possible chance to exhibit its physical 

 advantages over concentrated chemical fertilisers ; but it has 

 probably been placed at somewhat of a disadvantage as a source 

 of nitrogenous plant food, since organic matter requires abundant 

 moisture in order to undergo ready nitrification. Nitrate of 

 soda, on the other hand, is in a better position than dung, or 

 perhaps any other manure, to do itself full credit in dry weather, 

 since a very moderate shower places it in a state of full activity. 

 At the same time, wet weather tends to produce abundant 

 growth, demanding an abundance of readily assimilable food ; 

 and it is not easy to guess whether, on the whole, wet or dry 

 weather would diminish or intensify the differences which we 

 have consistently found between the results of heavy dunging 

 on the one hand and of light dunging supplemented by chemical 

 fertilisers on the other. Possibly we may get a cycle of wet 

 years, which, as we hope to continue our experiments, may 

 throw light on this point 



In the following notes are given some of the most illustrative 

 of the results of our experiments, together with such general 

 practical recommendations for each crop as the experience of 

 Mr. Shrivell and myself thus far leads us to make. 



Cauliflowers (Autumn). 



On an average of eight consecutive crops we obtained the 

 results shown in the table on page 465. 



Chemical fertilisers alone, without dung, were much more 

 productive than even heavy dung without them, but less satis- 

 factory than in their combination with light dung. 



We recommend for cauliflowers a light dressing of town dung 

 (about 12 tons per acre), with from 4 to 6 cwt. of superphos- 



