191 1.] SUxMMARV OF Agricultural Experiments. 415 



It has been ascertained that trunk calls can be made satis- 

 factorily to places within a distance of no less than 180 

 miles, although no calls have actually been made by sub- 

 scribers for such places. 



The experimental introduction of the system at Brandsby 

 has been greatly facilitated by the enthusiastic support 

 accorded to it by Mr. Hugh Fairfax Cholmeley, who has 

 not only taken keen interest in the matter, but has also granted 

 free wayleaves for the erection of a number of poles on his 

 private property. 



SUMMARY OF AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENTS. 

 Soils and Manuring. 



Manuring of Oats and Mangolds {Experiments at Kineton, Warwick- 

 shire, 1910). — These experiments have been carried out since 1901 by 

 Mr. Ernest Parke, J. P., with the co-operation of Dr. Bernard Dyer. 



When the farm was taken over it was in very poor condition, owing 

 to long-continued neglect of manuring. The soil consists of heavy 

 clay loam poor in available phosphoric acid, but indicating, on analysis, 

 a sufficiency for the present of available potash. The experimental 

 plots have been marked out from year to year in various parts of four 

 different fields as convenience of cropping dictated. 



In the case of the oats, the crop was spoilt by weather in 1909. In 

 the other eight years the average crop with no manure was 38I bushels 

 per acre; with 3 cwt. superphosphate per acre it was 49 bushels; i cwt. 

 nitrate of soda in addition increased this to 56I bushels, and 2 cwt. 

 nitrate of soda to 65 bushels. In the case of the mangolds the plant 

 failed in 1906 and 1909, and only the average of the other seven years 

 is considered. The crops were as follows : — 



tons cwt. 



No manure ... ... ... ... ... 17 16 



4 cwt. super ... ... ... ... ... » 24 10 



4 cwt. ,, and 2 cwt. nitrate of soda ... 32 2 

 4 cwt. ,, ,, 4 cwt. „ ... 38 o 



4 cwt. ,, 6 cwt. „ ... 43 7 



Dr. Bernard Dyer remarks that the experiments, which are being 

 continued, appear to show that even land that has become through 

 bad farming locally notorious for its poverty, may be possessed of 

 sufficient inherent capability to yield abundant crops if treated with 

 the proper fertilisers, and to give at the same time a good profit by 

 their use. 



Manuring of Grass Land {Results of Grass-Manuring Experiments, 

 Dr. Bernard Dyer and Mr. F. W. E. Shrivell, 19 10). —These experi- 

 ments were carried out at eight stations in various parts of England 

 and Wales. The general scheme is that one acre is set aside and 

 divided into eight plots, which are manured annually with different 

 dressings. The main crop is cut for hay, and the yield of each plot 

 is given in the report. 



Manuring of Grass Land {Univ. Coll. of North Wales, As^ric. Dept., 

 Bull. 3, 19 10). — An experiment was carried out on a field at Quirt that 



