NOTES ON RECENT EESEARCH. 



519 



details, of singular interest, recall those of Pinguicula, and show no 

 affinity to Droseracece. Moreover, the stamens arc introrse, the corolla is 

 sympetalous, the ovary bilocular, and the placentation axile, and the 

 ovules have, as in Corollifior^ generally, but one integument, and a 

 tapetum around the embryo-sac. Haustoria are developed, as in the 

 previous genus, at both ends of the embryo-sac. Hence the author regards 

 this genus as a member of the LcntihulariacccE with radial flowers. — M. H. 



Manuring Potatos. 

 Potatos, Manuring' of Swedes and. Anon. {Jour. Bd. Agr. 



vol. viii. No. 1, pp. 27-30; June 1901). — The information with regard to 

 the manuring of Potatos is here appended in full detail : — 



" The results on five of the farms (in one case the soil proved unsuit- 

 able for the experiment) showed that a dressing of IJ cwt. sulphate of 

 ammonia, 1| cwt. superphosphate, and | cwt. sulphate of potash, costing 

 23s. per acre, proved to be a very profitable addition to 12 tons of farm- 

 yard manure, and slightly more profitable than double the quantity of 

 artificials. The most profitable mixture of artificials for use without dung 

 consisted of 2^ cwt. sulphate of ammonia, 3^ cwt. of superphosphate, and 

 3 cwt. of sulphate of potash. This mixture cost 54s. 6cZ. per acre. It 

 seems probable that it would have been more profitable than it was if 

 ^ cwt. nitrate of soda and 1 cwt. fish-meal had been substituted for 1 cwt. 

 sulphate of ammonia ; the profits yielded by it were, however, greater 

 than those obtained from dung and artificials. These experiments, and 

 those made in the previous year, indicate that when the Potato occupies a 

 portion of the fallow break, dung should be used ; when it does not, farm- 

 yard manure may often with advantage be omitted, and artificial manures 

 only used. 



" In the absence of dung, hea\^' dressings of sulphate and muriate of 

 potash have proved advantageous ; heavy dressings of kainit have, on the 

 other hand, somewhat decreased the vield. In two instances it was 

 noticeable that kainit hastened ripening. In both these cases the per- 

 centage of dry matter in the potato crop was much reduced. On each of 

 the five farms, and also at the College farm, the use of kainit lowered the 

 percentage of dry matter. The average reduction amounted to 2*8S 

 per cent, of dry matter, which means that the food-value of eight tons of 

 potatos grown with kainit was, on the average, no greater than seven tons 

 grown with sulphate of potash. 



" Experiments in the manuring of potatos were also repeated in the 

 past year at twelve centres in Lancashire, under the direction of Mr. F. P. 

 Walker, the Agricultural Lecturer of the Harris Institute, Preston. The 

 object of these experiments was to ascertain the comparative eftects of a 

 dressing of twenty tons and ten tons respectively of farmyard manure, and 

 the results of applying artificials with a moderate dressing of dung. 



" The results showed that the heavier dressing of dung produced an 

 increase ot crop which left a substantial profit, and they confirmed the 

 general experience obtained at the various experimental centres in con- 

 nection with other agricultural colleges, that potatos are a crop which 

 respond in a remarkable degree to large applications of farmyard manure. 



