24 . JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



the plot which received no treatment at all beyond what it would receive 

 in ordinary garden cultivation, neither the soil nor the seed being 

 inoculated, was 2,752 pods, weighing 25,049 grammes and containing 

 10,303 grammes of peas. When the soil alone was inoculated the yield 

 was 2,275 pods (a decrease of 17 per cent.), weighing 20,652 grammes 

 (a decrease of 18 per cent.), containing 8,483 grammes (a decrease of 

 IS per cent.). When the seed alone was inoculated the yield was 2,211 

 pods (a further decrease of 2 per cent.) weighing 19,507 grammes (a 

 further decrease of 5 per cent.), containing 8,179 grammes of peas (a 

 further decrease of 3 per cent.). When both soil and seed were. inoculated 

 the yield was about the same as in the last case, viz. 2,227 pods 

 (a decrease of 19 per cent, compared with the untreated plot), weighing 

 20,107 grammes (a decrease of 20 per cent.), containing peas weighing 

 8,205 grammes (a decrease of 21 per cent.). 



Does this mean that in this poor garden soil inoculation of the seed 

 or soil may actually lead to a decreased yield when this particular 

 inoculating material is used ? The only alternative is to suppose that 

 the inoculation had no influence at all, but that different plots as nearly 

 similar as it is possible to get may give crops varying as much as 

 23 per cent., while the variation in the different rows of the same 

 variety may be as much as 35 per cent, in one case and 28 per cent, in 

 another. 



Turning now to the two plots which received a very light dressing of 

 dung we have yields as follows : — 



TABLE C. 



Produce from Plots V. and VI. Soil not Inoculated, but Manured with Dung 

 at the Rate of Ten Tons to the Acre. 



Variety 



Plot V. 

 Seed not inoculated 



Plot VI. 

 Seed inoculated 



Percentage increase 

 or decrease 



No. of 

 pods 



Wt. of 

 pods 



Wt. of 

 peas 



No. of 

 pods 



Wt. of 

 pods 



Wt. of 

 peas 



No. of 

 pods 



Wt. of 

 pods 



Wt. of 

 peas 



Xe Plus Ultra . 

 Duke of Albany 

 Telegraph . 

 Bfaincrop . 



703 

 485 

 756 

 612 



grs. 

 5,1)03 

 5,633 

 7,283 

 4,855 



gr*. 

 2,833 

 1,926 

 2,750 

 2,144 



712 



666 

 789 

 565 



grs. 

 5,723 

 7,348 

 7,711 

 4,399 



grs. 

 2,595 

 2,480 

 2,946 

 2,159 



+ 1 



+ 36 

 + 4 



-8 



-4 

 + 30 



+ 5 

 -10 



-9 

 + 28 

 + 7 

 0 



Totals . 



2,556 



23,674 



9#53 



2,732 



25,181 



10,180 



+ 7 



+ 6 



+ 5 



There is thus a difference in favour of the inoculated seed of 

 6 per cent, in the weight of the pods (7 per cent, in the number of the 

 pods and 5 per cent, in the weight of the peas), but this, we have seen, is 

 well within the margin of difference which might have been expected. 

 Furthermore, it would be quite contrary to previous experience to find 

 that the addition of farmyard manure helped the work of the bacteria, 

 although, probably for another reason altogether, it is a usual experience 

 to find that the addition of farmyard manure leads to an increase in the 

 yield of peas. 



