THE MANURING OF MARKET-GARDEN CROPS. 



1021 



Potash salts have, on the whole, consistently produced so useful an 

 effect on this crop that the non -potash plots may be for the moment 

 omitted, but they will be subsequently considered. 



The following table gives the average yield obtained on six of our 

 plots in the five seasons, 1896, 1897, 1898, 1899, and 1900, showing the 

 total weight and total number of heads gathered per acre and also the 

 number of " early " or readily marketable heads cut during the remunera- 

 tive part of the season : — 



GLOBE ARTICHOKES. 



Annual manuring per acre 



Average yield per acre per annum over five years 

 (1896-1900 inclusive) 



Average annual 

 weight of total 

 heads per acre 



Average annual 

 number of total 

 heads per acre 



Average annual 



number of 

 "early " heads 

 per acre 



50 loads (25 tons) London Dung 



25 loads (12| tons) London Dung 



25 loads Dung, Phosphates, Potash Salts, 



and 1 cwt. Nitrate of Soda * . 

 25 loads Dung, Phosphates, Potash Salts, 



and 2 cwt. Nitrate of Soda t . 

 25 loads Dung, Phosphates, Potash Salts, 



and 4 cwt. Nitrate of Soda X • 

 No Dung ; Phosphates, Potash Salts, and 



4 cwt. Nitrate of Soda § ... 



tons cwt. 

 3 15 



2 14 



3 19 

 3 12 

 3 17 

 2 18 



17,440 

 12,170 



18,820 



16,980 



18,180 



13,320 



9,830 

 6,240 



11,400 



10,180 



11,030 



6,940 



* 2 cwt. Nitrate in 1900. t 4 cwt. Nitrate in 1900. 



% 6 cwt. Nitrate in 1900. § 8 cwt. Nitrate in 1900. 



It will be seen by the foot-notes that the quantity of nitrate of soda 

 was increased in 1900 in the case of each plot on which nitrate of soda 

 was used, but the increase was not followed by any further increase on 

 the average yields. 



On looking down the figures the first thing obvious to notice is that 

 the plot getting 25 loads of dung only per acre per annum has been 

 much under-manured. On the plot on which 50 loads of dung have been 

 applied per acre, 43 per cent, more of total heads have been grown, and 

 nearly 58 per cent, more " early " heads. A very much greater increase, 

 however, has been produced on the three plots on which the smaller 

 dressing of dung, instead of being doubled, has been supplemented by 

 the use of chemical fertilisers. On these three plots, the total increase 

 obtained by the chemical fertilisers used in addition to dung has averaged 

 48 per cent., while the increase in " early " heads has been no less than 

 74 per cent. On the plot where no dung at all has been applied the crop 

 has been smaller than on the heavily dunged land, but better than on 

 the lightly dunged land where no chemical fertilisers were used. 



Clearly, then, the successful plots are those on which the light 

 dressing of dung has been supplemented by nitrate of soda, phosphates, 

 and potash salts. The following table shows the actual increase of heads, 

 both total and "early," as compared with the plot receiving the light 

 dressing of dung only : — 



