THE MANURING OF MARKET-GARDEN CROPS. 



1035 



variety being the well-known 1 Victoria.' Equal numbers of plants of the 

 different varieties were planted on each plot. 



The " pullings " were necessarily irregular during the first one or two 

 seasons, so we did not begin a systematic record of our results until 1897. 

 We recorded the crops of four seasons, after which we " grubbed " the 

 section and made a new plantation for future experiment. 



The records of the small and large varieties were kept separately, as 

 the large varieties crop nearly twice as heavily as the smaller ones. The 

 manuring, however, on each plot was the same for both small and large 

 varieties. 



The following results show the average records of the four seasons 

 1897 to 1900 inclusive ; and it may be worth while to record, as a better 

 indication of the scale on which the experiments are conducted than may 

 be derived from a mere knowledge of the area of land under cultivation, 

 that the results represent the actual produce of 300 plants. It will be 

 seen, therefore, that the experiments are on a scale sufficiently large to 

 practically eliminate the difference due merely to variations in the size of 

 individual plants. 



RHUBARB — Small or Fine Varieties. 



Average annual crop per acre 

 for four years 



Annual cost (1897. 1898, 1899, and 1900) 

 Annual manuring per acre of manure 





UL UUlUUltJ 



per acre 



No. of stalks or 

 "sticks" pulled 

 per acre 



Total weight 

 per acre 





£ 



s. 



a. 





tons cwt. 



50 loads (25 tons) London Dung 

 25 loads (12f tons) London Dung 



10 



0 



0 



105,875 



19 9 



5 



0 



0 



01,900 



12 8 



25 loads Dung, Phosphates (no Potash), and 













1 cwt. Nitrate of Soda ..... 



6 



5 



0 



79,825 



12 5 



Ditto, ditto (with Potash) .... 



6 



15 



0 



87,330 



13 14 



25 loads Dung, Phosphates (no Potash), and 













2 cwt. Nitrate of Soda ..... 



6 



15 



0 



99,350 



17 0 



Ditto, ditto (with Potash) .... 



7 



5 



0 



101,430 



19 3 



25 loads Dung, Phosphates (no Potash), and 













4 cwt. Nitrate of Soda ..... 



7 



15 



0 



93,440 



21 3 



Ditto, ditto (with Potash) .... 



8 



5 



0 



93,950 



19 9 



No Dung; Phosphates (no Potash) and 4 cwt. 













Nitrate of Soda ...... 



2 



15 



0 



00,575 



13 2 



Ditto, ditto (with Potash) .... 



3 



5 



0 



79,800 



12 17 



It is seen that 25 loads of London dung per acre has been in itself 

 quite an insufficient dressing. Doubling the dung went far towards 

 doubling the average crop, but very nearly the same yield was obtained 

 by retaining the smaller dressing of dung and adding chemical fertilisers 

 consisting of phosphates, potash salts, and 2 cwt. of nitrate of soda per 

 acre. The dressing including the larger quantity of 4 cwt. of nitrate of 

 soda per acre distinctly increased the average weight, but not the average 

 number of leaf stalks or sticks, per acre ; and, on the whole, the moderate 

 dressing including 2 cwt. of nitrate per acre appears to have produced the 

 best results. 



The use of chemical fertilisers without dung gave decidedly better 

 results than the use of 25 loads of dung per acre without any chemical 



