1036 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



fertilisers, but the yield, on the average, was much smaller than in those 

 cases where we used a moderate quantity of dung in conjunction with a 

 moderate quantity of chemical fertilisers. 



The following short table shows the increase obtained, beyond the 

 crop grown with 25 loads of dung per acre only, by the addition of 25 

 further loads of dung on the one hand and of mixtures of chemical 

 fertilisers on the other : — 



Annual manuring (in addition to 25 loads Dung) 

 per acre 



Cost of 



Average increase per acre 

 of Rhubarb (small varieties) 



extramauure over and above the yield 



per acre 



obtained with 25 loads 

 Dung per acre only 





£ 



s. 







d. 



Sticks 



tons 



cwt. 





5 



0 



0 



43,975 



7 



1 



Phosphates, Potash Salts, and 1 cwt. Nitrate of 

















1 



15 



0 



25,430 



1 



6 



Phosphates, Potash Salts, and 2 cwt. Nitrate of 















2 



5 



0 



39,530 



6 



15 



Phosphates, Potash Salts, and 4 cwt. Nitrate of 















Soda 



3 



5 



0 



32,050 



7 



1 



The relative economy of chemical fertilisers, as compared with an 

 additional quantity of dung, is very manifest, as is also the relative 

 economy of using different quantities of nitrate of soda ; the best result 

 on the whole, as has already been indicated, being that obtained by the 

 use, in addition to 25 loads of dung per acre, of 2 cwt. of nitrate of soda 

 per acre in conjunction with phosphates and potash salts. 



In the case of the large variety, the average results obtained during 

 the four years were as follows : — 



RHUBARB — Large or Coarse Variety (' Victoria '). 









Average annual crop per acre 









for four years 







Annual cost 



(1897, 1898, 1899, and 1900) 



Annual manuring per acre. 



of manure 









per acre 



Xo. of stalks or 

 "sticks" pulled 

 per acre 



Total weight 

 per acre 





£ s. 



d. 





tons 



cwt. 



50 loads (25 tons) London Dung 



25 loads (12-£ tons) London Dung . 



10 0 



0 



97,310 



38 



15 



5 0 



0 



70,440 



27 



0 



25 loads Dung, Phosphates (no Potash), and 











1 cwt. Nitrate of Soda ..... 



6 5 



0 



93,210 



37 



6 



Ditto, ditto (with Potash). .... 



6 15 



0 



84,175 



33 



12 



25 loads Dung, Phosphates (no Potash), and 













2 cwt. Nitrate of Soda ..... 



6 15 



0 



87,600 



36 



2 



Ditto, ditto (with Potash). .... 



7 5 



0 



99,500 



37 



12 



25 loads Dung, Phosphates (no Potash), and 













4 cwt. Nitrate of Soda ..... 



7 15 



0 



112,420 



45 



3 



Ditto, ditto (with Potash). .... 



8 5 



0 



!>C,050 



40 



16 



No Dung ; Phosphates (no Potash) and 













4 cwt. Nitrate of Soda ..... 



2 15 



0 



92,860 



37 



16 



Ditto, ditto (with Potash) 



3 5 



0 



94,640 



37 



0 



Here again light dressing of dung was quite insufficient to obtain any- 

 thing like a full crop, and the doubling of the dung produced nearly half 

 as much again. But a far greater increase was obtained by adding 

 chemical fertilisers in liberal quantity to the smaller dressing of dung, the 



