*7 



MANURING OF SWEDES AND POTATOES. 



Experiments in connection with the manuring of swedes 

 were conducted during the past year at thirteen centres in 

 the County of Durham, under the superintendence of Pro- 

 fessor Middleton, of the Agricultural Department of the 

 Durham College of Science, but at three of the centres the 

 crop suffered from disease, and was not weighed. 



The principal object of the experiments was to determine 

 the effects of employing artificial manures with and without 

 dung to the swede crop. It was found that when 6f cwt. of 

 a general artificial manure, costing 24s., and compounded 

 from superphosphate, kainit, nitrate, and sulphate, was used 

 with twelve tons of dung, and the increase in crop valued at 

 8s. per ton, the added artificials did not leave a direct profit, 

 although the season was favourable to the action of artificial 

 manures, When slag was substituted for superphosphate,, 

 the increase in crop just paid for the artificial manure. It is 

 held, however, that, from the results of rotation experiments, 

 there can be no doubt that, in most cases, there would be a 

 substantial profit from the use of the artificial mixtures if the 

 effects on the subsequent crops could be shown. 



In these experiments on the sw T ede crop of the past year, a 

 nitrogenous dressing was found the most profitable of the 

 artificials used with dung ; the addition of J cwt. nitrate ot 

 soda and § cwt. sulphate of ammonia to cwt. of super, and 

 2 cwt. of kainit gave an increase in the average crop of two 

 tons per acre, at a cost of about 9s. ; and, as in the experi- 

 ments of former years, a general artificial mixture paid 

 better than a special mixture when used with dung, though 

 this is, it is observed, a subject on which further experimental 

 evidence is required. 



