54 



To Check the Growth of Spurrey. 



experiments are being continued with a view to determining 

 the most economical and satisfactory formula to use for 

 spraying. 



It may be noticed that painting or whitewashing scale- 

 infested trees with solutions of lime is a remedy which has 

 frequently been attended with success in this country. 



Experiment to Check the Growth of Spurrey. 



An experiment to check the growth of a troublesome 

 annual weed in sand land — spurrey — was carried out at 

 Hodsock in 1900 by the Midland Agricultural and Dairy Insti- 

 tute. The field on which the experiment was tried had been 

 sown with oats, and there was so large a quantity of spurrey 

 present that the rows of oats were almost entirely obliterated. 

 The analysis of the soil— a light sand, in poor condition- 

 showed only 0*07 per cent, of lime, while there was 1*98 per 

 cent, of organic matter. 



Three plots were dressed on May 18th with the follow- 

 ing : — (1) Two tons of ground lime ; (2) 10 cwts, of salt; (3) 

 5 cwts. of salt. Two other plots were sprayed at the same 

 date with 20 to 40 gallons respectively of gas liquor diluted 

 with an equal volume of water. A week later two further 

 plots were sprayed with 40 gallons of a 10 per cent, solution 

 of sulphate of iron and 40 gallons of a 3 per cent, solution of 

 sulphate of copper. All the foregoing quantities represent 

 the quantity per acre ; the plots were i-4oth of an acre in 

 extent. 



The sulphate of copper seemed to produce some check on 

 the flowering and seeding of the spurrey, but did not prevent 

 it entirely. At one time the spurrey appeared rather shrivelled, 

 with brown ends to the shoots. The heavier dressing of 

 salt at one time seemed to kill the spurrey in patches, but 

 eventually the weed seemed to grow more luxuriantly on this 

 plot, and flowered as well as any of the others. None of the 

 other dressings had any effect on the spurrey, and none had 

 any effect on the oats 



