348 



Lucerne as a Fertiliser. 



phosphate as sources of phosphoric acid ; to compare sulphate 

 of ammonia and nitrate of soda as sources of nitrogen ; and, 

 more particularly, to discover what advantage might be 

 derived from employing- a mixture of these two manures in 

 preference to either of them alone. Some of these points also 

 formed the subject of experiment in 1899. 



The general conclusions drawn by Mr. James Wood, 

 M.A., B.Sc, from the results of these experiments are as 

 follows : — 



1. The application of suitable artificial manures to rye- 



grass and clover hay produces a large and profitable 

 increase of crop, even in a season when the crop is 

 naturally heavy. 



2. Potash forms a necessary and effective constituent of 



a hay manure on clay soils as well as on light and 

 moorish soils. 



3. The most profitable quantity of potash to apply in a 



complete hay manure, such as was employed in 

 these experiments, is that supplied in about 1 cwt. 

 muriate of potash of 75 to 80 per cent, purity. 



4. Potash is equally effective whether applied in the form 



of muriate or sulphate. 



5. A mixture of nitrate of soda and sulphate of ammonia 



has not proved superior to either of these manures 

 used separately. 



6. In the comparison between nitrate of soda and 



sulphate of ammonia no uniform superiority of the 

 one over the other has been shown in the past year. 



7. Farmyard manure gives a much larger crop and a more 



profitable return when nitrate of soda or sulphate of 

 ammonia is applied with it than when it is applied 

 alone. 



Lucerne as a Fertiliser. 



The United States Department of Agriculture has recently 

 drawn attention to the great value of lucerne as a feeding 

 stuff and fertiliser. This fact, which had already been esta- 



