Basic Cinder as Manure. 
138 
Redbourne, Herts ; by Dr. J. Aitken, at Pumplierston, Scotland ; 
by Mr. D. Wilson, at Carbetb, Scotland ; and by Mr. T. A. 
Dickson, Kinnersley, Herefordshire. The results of these ex- 
periments showed that on all these diflerent soils the slag was 
an efficient phosphatic manure, in most cases — when applied in 
somewhat larger quantities — producing as large a yield as super- 
phosphate. 
Since 1886 this manure has been more extensively used, and 
seems to be slowly growing in favour. During the last three 
years a series of rather extensive experiments with it, on dif- 
ferent crops, has been made by Mr. James Mason, at Eynsham 
Hall, Witney, Oxfordshire, on soils resting on the Oxford clay. 
Most of the results obtained have been favourable to the use of 
slag, and in some cases the effect of the residues of slag applied to 
previous crops on succeeding cereal crops has been very marked. 
In response to an invitation to carry out experiments mainly 
with the object of testing the effect of basic cinder as compared 
with superphosphate, several Members of the Royal Agricultural 
College Club agreed, in 1889, to carry on a scheme of experi- 
ments on swedes as drawn up by mvself. These members were : — 
Messrs. (1) G. J. M. Burnett, (2) H. Chancellor, (3) J. Edwards, 
(4) E. B. Haygarth, (5) Capt. M. J. Harrison, R.X., (6) E. 
Powell King, (7) Thomas Latham, (8) F. W. Silvester, and (9) 
Beville Stanier, and (10) the Iloyal Agricultural College. The 
seed and manure used in all cases were uniform. The super- 
phosphate contained 2G - 8 per cent, of * c soluble " phosphate, and 
o-G per cent. " insoluble " phosphate. The basic slag contained 
17 - 8 per cent, of phosphoric acid, equivalent to 38 - 8 per cent, of 
tribasic phosphate of lime : 85 per cent, of it passed through a 
sieve of 100 meshes to an inch : the nitrate of soda contained 
98 - 4 per cent, of pure nitrate. 
The following proposals as to the carrying out of the experi- 
ments were circulated among the Members of the Club : — 
Field Experiments with Manures on Swedes icith Thomas' Basic Cinder and 
Superphosphate, with and without Nitrogenous Manures. 
It is desired in these experiments to compare the effects of superphos- 
phate with those of finely-divided basic cinder (or slag) obtained by the 
" Thomas-Gilchrist " process of making steel. 
Each manure should be tried (1) alone, (2) in conjunction with farni- 
yard manure, and (3) with mineral nitrogen, given in the form of a too- 
dressing of nitrate of soda. 
The superphosphate (ordinary mineral superphosphate, 2~>% soluble) to 
be used at the rate of 3 cwt. per acre ; the basic cinder at two different 
rates— 4 cwt. and G cwt. per acre ; and the nitrate of soda, as a top-dreesing, 
at ihe rate of 1 cwt. per acre. 
It is proposed in these experiments, in order to counteract differences 
