266 
Report on Experiments conducted in 1886 
The monetary value of the results is expressed in the follow- 
ing Table : — 
Plots. 
C 
A 
H 
I 
B 
D 
K 
L 
E 
M 
G 
Artificials per Acre. 
Superphosphate 
("Superphosphate, 1 cwt. nitrate') 
\ sown early j 
f Superphosphate, 1 cwt. nitrate^ 
\ top-dressed in July | 
f Superphosphate, f cwt. sulphate') 
\ ot ammonia sown early . . . . / 
(Superphosphate, f cwt. sulphate) 
\ of ammonia top-dressed in July / 
(Superphosphate, 2 cwt. nitrate'! 
\ sown early / 
I Superphosphate, 2 cwt. nitrate) 
\ top-dressed in July / 
fSuperphosphate, cwt. sulphate! 
\ of ammonia sown early . . . . / 
(Superphosphate, IJ cwt. sulphate'! 
\ of ammonia top-dressed in July j 
fSuperphosphate, 1 cwt. nitrate,) 
\ 1 cwt. salt / 
{Superphosphate, 1 J cwt. sulphate j 
of potash, 1 cwt. nitrate top-> 
dressed in July J 
i Superphosphate, cwt. sulphate 
of potash, J cwt. sulphate of 
ammonia 
Cost per 
Acre. 
£ s. d. 
0 10 6 
1 2 
1 2 
1 0 
1 0 
1 14 
1 14 
1 10 
1 10 
16 6 
1 18 7 
1 16 7 
Increase in Crop 
per Acre as com- 
pared with Dung 
alone. 
tons cwt. qrs. lbs. 
no increase 
0 12 0 24 
1 18 0 12 
2 0 3 24 
0 
3 
3 
2 8 
1 14 
1 8 
2 4 
0 12 
0 20 
1 20 
3 24 
2 24 
0 10 2 24 
decrease of 
3 18 2 20 
Cost per ton 
of increased 
yield of 
Mangolds. 
£ J. d. 
1 17 0 
0 11 9 
0 10 0 
8 18 
0 10 1 
0 10 9 
0 12 6 
0 17 4 
0 18 5 
3 12 0 
The first point to be noticed is that the superphosphate 
alone, in conjunction with 12 tons of dung, did no good. In 
fact, the yield was a trifle under that of dung alone. Whether 
the superphosphate helped the nitrogenous artificial manures, or 
whether on this particular soil it was useless in presence of a fair 
dressing of good dung, cannot be decided from the experiments. 
The largest increase was given by the use of 2 cwt. per acre of 
nitrate of soda, which produced over 3 tons — in one case neai;ly 
3^ tons — extra roots, at a cost only fractionally above 10s. per ton. 
It would not seem in this case (see plots D and K) to have greatly 
mattered whether the nitrate was sown with the seed, or top- 
dressed later on, but that it is in accordance with sound principle 
to apply the nitrate as a top-dressing and not to sow it at seed 
time seems to be clearly demonstrated by the results of plots A 
and H, where 1 cwt. of nitrate only was used. The top-dressed 
nitrate gave close upon 2 tons of extra roots, at a cost of 
lis. 96?. per ton; while a like quantity sown with the seed, 
gave but 12 cwt. extra roots, at the prohibitive cost of 1/. 17s. 
per ton. With sulphate of ammonia the case is reversed. 
Ij^ cwt. sulphate of ammonia, top-dressed, gave about 1| tons. 
