Local Agricultural Societies. 265 
Chemical Analysis of Fine Soil, dried at 212° Fahr. 
Silica and silicates insoluble in hydrochloric acid . . 82-880 
Oxide of iron ......... 3'93a 
Alumina 4-880 
Lime .......... 1-568 
Magnesia ......... '360 
Potash -594 
Soda . . -359 
Phosphoric acid "205 
Sulphuric acid ■ . • • "044 
Nitric acid -002 
CWorine -003 
Carhonic acid (combined) . . . ' , ■ i ■ , -802 
* Organic matter, water of combination, &c. ■ • . 4-368 
100-000 
' Containing Nitrogen , -147 
Dung was last applied iu 1885, and in 1886 an oat crop was 
grown with 2 cwt. of superphosphate and 1 cwt. of nitrate of soda 
per acre. The seed (Orange Globe Mangold) was sown on the ridge 
on April 12, the manures, with the exception of the top-dressings, 
having been jilaced just below the seed. The superphosphate 
used contained 29-78 per cent, of soluble phosphate ; the Peruvian 
guano was one highly phosphatic in nature, containing 47-02 
per cent, of ti'ibasic phosphate of lime, with 5-07 per cent, of 
ammonia ; and the basic cinder contained 17-16 per cent, of phos- 
phoric acid (equal to 37-36 per cent, of tribasic phosphate of 
lime). The nitrate of soda was sown in various quantities up to 
4 cwt. per acre. Where 2 cwt. were put as a top-dressing, the 
first application was on July 16, the second on July 28. Of the- 
larger quantities, 1 cwt. was put in at seed-time, the rest at 
intervals. The plant was very backward, but fortunately regular, 
and it is certain that a quantity even of the nitrate of soda was 
never thoroughly washed in. The roots- were pulled early in 
November and weighed. 
After due caution as to the danger of putting an arbitrary 
money- value on dung, a computation of 5s. a ton was fixed, and 
in the report a table is given showing the increase due to the 
several manures over the produce of the unmanured plot, also 
the cost per acre of manuring and the cost per ton of the 
increased yield. The general result, however, is to show 
the extravagant cost of the dung, and that the increase is 
due to the artificials. We may, therefore, pass on to the next 
Table, in which the increase over the dunged plots is given ; 
and to this Table I append the plots on which no dung was 
used. 
The increase due to dung alone was about 2 tons only, the 
