Suijar-lieet Cultivation in Auatrla, 
845 
after the sugar has been extracted from the beet, a lal'ge head 
of cattle must be kept. At each place visited the manure was 
found to be carefully preserved in large, square, bricked dung- 
])its, under the charge of special labourers who had no other duty. 
The drainings are regularly pumped up from the bottom of the 
pit, and distributed by hose over the surface, so as to keep the 
dung moist and to consolidate it. So great was the anxiety to 
show us everything, that for our special delectation this pro- 
cess was exhibited in action at each farm visited, until our 
olfactory nerves compelled us to cry " enough." 
Care is taken that the manure is applied at a time when its 
fertilising qualities can most speedily assert themselves ; so that 
it is never spread in the spring, save in exceptional cases, and 
then only for dressing mixed seeds, peas, oats, potatoes, or beet 
intended for seed. The greater part of the dung collected 
during the winter is not therefore applied till the month of 
June for the clover stubble. If the quantity of dung is not 
sufficient to fertilise the autumn-sown corn at this season, the 
cereals are manured with artificials. The manure remaining 
after J uly is reserved exclusively for beet, for which the manure 
should be dug in during the autumn. 
At the Wischau farms, which have a total area of 5,800 
acres, about 1,250 acres are manured annually with farmyard 
dung; and in addition the following quantities of artificials 
have been used during the last three years — - 
Nitrate of soda . 
Superphosphate of lime 
Basic slag .... 
Gypsum .... 
These manures permit of nearly all the arable land being 
dressed annually, in addition to the fertilisation due to the farm- 
yard dung, which is for the most part supplemented by artificials. 
There is no regular rule as to these supplementary manures, 
which are applied according to the productive power of the 
different fields. Herr Skutezky supplied us with details as to 
the manuring of each crop, but it is only necessary to say here 
that the beets are fertilised with farmyard dung, with 8 cwt. of 
superphosphate and 4 to 5 cwt. of nitrate of soda. In cases 
where the roots cannot be dressed in autumn either with dung 
or compost, 10 to 12 cwt. of superphosphate and 6 to 7 cwt. of 
nitrate of soda are supplied. The beet for seed receives 6 to 
8 cwt. of nitrate of soda and 10 to 12 cwt. of superphosphate. 
The areas manured in the last three years have been as 
follows :— 
VOL. II. T. S. — 6 A A 
1888 
1889 
1890 
cwt. 
cwt. 
owt. 
44 
62 
55 
70 
80 
83 
7 
7 
20 
18 
29 
