292 
The  Woburn  Field  Experiments,  1903. 
The  valuation  of  the  corn  is  given  in  Table  I.  This  was 
largely  affected  by  the  conditions  under  which  the  respective 
crops  were  gathered  in,  but,  as  a whole,  the  sami)les  were  up  to 
the  average  of  the  wheats  of  the  district.  The  best  were  con- 
sidered to  be  plots  8a  and  5 (mineral  manures  and  ammonia 
salts).  These  gave  also  the  highest  weights  per  bushel. 
Continuous  Growing  op  Barley  {Stackyai}d  Field), 
1903  (27th  Season). 
“ Standwell  ” Imrley,  at  the  rate  of  10  pecks  per  acre,  was 
drilled  in  on  March  20,  1903,  and  farmyard  manure  was  then 
spread  on  plot  11b.  Owing,  however,-  to  the  prevalence  of 
wind,  it  was  not  possible  to  put  on  the  minerals  until  April  1, 
nor  rape  dust  until  April  8.  The  plant  made  its  appearance 
by  April  13,  except  on  plot  2a  (ammonia  salts  without  lime), 
where  almost  nothing  came  except  spurry,  and  this  graduallj’’ 
spread  all  over  the  plot.  The  limed  portion  (2b)  was  better, 
but  poor,  and  on  5a  (ammonia  salts  with  minerals,  but  no  lime) 
thei’e  was  hardly  more  barley  than  on  2a,  though  spurrj^  was 
less  in  quantity.  Plots  8a  and  8b  (the  double  dressings  of 
ammonia  salts  with  minerals,  but  no  lime)  were  but  little 
better.  On  the  other  hand,  plots  5h,  8aa,  and  8bb,  where 
ammonia  salts  had  been  used,  but  lime  jjreviously  applied,  were 
in  striking  contrast  to  the  unlimed  plots,  and  maintained  these 
appearances  throughout,  spurry  being  practically  absent  on 
them.  Frost  coming  in  April  affected  the  crop  considerably, 
the  unlinied  plots,  however,  suffering  most.  Nitrogenous  top- 
dressings  were  applied,  as  with  the  wheat,  on  April  29  and  May 
16.  The  l)arley  began  to  come  into  ear  by  July  1,  but  the 
crop,  affected  first  liy  frost  and  then  by  the  continuously  heavy 
rains,  was  miserably  weak.  It  was  not  until  September  12 
that  cutting  could  be  begun,  l)ut  by  September  16  all  was 
carried  and  stacked.  The  results,  together  with  valuation,  are 
given  in  Table  II.,  page  291. 
The  crop  returns,  it  will  be  seen,  were  most  irregular,  for, 
while  on  some  plots,  the  unmanured  for  instance,  the  result, 
2 bushels  per  acre,  was  the  ])ooi*est  that  has  ever  been  given, 
on  others,  such  as  the  farmyard  manure  (11b)  and  rape  dust 
(10b),  it  was  fair,  and  on  the  minerals  and  nitrate  of  soda 
(heavy  dressing)  (plot  9a),  it  was  comparatively  high,  viz.,  41*6 
bushels.  “ No  manui'e  ” and  “minerals  alone”  both  gave  from 
1 to  2 bushels,  whereas  the  very  same  land  had  in  the  year 
before  yielded  25  to  30  bushels.  Farmyard  manure  was 
slightly  inferior  to  rape  dust,  but  both  crops  were  below  the 
average.  Nitrate  of  soda  used  alone  produced  but  10  bushels, 
and  there  are  indications  in  this  of  the  yield  falling  off  just  as 
it  did  previously  with  ammonia  salts  ; when  aided  by  mineral 
