The  Woburn  Field  Experiments , 1910.  323 
The  usual  preparation  of  the  land  being  concluded, 
farmyard  manure  (made  in  the  spring  by  bullocks  in  the 
feeding-boxes)  was  ploughed  in  on  plot  lib  on  October  15, 
1909.  The  actual  weight  per  acre  used,  in  order  to  give 
100  lb.  ammonia  per  acre,  was  6 tons  3 cwt.  1 qr.  12  lb.  Lime 
was  applied  to  plot  2aa  on  October  30.  On  November  9,  9 
pecks  per  acre  of  “ Square  Head’s  Master  ” wheat  were  drilled, 
the  seed  having  been  obtained  locally.  At  the  same  time, 
mineral  manures  were  applied  to  plots  4,  5,  6,  8,  9,  and  10a, 
The  weather  was  cold  and  wet  to  the  time  of  sowing,  and  the 
wheat  took  a long  time  to  germinate.  It  did  not  appear  above 
ground  till  Christmas  Day,  and  even  on  January  5,  1910,  it 
was  not  visible  on  plots  2a,  5a,  8a,  and  8b.  Frost  and  snow 
followed — January  21-28 — and  the  plant  looked  by  no  means 
strong.  Rape  dust  was  applied  to  plot  10b  on  March  24,  as 
also  sulphate  of  potash  to  plot  11a.  The  first  half-dressings 
of  sulphate  of  ammonia  and  nitrate  of  soda  were  given  on 
April  27,  and  the  remainder  on  May  7.  The  wheat  “bloomed” 
by  June  28,  and  the  crops  looked  very  well,  in  particular  the 
nitrate  of  soda  plots.  On  the  other  hand,  the  farmyard  manure 
plot  (lib)  was  distinctly  below  the  average  and  inferior  to  the 
rape  dust  plot  (10b).  The  most  striking  features  were  the 
continued  benefit  from  the  2 tons  of  lime  per  acre  put  on 
plot  2b  no  less  than  thirteen  years  previously,  and  the  obtaining 
of  a small  crop  on  2aa  (previously  bare)  consequent  on  the 
repetition  of  lime,  5 cwt.  per  acre.  Another  remarkable  feature 
was  the  strong  growth  on  plot  4 (mineral  manures  only)  of 
coltsfoot.  What  should  occasion  this  is  unknown,  for  the 
adjoining  plot  (5a),  though  only  separated  by  a pathway  a few 
feet  wide,  was  practically  free  from  coltsfoot.  As  the  treat- 
ment of  the  different  plots  has  gone  on,  there  have  been  many 
peculiarities  noticed  with  regard  to  the  prevalence  of  certain 
weeds  on  certain  plots,  and  this  matter  was  made,  in  1910,  the 
subject  of  special  study  by  Miss  Brenchley,  of  the  Rothamsted 
Agricultural  Station,  who  visited  Woburn  for  this  purpose. 
The  cutting  of  the  plots  commenced  on  August  25,  the 
crops  were  carted  and  stacked  by  September  5,  and  threshed 
on  October  27.  The  harvest  results  are  given  in  Table  I., 
page  324. 
The  yields  generally  were  well  up  to  the  average  of  the  ten 
years,  1897-1906.  The  unmanured  plots  gave  14T  bushels 
per  acre ; mineral  manures  alone  rather  less,  viz.,  12'6  bushels ; 
the  produce  from  farmyard  manure  was  disappointing,  viz., 
18T  bushels  only,  but  rape  dust  gave  25T  bushels.  The 
highest  yield  was  27‘8  bushels,  from  plot  9b  (minerals,  with 
nitrate  of  soda),  the  same  minerals,  with  sulphate  of  ammonia, 
after  application  of  lime,  giving  24T  bushels.  While  plot  2a 
X 2 
