The  Woburn  Field  Experiments , 1910. 
335 
however,  had  given,  in  1908,  10^  bushels  more  of  barley 
than  the  ground  lime,  so  that  there  still  remains  a balance 
in  favour  of  the  lump  lime.  Swedes  will  be  grown  in  1911. 
The  corn  was  valued  at  the  same  figure — 32s.  per  quarter — on 
all  three  plots  ; it  being  reckoned  quite  up  to  average,  and 
possessing  both  “ strength  ” and  good  colour. 
Experiments  with  Nitrogenous  Top-dressings,  1910. 
(a)  Experiment  on  Oats. 
Wheat,  barley,  mangolds,  and  potatoes  having  been  the 
subject  of  experiment  in  previous  years,  it  was  decided  to  try, 
in  1910,  the  effect  of  different  top-dressings  on  oats. 
The  previous  crop  was  barley  ; consequently,  in  considering 
the  produce  of  oats  in  1910,  it  must  be  borne  in  mind  that  this 
was  the  second  white  crop,  and  on  light  land.  After  the 
ploughing  of  the  barley  stubble  in  September,  1909,  stubble 
turnips  were  drilled,  and  sheep  put  on  during  December  and 
January  to  fold  them  off.  The  land  was  cultivated  in  February, 
1910,  and,  on  March  4 and  5,  “ Black  Tartar  ” oats  were  drilled, 
3 cwt.  per  acre  of  mineral  superphosphate  being  given  to  the 
land  ten  days  later.  Clover  seed  was  drilled  between  the  oats 
on  May  21,  and  the  different  nitrogenous  top-dressings  applied 
to  the  oats  the  samfe  day.  The  oats,  for  a second  white  crop, 
looked  very  fair,  though  short  in  the  straw.  The  only  top- 
dressing that  appeared  to  injure  the  crop  at  all  was  the 
calcium  cyanamide  ; this  scorched  the  flag  of  the  oats  somewhat 
at  first,  but  the  plant  soon  recovered.  The  plot  that  had  no 
top-dressing  looked  much  behind  all  the  others,  of  which  that 
top-dressed  with  nitrate  of  soda  was  probably  the  most  advanced. 
The  quantities  applied  were  regulated  on  the  basis  of  the  nitrogen 
contained  in  1 cwt.  per  acre  of  sulphate  of  ammonia,  the  same 
amount  of  nitrogen  (as  determined  by  analysis  of  the  top- 
dressings)  being  applied  in  each  case.  Inasmuch  as  the  present 
market  prices  of  calcium  cyanamide  and  calcium  nitrate  are 
regulated  by  those  ruling  for  sulphate  of  ammonia  and  nitrate 
of  soda,  this  would  practically  mean  an  equal  money  value  in 
the  case  of  each  plot. 
The  oats  were  cut  on  August  16-17  and  carted  Sep- 
tember 2-3.  The  results  obtained  on  threshing  are  given  in 
Table  X.,  page  336. 
The  highest  produce,  it  will  be  seen,  was  obtained  from 
calcium  cyanamide,  this  being  1 bushel  in  advance  of  that  from 
nitrate  of  soda,  and  3 bushels  more  than  from  nitrate  of  lime 
and  from  sulphate  of  ammonia.  All  the  dressed  plots  exceeded 
in  produce  the  untreated  plot,  as  was  apparent  during  the  time 
of  growth.  In  regard  to  quality,  the  differences  were  not 
very  marked,  the  oats  generally  being  nearly  average  samples, 
