EXPERIMENTS WITH LUCERNE. 485 


ERADICATION OF CHARLOCK BY SPRAYING WITH NITRATE 
OF SODA. 
During the past two or three years much interest has been 
aroused Ly the many trials that have beeu made on the 
eradication of charlock by the application of certain sub- 
stances in the form of a fine spray. While instances of par- 
tial or complete failure are from time to time recorded, there 
can be no question that the bulk of the evidence is entirely 
favourable to the process. So far, the substances that have 
been used in this country are, almost exclusively, the sul- 
phates of copper and iron; but in France, where the idea 
originated, experiments have during the past two seasons 
been made with various other substances, and notably with 
nitrate of soda. The results attending the use of this sub- 
_ stance are said to be very satisfactory, so far as the destruc- 
tion of charlock is concerned ; while the advantage of 
employing an agent that can both kill weeds and fertilise 
the crop is at once apparent. The dressing that is said to 
‘be most successful in France consists of a 20 per cent. 
solution, applied at the rate of 100 gallons per acre. This 
means the use of 200 lbs. of nitrate of soda per acre, which 
is a large amount when compared with 16 lbs. of copper 
sulphate dissolved in forty gallons of water—the standard 
dressing at present in use. If, however, spraying is under- 
taken sufficiently early, one may expect to be repaid in the 
manurial return yielded by the nitrate, and if to this is added 
the gain derivable from the destruction of charlock, the 
results of the process may be quite satisfactory. For the 
present, however, it would be well to rest satisfied with 
giving this new method an experimental trial, using various 
strengths of solution and various quantities per acre. 

EXPERIMENTS WITH LUCERNE. 
The Agricultural College and Experimental Farm of the 
Ontario Department of Agricuiture have lately carried out a 
study of the composition and digestibility of lucerne as 
