UC-NRLF $B 3M MET Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2007 with funding from IVIicrosoft Corporation http://www.archive.org/details/fertilizingfieldOOkricrich Fertilizing Field and Garden. . . BY , . F. E. H. W. KRICHAUFF, J.P., Cof. Mem. R.H.S., Chairman of Central Agricultural Bureau of South Australia. PRINTED BY VARDON AND PRITOHARD, GRESHAM STREET. 1901. '^k^^. Fertilizing Field ana 6arden. . . BY . . F. E. H. W. KRICHAUFF, J.P., Cor. Memb. R.H.S., Chairman of Central Agricultural Bureau of South Australia. ildelaide : PRINTED BY VARDON AND PRITCHARD, ORESHAM STREET. 1901. s^.^ la iDsriDEx:. •AGE. Application of Fertilizers ... ... ... ... 94 Asparagus ... ... ... ... ... 89 Barley ... ... ... ... 3'^' Beans .. ... ... ... ... ... 89- Beet Roots ... ... ... ... ... 89 Bokhara Clover ... ... ... ... ... 50 Broad Beans ... ... ... ... ... 77 Cabbages ... ... ... ... ... 89 Cauliflowers ... ... ... ... ... 90 Carrots ... ... ... ... ... 90' Clover ... ... ... .. ... 49' Cucumbers ... ... ... ... ... 90' Dhurra ... ... ... ... ... 61 French Beans ... ... ... ... ... 89- Fruit Trees ... ... ... ... ... 79- General Remarks on Growing Cereals ... ... ... 13 Grapes ... .. ... ... ... 92' Guiding Lines for Manuring ... ... ... ... T Hay ... ... ... ... ... ... 40- Hops ... ... ... ... ... ... 78 Kale ... ... .. ... ... 62.' Kohlrabi ... ... ... ... ... 91 Lemons ... ... ... ... ... 84- Lettuce ... ... ... ... „. 91 Lucerne ... ... ... ... ... 5T Maize ... ... ... ... ... .. 36 Mangel Wurzel ... ... ... . . ... 35- Melons ... ... ... ... ... 91 Millets .. ... ... ... ... 62 Mustard ... ... ... ... 51 Oats ... ... ... ... ... .. 28. Onions .. ... ... ... ... 91 Oranges ... ... ... ... ... 85- Orchard ... ... ... ... .. 78: Parsnip ... ... ... ... ... 91 Pasture ... ... ... ... 40- Peas ... ... ... ... ... ... 74 Potatoes ... ... ... ... ... 62 Pumpkins ... ... ... ... 92 Rape ... ... ... ... ... 5\\ Raspberries ... ... ... ... ... 93; Rhubarb ... ... ... ... ... 91 Sorghum ... ... ... ... ... 6* Spinach ... ... ... ... ... 92- Strawbeiries ... ... ... ... ... 93 Tobacco ... ,,, ... ... ... 78. Tomatoes ... ... ... ... ... 93. Turnips ... ... ... ... 52, 9-2: Vines... ... ... ... ... ... 92: Wheat .. ... ... ... ... ... 14 271213 * m PREFACE. The My lor Bra neb asked the Central Agricultural Bureau of S.A. in September, 1895, to have a list prepared showing the Com- mercial fertilisers in general use ; ine different cereals, fodder crops, vegetables, and fruit trees to which each can be judiciously and economically applied; those manures which can be mixed with advantage, and especially those which should not be mixed together, and in March, 1896, a similar motion passed at Stockport Branch. The last part is answered thus. Do not apply at the same time, or unless some weeks intervene, superphosphate with ^Thomas phosphate, lime, or nitrate of soda. In this respect an interesting experiment was made at the County Council farm m Lancashire in 1899. IJ cwt. of nitrate of soda gave an increase of 11 cwt. of hay over unmanured plots. With 132 lbs. sulphate of ammonia (an equivalent to Ij cwt. of nitrate of soda) the increase over un manured plots wag 7 J cwt. Where, on other plots, 2 cwt. of superphosphate was added to the 132 lb. of sulphate of ammonia, 11^ cwt. of hay were cut, but where 2 cwt. superphosphate were added to IJ cwt. of nitrate of soda, the superphosphate became insoluble, and no more was harvested than with nitrate of soda alone. If 2 cwt. of Thomas phosphate had been used with IJ cwt. of nitrate of soda, the result would, in accordance with many other experiments, have been a pretty large increase. Do not apply Thomas phosphate with superphosphate or sulphate of ammonia. Lists of the fertilisers appear in the reports of the Inspector of Fertilisers, but what to apply, and the payable quantity to different plants here cultivated, I have attempted to answer herein. I give on page 6 a price-list of manures and present prices of cereals, &c., to enable farmers to see in what case it pays to use fertilisers. What pays in France or Germany with lower prices for most fertilisers, and frequently higher prices for produce may not pay here. I have collected the more important results which members of the Branches of ti 3 Bureau have published since its establishment in 1888, thus showing what have been the cultivated plants in certain districts grown either successfully or not, and also results from using fer- tilisers m other parts of Australia, Europe, and America. For, as was said in the "I^ew England Farmer,'' : ''The science of Agri- culture is, in a great degree, founded on experience. It is, there- fore, of consequence that every farmer should know what has been done, and what is doing, by others engaged in the same occupation.'^ In this way I think you can only get into the current of thoughts and facts, and observations obtain only their real value, if they become common property through being published. I have added to the results recorded by our Branches, the rainfall in brackets, which in ever so many cases explains why a crop was poor although manured, for moistuie in the soil is the most important factor in the growth of crops, and no amount of manuring and good cultiva- tion can make up for the want of it. Some manures, however, like bone meal ard Thomas phosphate, do very frequently show better results in our dry climate in the second, and even later yesLTQ, especially where the crops to which they were applied are sh'ortlived, unless buried some time before the seed is sown. Witli ■kainit this is absolutely necessary in any case. And is it ^not an advantage to have your hands freed from the necessity to imanure at the time you have to put in your crop ? While I am giving prominence to commercial manures, as they 'only are obtainable in sufficient quantities, I do not by any means ^wish farmers and gardeners to neglect stable dung, green manuring, liming, and marling, or other fertilisers, such as human excreta, Wood, flesh, fish, vegetable refuse, seaweed, soot, ashes, &c., if these can be had at low rates, and yet answer their purpose. They are very good alternatives to prevent — as Professor Gerard, of Lyons, says — the soil from getting hard, and more or less impermeable from using some potassic and other commercial fertilisers. F. E. H. W. KRICHAUFF. Norwood, March, 1901. The following prices have ruled for cereals at Port Adelaide ^ter harvest in 1900-1, and in the other States the difference was cnot material : Wheat, 2/7 to 2/9. Barley, for malting, 3/3 to 3/8 ; Cape, 2/3. Oats, dun or Algerian, 1/8 to 1/11 ; white, 2/ to 2/8. Hay, 25/ to 35/. Inland prices are lower the more distant from a shipping port. Manures have been sold at Adelaide, to which must be added >cost of cartage to farms : Kainit, 4/6 per cwt. Nitrate of soda, 12/ per cwt. Thomas phosphate, 4/6 per cwt. Muriate of potash, 15/ per cwt. Sulphate of potash, 18/ per cwt. Superphosphate, 6/ per cwt. Bonedust, £5/15/ per ton, on trucks Port Adelaide. Mineral superphosphate, 36-38 per cent., 87/6 per ton, on trucks Port Adelaide. Bonemeal, 11/ to 12/6 per cwt. Guano superphosphate, £4 per ton, on trucks Port Adelaide. Kangaroo guano, about £3 per ton, on trucks Port Adelaide. Peruvian guano, £12 per ton, on trucks Port Adelaide (Ohlen- 'dorff's dissolved). Thomas phosphate, 67/6 per ton, on trucks Port Adelaide. Nitrate of soda, £10/10/ per ton. on trucks Port Adelaide. Sulphate of ammonia, £13/10/ per ton, on trucks Port Adelaide. Kainit, £4 per ton, on trucks Port Adelaide. Sulphate of potash, £14/5/ per ton, on trucl^s Port Adelaide. Muriate of potash, £13/15/ per ton, on tmcks Port Adelaide- Blood manure, £8 to £9 per ton, on trucks Port Adelaide. f eptillzing field and GaFden. SOME GUIDING LINES FOR MANURING. "Theory has during the last decennia , acted as pioneer to prac«- tice, and by degrees the distrust has been somewhat less against innovations. Not that every proposal, invention, or manure should be swallowed without due enquiry and critical reflection; but the prejudices of our old practical farmers against everything new must be more and more wiped away as a reciprocity betweeni theory and practice is absolutely necessary to rational progress.'^ This I found amongst notes, which I am in the habit of makings whethej- copied, or my own, I cannot say. It is, however, an undertaking to successfully teach even the most intelligent the complex and wonderful phenomena which our greatest scientists have laid bare, but I hope this treatise may lead' to personal investigation and independent experiments. With these our young, and many more of the old, farmers may become convinced that their old ways can be superseded by something better. Should afterwards anything hereafter stated prove to be in- correct, do not blame me too much. With the best intentions, it is impossible to know everything, or to foresee all contingencies. We have all to le'am, and you will at least acknowledge that my principal object, to stimulate thought, can to some extent be attained. Professor Maercker's remarks on mixing of commercial manures may find here a place, as not quite, agreeing in what I shortly stated in the preface : "You may mix nitrate of soda with potash salts, superphosphate, Thomas phosphate, and no Warm will be done. Sulphate of ammonia and guano you may mix with potash salts and superphosphate, but never with Thomas phosphate, for that is alkaline, and the lime in it does not combine harmoniously with ammonia ; it drives it off. Superphosphate and Thomas phos- phate must not be mixed, because the lime in the Hatter renders the soluble phosphoric acid in the superphosphate insoluble. The mass becomes heated, insoluble! phosphoric acid is formed, and thereby the plants will be deprived of just that which should have been supplied to them in the superphosphate for their first growth. Thomas phosphate may be mixed with potash salts without any chemical change taking place ; but lime, silicic acid, and alkalie* form cement. In the Thomas phosphate' you have lime and silicie acid ; alkalies you have in potash salts. By mixing them a kind of cement is formed, which after eight or ten hours becomes hard. i- ..^ ■> o «>, having, indeed, the saiiieconstituernts, but it is difficult to broad- cast, and only enough should be mixed for the day's requirements." We have suincient proof that we need not fear to apply certain substances to the soil in almost any quantity. These contain plant food, but not altogether in a form at once soluble. Time is required for a large portion to be absorbed first by the soil and they are frequently utilised only by a subsequent crop. Such manurial substances are : Blood manure, green manure, tankage, &c., and perhaps farmyard dung, not quite fresh, or not applied direct to cereals. It is different with many commercial fertilisers, such as potash salts, superphosphate, sulphate of ammonia, and nitrate of soda. These act more or less quickly, and seem to require more frequent applications than others, such as Thomas phosphate and bonemeal, which it is known are stored up^in the soil, and not at once dissolved. They (Thomas phospate and bonemeal) suffer no deterioration in the soil and remain always active, a reliable and profitable investment. It is also quite certain that excessive quan- tities of the first-named chemical fertilisers not only do not increase the crop sufficiently to make it a paying crop; it is actually observed that at times the crop is greater where smaller quantities had been applied (see farther on). Professor Maercker states as a fact that the percentage of sugar in beets is lower if you use an excess of nitrogen. Again, if the entire dressing of nitrate of soda is applied at one time we have to reckon with formidable enemies to plant nutriment in the form of bacilli that live on nitrates, which they decompose into the form of gaseous nitrogen. If nitrate of soda is applied to a green crop it must be quite dry, or the leaves will be injured. Where the soil is either too wet or too dry you cannot expect maximum crops; in fact, in extreme cases the fertilisers will not act at all, or easily soluble salts may, with little moisture in the soil, act injuriously. Then, again, in ever so many cases manures are applied at the wrong time, or not sufficient time has been allowed for slower-acting manures, or too great quantities of highly concentrated fertilisers come into close contact with the seeds and roots. Yet the pickling of wheat with superphosphate in a tube — when a few pounds will stick to the seed — does not seem to be sufficient to do any harm nor much good either. The more soluble the smaller should be the quanti- ties used in dri/ districts with the drill. Broadcasting is a different thing, and my own leaning, supported by a few intelligent farmers, is to broadcast larger quantities of fertilisers, and more so in dry dis- tricts. I base my opinion on the following : Fertilisers broadcasted do not force on the young plants at first like those where the manure is drilled in with the seed. Afterwards when the roots spread the manure- drilled plants do not find so much plant food to sustain them away from the drill, and this is important at the time of flowerino: and the formation of the grain. Mr. A. H. Ward, of Boston, U.S., says that the germinating seeds and the plants exert and keep up an elec- trir action to obtain plant food ; but to what distances is at least undetermined as yet. I believe more in contact ; a transfer of remote rflubstances to the roots seems to me unlikely, although the roots -search for food and grow towards it. Most farmers find it, however, necessary to force crops by drilling them with manure, causing for the time too luxurious consumption of plantrfood against later needs, and why ? They say the weeds have in that case no chance ! But surely the seeds of weeds should be made to grow before, and the seed-bed fairly free from these robbers. The question how much of the different manures should be used per acre is a matter that can only be ansAvered subsequently under the headings of the different cultivated plants. It depends also on the soil and whether in good heart or not. In default of an analysis, which may still be misleading as regards the at once soluble con- stituents, a knowledge of the general physical qualities of soils is useful. A limy soil is generally rich in phosphoric acid and poor in potash ; with clay it is probably the reverse. Sandy soils re- -quire nearly always all three pliant foods in a larger or lesser degree. Where the soil contains much potash it is desirable to use gypsum to make it fit for absorption by the plants. But I may say here that much as regards phosphatic manures, which are undoubtedly needed in large quan- tities, that the preference generally given to superphosphates over other phosphatic manures is more the natural consequence of being best and longer known. Others, if applied at the proper time and to certain soils, have proved to be as good, cheaper, and more lasting. Dr. Bernard Dyer, F.C.S.. F.L.S., in his 160th thou- sand of "Some Points in ArtiJ&cial Manuring," says: "Is it better to use raw or undissolved phosTDhatic manures, such as bones, phosr phatic Peruvian guano, and Thomas phosphate 1 Or is it better to use acid manures, like dissolved bones and superphosphate? This is a question which for some years has occupied a great deal of atten- tion, and has been the subject of a great mlany experiments. At one time it was generally supposed both by farmers and agricultural chemists that dissolved manures, like superphosphates, were invari- able^ to be preferred. Of late years, however, both here and abroad — especially abroad — ^it has been recognised thiat on some soils and for some purposes raw or undissolved phosphatic manure« answer quite as well. Indeed, careful comparative experiments, of which I have myself conducted some, have shown that sometimes undissolved, or non-acid, manures give better results. How, then, are we to decide in any given case ? Speaking broadly, and with some reservations, I would lay down the rule that for all crops, when the soil possesses a fairly abundant quantity of lime, superphos- phate, or some similar dissolved manure, is probably the most econo- mical and efficacious, while on soils decidedly deficient in lime I would recommend bonemeal, raw phosphatic guano, or Thomas phos- phate. This last fertiliser is not a new nostrum of which you need be suspicious. In 1894 already 59,500 tons were used in England and Scotland, against 4,500 tons in 1887. On light Norfolk soils potash has shown to produce marvellous results on root crops, grain 1? much, common salt, except it is the "new kainit of 40 per cent^ potash ' now produced at Stassfuii) (which is not exported to AuSr- tralia), or else muriate or sulphate of potash, 8 lb. of muriate being equal to 10 lb. of the 40 per cent, new kali. Nitrogenous manures,, as nitrate of soda and sulphate of ammonia, aie also applied to Ger- man soil in surprisingly large quantities. It is, perhaps, not always quite understood why nitrate of soda acts so quickly. It contains as nitrogen, nitric acid, which represents, ready-made, the form which nitrogenous materials must assume before plants can make use of them as plant food. Other, nitrogenous manures luust first imdergo a change, and cannot act with such rapidity. 976,592 bags of nitrat©^ of soda were delivered in 1899 into Atlantic ports of the United States, mostly from the West Coast of South America. England, France, Belgium, Holland, and the United States use enormous^ quantities of commercial manures of all kinds, and for all crops. South Australia has lately imported much larger quantities, which will be mainly used for cereal crops; but mistakes are frequently" made. The proper balance between the application of the three iiiain plant foods not being kept, the result is certain to be dis- appointing after any of the constituents naturally stored in the soil have been used up. Larger returns from well-directed manuring, but smaller areas, is the advice that I hope will be followed shortly, and that the net income will be all the larger. Every acre not used for giain-growing is a clear gain for your cattle. Whether it pays to purchase commercial manures is the ques- tion often raised, and it is a reasonable question. Another question is whether the use of commercial manures does not eventually ex- haust the soil. It should not be asked by persons who admit that these manures are plant food, not merely stimulants, which do abstract the plant food from insoluble compounds they find in the goil, unless you give only one manure, not nitrogenous, potassic, and phosphatic manures together in such quantities as the soil requires. But to manure conscious of what you are aiming at is up to the present in Australia only an exception. We must seek the infor- mation elsewhere, with a few facts from our best farmers; and, as- notljing convinces more than ocular demonstration, where the en- quirer cannot himself see the results of experiments, I have found it useful to reproduce photographs with them. In Germany the number of leaflets dealing with special cultures is very great, and they, together with personal visits to the thousands of farms using com- mercial manures in an intelligent manner, and in ever-increasing quaiitities, have resulted in the conviction of thousands upon thou- sands of farmers and gardeners, that they cannot any longer dispense with their use if they hope to get payable crops. From the foregoing it must become apparent that most of our farmers have yet much to learli. Experience is good ; experi- ments are better. The former may be obtained at great mistakes and losses; the latter can be carried out at a trifling cost; and br them you may lay the foundation to know how to improve your fann or Ej-arden, and of future wealth. A few turns of the drill with one 13 :fertiliser, a few turn^ without one, then again with a larger quantity of the fertiliser, and in turn in the same manner with the ether fertilisers, and finally with two mixed you will quickly and cheaply learn what your soil wants. Maximum crops at the smallest cost ■only pay to-day, and rational application of manures is, therefore, imperative, and gives us the onl}'- chance of contending rwith low prices. Many farmers having had good crops with phosphatic manures say they require no other, but i they should consider that nitrogen and potash has been drawn from the soil, and it stands to reason that sooner or later the soluble supply of these plant- foods must give out, and the crops got poor again. The remarks made by Messrs. Proebsting and Arnold in ^'TEpuisement en Potasse Sols Beiges" for 1901 will before long loe here quite worthy of consideration, that the constantly increasing use of phosphoric acid become^s there already in a good measure un- productive through want of potash. The loss through the ineffi- cient use of potash represents for Belgium already fantastic sums, for nitrogen and phosphoric acid alone are exhausting the soil of potash, and impoverish the cultivated land yearly by a net deficit of 77,366,000 lb. of potash, after allowing for the potash in farmyard ■dung, urine, and last year's quantity of potassic manures used by Belgian farmers. GENERAL REMARKS ON GROWING CEREALS. It is doubtless correct that in our more arid portions of the North, the subsoil is of more importance than the mostly shallow worked surface soil. Unless you can irrigate you must fallow early, and utilise the winter rains by making the subsoil your reservoir ior the next crop. But to retain the benefit of the moisture thui stored in the subsoil, you must mulch the surface as well as if you had irrigated, that is, have a layer of loose, well-tilled soil, three inches deep, for cereals, which will prevent too rapid evaporation to a ereat extent. The fact that weeds make their appearance on fallow long after all rain has ceased, while lands not stirred and ■sun-cracked are quite bare, shows that moisture has been conserved and is raised to the loose, tilled surface. But, of course, very shal- low ploughing, especially in clay loams, year after year, may form a plcughsole, that prevents the roots from penetrating deeper, they are, in that case, subject to the injurious effect of the liot, dry surface-soil and air. I do not think that by going gradually a little deeper, the surface soil will be poisoned for the next season's •-crop very often by 'raw" subsoil, and a somewhat deeper mould, having been exposed to our powerful solar heat, is of very great advantage. According to experiments made in California with a similar climate by Professors Hilgard and Lougfhridge. the difference of moisture kept in cultivated and uncultivated land up to 6 ft. depth is 244 tons per acre; but even the first foot is 42 tons in favor of cultivated ground. The hygroscopic moisture absorbed from the atmosphere varies according to the texture of the soil. In «andy soils there is usually found 2 to 3 per cent, present ; in loamy, 14 4 to 5 y^er cent. ; and in heavy clays, from 8 to 10 per cent. Mr. W. Lehmann, of Murray Bridge (13.90 in.) read a very good paper on "How to Grow Good Crops with Commercial Fertilisers in Dry Dis- tricts (from 12 to 14 in.)" He also recommends early fallow to a depth of 4 to 7 in., and, whereas sandy soils grow the finest crop* of wheat with artificial manures, he maintains that we should pre- pare all soils to closely resemble sandy soils by fallowing about 5 in. deep and subsoiling another 7 in., where such can be done fairly easily, and thus consei*ve more moisture. Mr. Jos. CoiTell, of Minla- ton (Y.P.), in his very practical paper read at the Congress of 1898, has come to the same conclusion after he had subsoiled some land. Mr. Lehmann also suggests to give to the subsoil a certain quantity of slow-acting manure, as Thomas phosphate, guano, guano super, or bonedust. To drill in commercial manures to a depth of 2 to 4 in. gives the grain for a time a luxuriant growth, which cannot after- wards be maintained in all cases unless fed from the subsoil. Professor Dr. P. Wagner states that generally cereals require manures containing all three plant foods, only that barley and rye require less nitrogen than oats and wheat. As normal doses (for Germany), within which you may select them for cereals, in accord- ance with the state of the soil, he recommends per acre : Nitrogen. Phosphoric Acid. Potash. Low manuring ... 12 lbs. 24 lbs. 24 Ibsi. Medium ... 20 lbs. 40 lbs. 40 lbs. High 48 lbs. 64 lbs. 80 lbs. 12 lb. of nitrogen are found in about 75 lb. of nitrate of soda» or in a little less of sulphate of ammonia ; 24 lb. of phosphoric acid in about 130 lb. of Thomas phosphate, or in somewhat less super- phosphate ; 24 lb. of potash in 180 lb. of kainit, or in about 40 lb. of muriate or sulphate of potash. These will be found large quantities for South Australia, if it comes to high manuring ; but it must not be forgotten that Thomas phosphate, which Wagner had in view, has, as well as all the potash manures, a large residual value. Dr. Aitken concluded from expe- riments made by him from 1887 to 1893 that sulphate of potash had a tangible residual value for five years and muriate of potash for four years. The quantity applied to a cereal crop may, therefore, be larger than required, but is available for future vears. Our clay soils generally do not seem to require any manuring with potash as^ yet, but it is quite different with sandy soils. WHEAT. A few words on the tillage of wheat from a lecture by Pro- fessor Maercker may be useful, especially for exposed positions : ''For wheat the land should not be too finely pulverised ; it prefers a certain quantity of clods in the soil, which keeps off the wind, which often plays mischief in the spring during long, anxious periods of drought, when the young plants find shelter in the clods." He also said : ''A dressing of nitrate of soda for wheat is absolutely necessary, except after lucerne broken up, or another leguminous, that 15 is, a nitrogen-gathering crop. After a nitrogen-consuming crop^ on the other hand, an intensive and reasonable full application of mitrate of soda is remunerative. One hundredweight of it, applied in two doses, early, and when beginning to form stems, will produce 0 to 4 cwt. more of wheat and the corresponding straw. Fine loam and clay soils, rich in humus, contain naturally so large an admix- ture of potash, and in so soluble a condition that in their case manuring with potash would be useless. On lighter soils the case is altogether different. We are not overdoing sandy soils if we •dress them with 12 to 18 cwt. of kainit per acre; but manuring with kainit has very unpleasant collateral effects, as it promotes clods in the soil and incrustation." Other potash salts are, there- fore, preferable. Fannyard dung should not be used in a fresh state at ^11 events. In Europe the risk of using it — and especially where rusty straw has been used, has long been recognised. There, it is thought, that the combination of acids contained in commercial manures contributes to the destruction of the resting spores of the Tust fungus, and tend to weaken, or even destroy, the rust altogether. The fresh dung is also likely to produce rank, soft straw, which seems much more inclined to propagate rust. But if farmyard dung is used to a previous crop, then with the assistance of commercial manures, good crops can be obtained in South Australia, in some districts with a better rainfall, even splendid crops. The late Professor Frank expresses the opinion that, while nitrate of soda may be favorable to the development of rust, Thomas phosphate has dis- tinctly the contrary effect. Kainit and other potash salts are also named by others as protecting wheat against rust and other diseases. Frank also mentions the ''Eppstein" wheat, according to all farmers^ as the wheat which best resists rust. (I forwarded a sample of it to Professor Lowrie, Mr. Roediger, of Gawler River, and Mr. Jos. Cor- xellj of Minlaton, who think it too late a wheat.) As our wheat crops are by far the most important, and may oblige many farmers, impoverished by a cycle of dry seasons, to curtail the quantity of manures they might wish to purchase,iitismy first duty to ask them to make some experiments of a simple but practical nature. 1 do not favor analyses of soil as their guide. They are deceiving. Much of the plant food found by the analyst, and recorded, i» frequently not at once available; but the farmer himself should try on a small scale, of one-tenth of an acre, one plot with potash alone, one with a phosphatic manure alone, others with nitrogenous manures, such as sulphate of ammonia, nitrate of soda, and some ammoniacal Peruvian or other guanos. Dr. Lawes pronounces Peru- vian guano one of the best artificial manures for wheat, if 2 to 3 cwt. per acre are sown broadcast. And Voelker, agreeing with him, said that 2| cwt. per acre should increase the wheat crop by 12 bushels of grain and 8 cwt. of straw, provided the brand has a guaranteed analysis to contain from 14 to 16 per cent, of ammonia. If the per- centage is much less, sometimes only 6 per cent., such results cannot he obtained. Many guanos are only rich in phosphates. If the 16 fanner notices any increase in the crop of any plots over an un- manured plot it shows him that the soil is benefitted by such manure. In other piots he may combine the above two manures of potash and nitrogen and either of them with a phosphatic manure ; also give a complete manure of all the three plant foods. In thus ascertaining whether his soil is rich enough in one or other of the plant foods, he can afterwards save considerable sums. Unfortunately ovir farmers are either not 'inclined to make exact experiments, or the want of labor, or necessary hurry at harvest time makes it for them very difficult to carry them through. It will, in such cases, be at least an advantage if they let the drill make for them the experiments. After they have drilled in any grain and manure, they then let the drill run on without manure for some turn-abouts, and then resume maniu'ing with the same or other manure. In most cases they will: have thus an ocular demonstration of the value of the manure, which should be added to by separate reaping and thrashing of at least a small average sample in a bag. Meanwhile, it being hitherto almost taken for grant-ed that oui' arable soil in Australia reqviires for wheat only phosphoric acid, and before the farmer has convinced himself that nitrogenous, or potassic manures, or both, are required, he may as well manure for his main crop with phosphoric acid alone ; but try light, medium, and heavy dressings of the different phosphatic manures. The majority of our farmers give at present the preference to superphosphates, others to Thomas phosphates. As regards the latter it should not be for- gotten that, while it does not act so quickly, it does not merely benefit the first crop; no, many subsequent crops, frequently up to seven, unless you apply too small a quantity. In connection with the prominent part which phosphoric acid takes in the growth of plants, says Dr. Meyer : ''A large quantity of available phos- phoric acid quickens and strengthens the growth while young, andi: increases afterwards the whole green bulk of the plant, ripens any grain, seed, or fruit earlier, increases the value of fodder plants, and is the first condition to enable leguminous plants to collect nitro- gen from the atmosphere. Without a sufficient quantity of phos- phoric acid the proper development of the organs for the propaga- tion, especially also the pollen of the cereals, &c., is not conceivable." And Professors Wagner and Maercker hold similar opinions. The use of phosphatic manures has quickly increased in South Australia, and, although quite double last season's quantity has pro- bably been imported, there will be many farmers disappointed who have not given their orders very early. Fairly good results have also been recorded at different times in our "Journal of Agriculture," so long as we only compare them with the very poor crops grown upon unmanured land But in good seasons, such as we now hope for, larger returns should yet follow with larger doses of manure. We should not be content with present results, of which much has been^ made. They should all the more induce us to sow no crop without manure, and also to try the two hitherto neglected plant foods itt 17 conjunction with phosphoric acid. When even the poor white sand which I saw in the Hundred of Ramsay, Yorke's Peninsula, gave a fair crop of wheat with only 80 lb. of superphosphate per acre, as applied by Mr. C. Smith, what may we not expect? Plants cannot shift quarters to collect food that may be at even only a little dis- tance away, like animals ; so you must bring their food to them, and plenty of it, not merely an apology of a complete feeding. After saying so much on the use of phosphates, I wish tio at least call attention to some paragraphs from Dr. Benjamin H. Paxil, F.C.S. in his "Dictionary of Chemistry," that, in regard to cereals, nitrogen is generally the minimum constituent of a soil, and that, therefore, the removal of this element is the main cause of the exhaustion pro- duced by the exportation of these crops, and that the value of a nianiire can, other circumstances being equal, be determined by the amount of nitrogen it contains. A wheat crop, consisting of 25 bushels and 3,000 lb. of straw, contains 46 lb. of nitrogen, equivalent to 55.7 lb. of ammonia. The falling-off in fertility of wheat lields appears, therefore, to be mainly due to the abstraction of nitrogen. When dressed with an ammoniacal guano the^e soils should, and, I believe, do, yield again increased crops. The ammonia restores the equilibrium, rendering previous unavailable mineral constituents in the soil active. But Lawes and Gilbert also say that of n ineral constituents phosphoric acid (in the form of superphos- phate of lime) is by far the most effective manure; but, when this manure (or any other phosphatic manure) is used alone, the imme'- diately available nitrogen in the soil is rapidly exhausted. Really large crops can be obtained only when the soil contains, in addition to asii constituents or mineral salts, a due proportion of nitrogenous food. We must not in any case forget Baron von Liebig's "law of minimum," which means that if one of the nutritive substances, be it potash nitrogen, phosphoric acid, lime (to some extent also the less important salts as magnesium and others), are not present in sufficient quantities, the result, so far as a crop is concerned, will be almost the same as if all were deficient. To revive the productive power we must restore the equilibrium, and add as a special manure the substance which was not present in the soil. But, while we may supply the soil with all needed plant food, we are impotent even by adding fertilisers to counteract to any very marked degree unfavorable weather con- ditions— here mostly drought. This was in another place most clearly shown at the central and sub-stations ol the Ohio Experiment Station (TT.S.) durino; 1895 and 1896, when the wheat crop on the thin land suffered severely from winter killing, followed by sprin? drought, the average, notwithstanding fertilisers, being very low. while unfertilised blocks fell in 1895 to 3 bushels per acre, and for 1896 to 1 bushel. On the heavy clay the wheat was comDletelr des- troyed, with but little wheat even on that fertilised. The harvests of 1897, however, showed a handsome profit on the fertilisers in every case, except where nitrogen and potash were used singly, or with these two onlv. in combination. 18 Most remarkable was the continuous cultivation of wheat on the same land on the farm of the University at Columbus. The crop was also totally destroyed in 1896, but in 1897 the land, which had been sown with wheat for nine years in succession, without having received any fertiliser, yielded 39 bushels of wheat per acre. This shows how favorable a season 1897 was. The clay land at the Ohio Station reached also 40 and more bushels per acre. As regards the fertilisers used phosphoric acid has given more than twice as great a value of total increase as that obtained from either potash or nitro- gen and a 50 per cent, greater increase than that obtained ?rom potash and nitrogein combined, although. the phosphoric acid had been used in smaller quantity than either potash or nitrogen. Potash added to phos- phoric acid showed about an increase equal to the sum of that 'Obtained from the two used separately ; but the increase was much greater from phosphoric acid and nitrogen combined than that from these two used separately. With potash added to the last combination, ^^'c have a complete manure, and an aggregate increase more than t^.vo and a half times as great as that produced by the phosphoric acid used alone. Phosphoric acid, potash, and nitrogen, all thiee- produced the greatest increase of crop. The Director of the Ohio Station then states that for wheat the proportion of nitrogen may tjlosely approximate that of phosphoric acid, and he recommends slaughter-house tankage, although a less effective carrier of nitrogen than nitrate of soda. He thinks it the most economical source of nitrogen when due allowance is made for the phosphoric acid carried by the tankage. At all events, the large quantities of nitrate of soda (from 5 to 7 cwt.), used with either superphosphate or Thomas phosphate and muriate of potash, swallowed the whole of the good 'cr'^p. With tankage a good profit was made. Director Biihl, of Lorraine, had a similar result with nitrate •of soda, combined with either potassic or phosphatic manures, unless Le used all three fertilisers in the proportion of only 256 lb. of nitrate of soda, with 480 lb. of Thomas phosphate and 108 lb. of muriate •of potash, when his crop of wheat sold for £4/6/5, and the manure •costing £2/3/5 ; the profit was ,£2/3/ per acre. Professor Wagner also made a number of experiments with wheat ir pots containing 36 lb. of soil to verify results obtained in the fields •of the late lamented Schultz-Lupitz, and plates explain themselves sufficiently, viz., that wheat requires also potash, besides a full •supply of phosphoric acid and nitrogen. Experiments in Germany on a mild loam in good heart by Mr. Leesch, of Wolgast: 'Without manure 2o cwt.'grain, 84 cwt. straw per acre. With 3 cwt. kainit, ] 3 cwt. Thomas phosphate, 30-20 " " 42-20 " " " ^ cwt. nitrate of soda, ' Profit, £0 17 2. 8 cwt. lime, The nitrate was given on 15th May (here perhaps September) the others before winter. 19 Experiments made by Mr. Fastenra.th, in Alsace: Unmanured 8 80 cwt. grain, 27 cwt. straw per acre. 6 cwt. Thomas phosphate, 1 ,g ^ ,< ^g ^^ <, ^^ 1*3 cwt. muriate potash, J- Profit £*^ 9 4 3*2 cwt. nitrate of soda, J > -* • The nitrate increased the crop of straw. Experiments by Mr. Graefe, of the Agricultural Station at Saxe-Weimar in 1898: Unmanured 320 lbs. kainit 320 lbs. Thomas phosphate 320 lbs. Thomas phosphate 320 lbs. kainit .. 320 lbs. Thomas phosphate 320 lbs. kainit 156 lbs. nitrate of soda 156 lbs. nitrate of soda Grain. 960 1,651 1,651 Straw (in lbs.) 2,273 per acre. 2,889 " 2,851 " 2,016 3,081 f B 2,582 4,088 " 1,912 3,168 " Plate I. 20 Experiments by Mr. R. Freytag, of Roitz, per acre on second-class loam : Unmanured 9-60 cwt. grain, 28 -80 cwt. straw, 8 cwt. Thomas phosphate, ] 4 cwt. kainit, ^28*80 " ^' 52-40 " " 2 cwt. nitrate of soda, J Experiments by Mr. R. Freytag, Roitz, 1898. Photo. ^\^th acre, second-class loam (see Plate I.) : Manured per acre with : Result per acre : 8 cwt. Thomas phosphate ) 16.80 cwt. of wheat 4 cwt. kainit ... ... / 28.80 cwt. of straw 4 cwt. kainit ... 28.80 cwt. of wheat 2 cwt. nitrate of soda - 53.40 cwt. of straw 8 cwt. Thomas phosphate j \'^'}' '''Vii!, mil ii ii ;iJ^;:^) I H 'M*. pLATi. iJ 21 R. Freytag, of Roitz. — Standing wheat (see Plate II.) : Unmanured ... ... ... \ 91 60 cwt. of wheat 60 cwt. of straw 8 cwt. Thomas phosphate per acre 2 cwt. kainit ... ... " 2 cwt. nitrate of soda ... " 28.80 cwt. of wheat 92.80 cwt. of straw Plate III. Jacob Keller's experiments at ErnFthofen (Hesse). Photo, from J(jth of an acre. No manure. (See Plate III.) ^ ,^ f 1,216 lbs. of wheat Result per acre | ^,920 lbs. of straw Photo, from ^^^yth of an acre. Complete manuring per acre (See Plate III a.) 121 lbs. of muriate of potash 80 lbs. of superphosphate Result per acre 160 lbs. of nitrate of soda / 1,952 \ 5,072 1,952 lbs. of wheat 2 lbs. of straw Profit, £3 7s. 6d. 22 Plate IIIa. Straw. Grain. Profit. 29.2 cwt. 12.1 cwt. — 50.8 cwt. 19.2 cwt. £3/7/6 43.5 cwt. 13.8 cwt. £0/13/2 43.1 cwt. 16.2 cwt. £1/13/8 42.4 cwt. 19.6 cwt. £1/16/8 Mr. J. Keller, of Emsthofen, made on sandy loam experimente with winter wheat, in each case on three plots, using a complete manure of potash, phosphoric acid, and nitrate of soda, and also leaving out one of them, using only two manures together. All were given as a top-dressing on March 2. The average of each three plots was as follows, calculated at per acre (see plate III and IIIa.) : No manure ... Complete manure ... Manure without potash Manure without phosphoric acid Manure without nitrogen . . . The field had been heavily manured with stable dung the pre- vious year for potatoes, and contained quite sujSicient nitrogen to give 19 cwt. of grain per acre, whether the \ nitrate of soda was applied or not. Only straw was much less without nitrogenous manure. While phosphoric acid was much required, as can be seen, potash was much more so, the profit sinking, without potash, by £2/14/6 per acre. Professor H. Boiret recommends the usefulness of phosphoric acid to give the straw of cereals more rigidity, early ripening, and heavier grain. In a French essay received just now I find a most interesting plate, showing plants of "Golden Drop" wheat, how thefy appear without manure, with farm dung, without Thomas phosphate, without lime, without potash, without nitrogen, and with a com- 23 plete manure. It shows plainly you will obtain nothing from noth- ing, and without manure no payable harvest. The following results of manuring wheat with Thomas phosphate are also theirein men- tioned. M. Billiard, of Montiers, harvested without manure from -an acre 1,520 lb., and manured with 800 lb. of Thomas phosphate 5,560 lb., which represented a profit of about £5/12/ per acre. MM. Munier and Marsal, of Badonvillers, had only 496 lb. without manure and 1,472 lb. with 800 lb. of Thomas phosphate, netting £5/8/. M. J. Borey, of Trevey, had 1,240 lb. without manure and 4,960 with 800 lb. of Thomas phosphate, netting £5/4/. M. G. 'Cornec, of Trevoacoc, had 656 lb. without manure and 1.367 lb. with 344 lb. of Thomas phosphate. M. Riomet, of Villeneuve sur Fere, had from "Mars" wheat 688 lb. without fertilisers and 1,760 lb. with 360 ib. of Thomas phosphate. M. Lallio, of Foulun, had with dung -alone 616 lb., and with dung and Thomas phosphate 1,648 lb. M. Jacques, of Heillecourt, had, without fertilisers, 1,076 lb. ; with 480 db. an acre, 1,520 lb., and manured with 800 lb. of Thomas phosphate and 80 lb. nitrate of soda, 2,252 lb. ; and on adding to the latter 160 3b. of muriate of potash, 2,976 lb. A good formula for medium manuring for wheat in France would be per acre 8 cwt. of Thomas phosphate, 80 lb. of muriate of potash, and 80 lb. of niti'ate of soda. Mr. John Woolley, of Skimblecott Farm, Montgomeryshire, has produced the "Big Wheat Crop" of 77 bushels per acre in 1896. His farm consists of 346 acres, half of which he leaves in pasture. ITet he made liberal purchases of bonemeal and superphosphate years ago, and now uses annually from 40 to 60 tons of Thomas phosphate, -and says : "A good phosphatic heart is the foundation of all profit- able agriculture." I may here mention that probably the biggest return from one "bag of wheat was reaped in 1898 by Mr. Pfitzner on a river flat of the Murray, above Morgan (about 9.24 in.), without any fertiliser, viz., '90 bags. The land was never cropped before. This year he has -again, on a similar flat, as good a crop. In many parts of Tasmania one manuring is expected to last 'for tliree crops, viz., potatoes, wheat, and oats. Elsewhere the ifarmei' fallows, as at Spring Bay, Clarence, and Woodsdale, and is satisfied with 12 to 15 bushels per acre in a dry season like 1899-0. In Flowerdale they use 4 cwt. of bonedust or Thomas phosphate for potatoes and expect 20 bushels of wheat as the next crop ; in East IVIersey up to 26 bushels. H. Young had at Longford belst results, -viz.. 23 l)ushels, with 1 to l^ cwt. Sydney bonedust, or with Thomas iphosphate ; and G. Gill 22 bushels from IJ cwt. Huon guano. The average per acre for 1898-9 was 27 bushels; for 1899-0, 17.12 bushels, •on respectively 85,287 and 64,328 acres. Before recording some of the trials with fertilisers in South Australia, I give Professor Lowrie's recommendations, viz., generally phosphatic manures alone in lots of about 2 cwt. per acre of bonedust, Jhone or mineral superphosphate, Thomas phosphate, and phosphatic 24 guano. Where nitrogen is deficient from 1 J to 1| cwt. of superphosr phate. with |^ to | cwt. of sulphate of ammonia ; or 2 cwt. of Thomas phosphate, and I to I cwt. of nitrate of soda ; or 1 J to 2 cwt. of bonedust and either of the above quantities of siilpliate of ammonia or nitrate of soda should be used. Some land may require 2 tons per acre of quicklime, and light lands 3 cwt. of wood ashes or IJ cwt. of kainit. This year's crop of wheat up to 32 bushels of wheat with 19 in. of rain proves how correct Professor Lowrie has judged his soil. That heavier dressings of phosphates at all events gave better results, not only as regards crops, but also profits with a fair rainfall, is sufficiently shown by the experiments made at our Rosewort-hy College Farm, and by not a few farmers. Even with the high prices paid for such manures, to which the cost of cartage must be added, and witli the low price of wheat, 1 cwt. ofaphosphatic manure secured in 1899 against 6 bushels 21 lb. without manure ,14 bushels 48 lb., and a net profit of 16/9, and 2 cwt. gave 18 bushels 53 lb. and a net profit of £1/2/10 at Rose worthy. Profits, of course, would be less where the land is already in very good heartf as regards phosphates, and where perhaps nitrogen and potash is wanting and not supplied to utilise any extra quantity of phosphoric acid. In 1897 2 cwt. yielded at Roseworthy 22 bushels, and in 1900 30 bushels IG lb. The unmanured block produced 10 bushels 10 lb., and 1 cwt. produced only 3 bushels 14 lb. more. Against Professor Lowrie's opinion I will mention that of Mr. A. N. Pearson, the Victorian Chemist of Agriculture, who thinks that Mr. Telford's experiments, made at St. Arnaud, and another set at Jeparit, in dry districts of the State of Victoria, provei 20 lb. of concentrated superphosphate on one-twenty-fifth part of an acre to hs for those districts, as best paying for wheat, and that the dipping of grain in a tub containing superphosphate had also given favor- able results, although only a few pounds stuck to the grain. This latter plan, however, has certainly not found many followers. Dr. Howell, the Agricultural Expert for Victoria, himself con- vinced of the value of commercial manures, is now arranging again for hundreds of experiments in Victoria to show that phosphoric acid, and next to it, nitrogen, is wanted, which latter might be obtained from leguminous • crops. Experiments containing potash are. however, also to be made. The experiments made at the Clare Agricultural School gave on land not manured at the rate of 11.1 and 15 bushels per acre: with 120 lb. of each muriate of potash and nitrate of soda, 19 bushels : and with an addition of 400 lb. of Thomas phosphate, 26 bushels and 26 bushels 6 lb. ; 400 lb. of Thomas phosphate and 120 lb. of muriate of potash gave 20 bushels; and 400 lb. of Thomas phosphate and 120 lb. of nitrate of soda, 25 bushels 3 lb. (rainfall 24.30 in.). Some of the members of the Nantawarra (15^^ in.) Agricultural Bureau recorded interesting results for a dry year. Mr. Jas. Kell\r had at Mount Templeton on stiif clay .land, with 80 lb. English superphosphate, 11 bushels; with 90 lb. bonedust, 7 J bushels; with 25 60 lb. bonedust and 30 lb. English superphosphate, 12 bushels ; 35 lb: of King's Early Solid Straw wheat drilled with 100 lb. of Thomas phosphate, 17 J bushels; and he believed Thomas phosphate would pay for their he'avy soil. Mr. A. Robinson agreed that it gave better results on dry than on marly land. Mr. Ratten had from Purple Straw, with 112 lb. Kangaroo Island guano, 9 bushels; with 112 lb. colonial bonedust, also 9 bushels; with 75 lb. superphosphate per acre, 16 bushels. Others also recommended drilling with 100 lb. superphosphate, and Mr. Frost broadcasting apparently with 120 lb., although Mr. Nicholls found a crop manured with Thomas phosphate was far better than. one with English superphosphate. Both fields had been badly affected with take-all the last time they had been cropped. Mr. A. Jarrett, of Maitland (19.80 in.), Yorke Peninsula, had taken seven crops from his land before drilling in Thomas phos- phate, and reaped 24 and 28 bushels per acre. Mr. E. Kains, of Balaclava (15.94 in.), reported well on Thomas phosphate, much against his expectation on rubbishy limestone land, and also as regards after-effects. Mr. T. Corlett, of Yorketown (18.08) reported that a plot of wheat manured with Thomas phosphate yielded four times as much than an adjacent unmanured plot; and Mr. Domas- chenz had quite doubled his crop. Mr. A. Bairstow, of Narridy (16.78), applied 5 cwt. bonedust per acre, and tO' another field Thomas phosphate (how much ?), and reaped 3 bushels 20 lb. more than from the former. Mr. P. Anderson had no drill, and broadcasted in 1895 on 20 yards square 15 lb. of Thomas phosphate, which yielded double as much straw and four times as much wheat as the land alongside ; and in 1896 the patch showed very distinctly that the manure was not all taken out by the crop of 1895. Professor Lowrie also stated in a lecture at the eighth annual Congress that Thomas phosphate giving 3 to 4 bushels less than different superphosphates would no doubt show to advantage in the next crop. It was applied, however, also with profit to the crop then reaped, though the year was exceptionally dry, the rainfall being omly about 14 in. Mr. Jos. Correll, of Minlaton (17.62 in.), remarked once that superphos- phate and Thomas phosphate, sown side by side, yielded equally well. He also gave in 1900 to his wheat 100 lb. of Thomas phosK phate, and to other fields from 73 to 93 lb. of Lawes superphos- phate per acre, and mixed with the latter 7 lb. of Thomas phos- phate (Bilston's) to counteract any injurious effect from an excess of sulphuric /acid the superphosphate might contain. Tliere was no difference visible in the two crops ; but the fertilisers ought to have been given at different times. Mr. "^A". Correll tabled wheat plants manured with Thomas phosphate, also witli it and sulphate of potash, and with mineral super. The plant which received potash was much more robust than the others. "Where potash and super, had been applied there was appa- rently no benefit from the potash. He thought the potash made th:-^ phosphoric acid in the Thomas phosphate more readily available. 26 ■On the experimental plot near Millicent (29 in.) a block was sown with wheat and one with barley. Half a hundredweight of super- phosphate, costing 3/, was drilled with the seed. Result, 36 bushels of barley and 20 bushels of wheat ; and this in a neighbourhood where cereals are not generally grown with much success. Mr. Shannon, of Kapunda(19.65in.), had used 1 cwt. of English superphos- phate on a piece of land that would not even grow grass without manure, and reaped 23 bushels of wheat per acre ; while Mr. Woithe, near Point Pass (about 16 in.), had as good a crop with Thomas phosphate. Mr. M. Rankine, of Strathalbyn (18.91 in.), reported on his experiments with 5 and 7 lb. of sulphate of ammonia and 50 lb. superphosphate, and others with 5 lb. of potash, 4 lb. of ammonia, and 35 lb. of superphosphate, and with 7 lb. of potash and 50 lb. of superphosphate; that the best results were from the plot receiving the most potash, and he believed similar land in the dis- trict required potash. The returns were in every case quite satia- iactory. Mr. A. M. Dawkins, of Gawler River (18.90) reported that King's Early wheat, manured with 1 cwt. guano super, yielded 21 "bushels per acre, against 12 bushels from unmanured crop. Bone- dust was praised by some members of the Gawler River Bureau, but Mr. Badcock and Mr. Badman got double the crop with Thomas 7)hosphate against unmanured land. Mr. Kluske, of Eudunda (with 16.96 in.), manured for Purple Wheat on fallow land with 95 lb. bone- dust and 250 lb. sheep manure, and reaped 15 bushels. Mr. A. W. Morrison, of Brinkworth (with 15 in.), used 60 lb. of superphosphate per acre on 50 acres, and reaped 16 bushels per acre, against 4 Dushels where not manured. Mr. Stribling, of Stockport, had 17 bushels per acre on 22 acres manured with 1 cwt. of Thomas phos- phate; and Mr. Godfrey reaped 19 bushels from Early Para per acre from 16 acres, and 23 bushels per aci'© from 33 acres of Dart's Impe- rial, and stated that Thomas phosphate pays well on poor red land. A farmer at' our Congress of 1899 also stated that five crops of wheat were grown in twelve years on the same land manured only with some phosphatic fertilisers, and the average of the crops was 20 bushels. This being a good crop for South Australia, the soil must have contained sufficient nitrogen and potash made available by fal- lowing to act with the phosphates. It does, however, not preclude the great probability that complete manuring might have given still better crops. Mr. C. Lewis, of Cherry Gardens, in our hills, wjith a larger rainfall (certainly over 30 in.), reported that he obtained 24 bushels of wheat per acre from land nearly worn out when applying 3 cwt. of Thomas phosphate per acre. Without manure it would not pro- duce more than 8 bushels. Mr. Langberg, of Lucindale (with 22^ in. of rain), had seen no improvement in his wheat crop after using 2 cwt. of bonedust. Mr. Mudge, of Pixie Forest, applied h cwt. of "Thomas phosphate to half an acre of poor sarfdy soil, on which wheat 27 had failed for some years, and he had 12 bushels per acre. Without manure his crop was 2 bushels per acre. Mr. Chittleborough at Neuarparr (about 20 in.) harvested from new land for some years 8 bushels per acre ; afterwards only 4. When^ using Naracoorte guano he had with 2 cwt. per acre 12 bushels, witk 3 cwt. 18 bushels. At Boothby (13.75 in.) Messrs. Sims and Robin- son stated that where Thomas phosphate was drilled in the year before, the crops, though sown some weeks later, showed much more- growth than those alongside; and Mr. Mills said that, although he did not derive any benefit from manuring with Thomas phosphate in the dry season of 1896 for onions, the wheat and cabbages planted in 1897 on the plot were far stronger than those on adjoining land, and last season's manuring was most marked. Mr. Tumbull, of Boothby, thought the Star phosphate most suitable in the sand and. stony ridges of the district. At Port Lincoln (with 20 in.), Mr. J. D. Bruce reaped 18 bushels per acre where he had used 2 cwt. of Island guano at 35/ a ton, against 9 bushels where not manured. At Lipson (13.60) the local guano was not successful. At Bordertown (with 21 in.), Mr. Gr. Mills used on 5 acres 42 lb. of seed and 56 lb. of Thomas phosphate per acre, with a yield of 10 bushels. Where he- used 52 lb. of seed and 65 lb. of Thomas phosphate the yield was 12 bushels ; 52 lb. of seed and 80 lb. of Thomas phospahte increased the yield to 17 bushels upon worn-out soil. Mr. W. Correll, of Mini aton( with 17.62 in.), had with 20 lb. of sulphate of potash mixed with Thomas- phosphate 5 bushels more than with phosphate alone. To show that a clay soil generally rich in potash (and so in this case) can stilf dei'ive benefit from potash manures, I would refer to the experi- ments made m pots, without and with 12 grains of potash, by Pro- fessor Wright, of Glasgow, which show the same advantage as the- potash applied to sandy soil, which contained but little of it. Too- much depends in South Australia on the wheat crops, and the general opinion amongst farmers being that phosphatic manures may be- used alone, and give them a good return year after year, I think that I must raise a warning voice again, and state that the continued use of phosphates alone takes all nitrogen and potash from the soil, and the effect will be the same as cropping without manure — ex- haustion of the soil. It is very pleasing to read the many good reports of the crops for 1900-1. Even in the hilly parts of the Fai' North of South Australia there have been crops up to 20 bushels per acre where commercial fertilisers had been used. So had Mr. J. McColl, of Quom, 22 bushels from Dart's Imperial ; and Mr. A. F. Noll 20 bushels from Purple Straw with phosphatic maniires. I will not conclude without mentioning the great advantage- sheep are to our wheatgrowers. Sheep will turn what now goes to waste in wild oats and weeds into wool and mutton if you divide even a small farm of 300 acres into four paddocks, where the rainfall is fairly- good. Only one of them should be cropped, and the others changed about for feeding perhaps 100 ewes; or where the feed is very good. 2« and some turnips and mangolds can be grown, more for the purpose of growing lambs. If one of the, say, 75-acre paddocks has been grazed three years b}^ sheep the land will be cleaned, and will require, nitev an early fallow, but comparatively little commercial manures, chiefly phosphates. It is quite certain that the farmer will reap more grain from one field than he had formerl}^ from two of them, and saved probably the wages of a laborer and half the seed. OATS is altogether, perhaps, too much neglected in Avistraha. New Zealand can place a better article on the market, and generally at a low price. There are, however, localities with a good rainfall where oats should pay at least as well as wheat. Last harvest showed again a falling-off in the acreage by 5,594 acres with oats, it having been only 20.229 acres, yielding 218,331 bushels, or 35.671 l^ushels less than the year before. Results in South Australia have been sometimes fairly good. Mr. J. Riddoch, at Lucindale (22.57 in.), put in every other year 2 <5wt. of bonedust on 5 acres, and, reaped 20 bushels per acre of Algerian oats; but when he applied 2 cwt. every year he had 40 bushels. Mr. Frost reaped at Nantawan'a (15 J in.) from 40 lb. of Champion oats, with 80 lb. of English superphosphate, 24 bushels, with parts badly damaged by hot winds. This agrees entirely with what I stated at our Congress in September, 1898, that in a long period of drought, or after a hot wind, superphosphate may act injuriously on account of the sulphuric acid contained in it. In Thomas phosphate we have no sulphuric acid, and it is not necessary to make the phosphoric a 'id soluble for plant food ; the acids in the roots of the plants coming in contact with the Thomas phosphate \vill prepare it for plant food. Much, however, not coming so in contact will remain dormant for one or more years; and Mr. CorrelFs remark that Thomas phos- phate always has given him good returns, and that sometimes the second crop is as good, or better, than the first, is quite in accordance ^ith the experience of scientists and practical fanners. In Tasmania 40 bushels of oats have been harvested without manure in Ringarooma and Flowerdalei; but only from 18 to 25 bushels at Ellendale, Wordsdale, and elsewhere. With 4 cwt. of "bonedust or phosphates put in for the next crop of potatoes 33 bushels were reaped at East Mersey. At Neuarparr (about 20 in.), Mr. Chittleborough used 1 cwt. (mixed wet with oats) of Naracoorte guano, and had 26 bushels of oats (Algerian) uoon impoverished land, where his neighbors reaped 4 bushels. Thomas phosphate was, however, making great progress in the locality. It seemed equal to guano or bonedust, and started i:he grain two weeks before not-manured grain. Mr. Chittleborough uses 56 lb. of Thomas phosphate, which he mixes with the wet grain, whereby he requires much less manure, and it proves beneficial where a farmer cannot afford to purchase or hire a seed and manure drill, and the sowine: can vet be done in one act. At Port Elliot (20^ in.) 29 3 cvrt. of Kangaroo Island guano broadcasted in May, June, and July with the oats, the yield was 25 per cent, better than the unmanured. Hot winds reduced the grain crop by one-third. Cost of manure, about 7/ per acre. At the Tatiara (21.13 in.) and Yankalilla (28.14 in.) commercial manures, chiefly bonedust and phosphates, have been given, and the results are stated to have been 30 to 33 per cent, better than where no manure was spread ; but there are no quantities given. Mr. Joseph Correirs father, of Minlaton (17.62 in.), once had 50 bushels of Cape oats per acre off a small paddock, which he sub- soiled, without the application of manure. This can be accounted for by the ability of the oats to avail itself of plant food, and more moisture in the subsoil. If not subsoiled. Professor Wagner says nothing but "fall manuring" will give a profitable crop. If nitrogen is omitted, the profit falls off considerably, sometimes a loss is incurred, and in omitting phosphoric acid and potash it is the same. The average of seven fields of oats changed from 1,280 lb. to 2,400 lb. per acre when fully manured. Professor Wagner's recommendation is to use per acre 1^ cwt. of nitrate of soda, 4 J cwt. of Thomas phosphate, and 1^ cwt. of sulphate of potash per acre, or double the quantity to see which will pay best, and omitting one of the above in three other plots. The nitrate should not be given before sowing, and one-half later on. Wagner reports the following experiments : — Mr. Jacob Keller, of Emsthofen, had an average from each two plots of one ar (10 = J acre) — and by me calculated at per acre — with the following manures, of which kainit and Thomas phosphate was given on the 18th of January, and the nitrate of soda, half on the 14th of April, and the other on the 18th of May. The land was a loamy, humose, silicious soil. The two plots that received a complete manure received. 494 lb. of kainit, and the same of Thomas phosphate, and 325 lb. of nitrate of soda, and the return was 17 cwt. 22 lb. of grain and 23 cwt. 25 lb. of straw per acre more than from the unmanured plots. Without the kainit the excess was 15 cwt. 28 lb. of grain and 17 cwt. 22 lb. of straw; without the phosphoric acid, 12 cwt. 70 lb. of grain and 15 cwt. of straw ; and without the nitrogen, only 6 cwt. of grain and 6 cwt. 25 lb. of straw per acre. The profit per acre of the land receiving the complete manure was £5 above the unmanured ; without the kainit, £4/6/ ; without the Thomas phosphate, £3/8/ ; and without the nitrate of soda, £1/10/. (See plates IV. and IVa. The complete manuring had. subdued almost entirely the wild mustard, which was more or less in evi- dence on the other plots. Other experiments with oats were made at Neuhof by Director Weitzel, of the Agricultural School at Langen, Agricultural Teacher Ruths and the owner (Mr. Simon). Kainit and Thomas phosphate were given on the 5th of March, half of the nitrate of soda on the 23rd of March, and the other half on the 6th day of May. The soil was not uniform, but poor, and here and •there clay in the sand. With three plots for each experiment 30 Plate IV Jacob Keller's Experiments Result per acre Photo, from -^^th of an acre. f 1,520 lbs. of oats \ 2,8.16 lbs. of straw Without manure. Plate IVa. Photo, from T^ 1 r480 lbs. of kainit ivjanurea per I ^g^ j^^ ^^ Thomas phosphate acre with oon iu e -i. j. £ j [320 lbs. of nitrate of soda J^th of an acre. Result per f 3, 240 lbs. of oats acre \5,160 lbs. of straw ol Plate V. Average samples of 9 plots of oats taken in 1897. No 1. Unmanured 2. Per acre, 16 cwt. of lime 3. " 16 cwt. of lime and 6 cwt. Thomas phosphate 4. " 16 cwt. of lime and 8 cwt. kainit 5. " 132 lbs. of nitrate of soda 6. " 16 cwt. of lime and 132 lbs. of nitrate of soda 7. " 16 cwt. of lime, 6 cwt. Thomas phosphate, and 332 lbs. nitrate of soda 8. " 16 cwt. of lime, 8 cwt. of kainit, and 132 lbs. nitrate'of soda. 9. " 16 cwt. of lime, 10 cwt. Thomas phosphate, 6 cwt. of kainit, and 132 lbs. nitrate of soda 32 iihese are, however, quite reliable results. The only difference in the manuring was that 250 lb. of nitrate of soda was given instead of 325 lb. The results were, from the complete manuring, 15 cwt. 80 lb. of grain and 25 cwt. 90 lb. of straw more than from the un- manured; without kainit, 11 J cwt. of grain and 16 cwt. of straw; without phosphoric acid, 11 cwt. 80 lb. of grain and 19 cwt. of straw ; without nitrogen, 4 cwt. and 80 lb. of grain and 6 cwt. 85 lb. of straw per acre. The profit was £5/2/ per acre with the complete manvire ; without kainit, £3/8/; without Thomas phosphate, £3/15/; without nitrate of soda, £1/2/10. Other experiments with oats were ma^ie by 3IayorHeddaeus,atWolfskehlen, where he used in each case at the rate of 494 lb. of kainit and of Thomas phosphate, together with respecti- vely 250 lb. and 325 lb. of nitrate of soda. The former manures were given on the 5th of March, the nitrate (in two doses) on the 9th day of Apail and the 4th day of May. The soil was medium heavy loam. The larger return with the additional 75 lb. of nitrate of soda was very marked, viz., 11 cwt. 70 lb., against 8 cwt. of grain and 23 cwt. 40 lb., against 13 cwt. 20 lb. of straw per acre above the unmanured plots. Without any nitrate only 1 cwt. 80 lb. more grain was harvested, and the same quantity of straw, as from the unmanm-ed plots; without kainit, 4 cwt. 40 lb. more of grain and 11 cwt. 20 lb. of straw ; without phosphoric acid, 7 cwt. 25 lb. of grain and 22 cwt. 60 lb. of straw were obtained. The profit with 325 lb. of nitrate of soda was £3/0/3 per acre; with 250 lb., £1/12/3; with none, a loss of 7/3. AVithout kainit the profit was 10/10 ; without phosphoric acid, £1/17/8. The soil contained much phosphoric acid and little potash, and still less nitrogen. It shows that to manure oats merely with potassic and phosphatic manures seems hardly to improve the crop over unmanured land. Nitrogen also is re- quired to give a full crop. (See plate V.). On a wet, sandy soil the Agricultural School at Zwischenahn, in Oldenburg, applied 4 cwt. Thomas phosphate, 4 cwt. 80 lb. kainit, and 1 cwt. 20 lb. nitrat>e of soda. Unmanured, the crop was only 2 cwt. 80 lb. per acre, against 11 cwt. 20 lb., and the profit £2/19/5. On dry, good, sandy soil the difference and profit was much less. Mr. Hellwig, of Torsholt, manured with the same quantities of fer- tilisers, and harvested from good sandy soil, unmanured, 9 cwt. 60 lb., against 19 cwt. 20 lb., making a profit of £3/1/6. With twenty loads of dung his crop was only 2 cwt. better than the unmanured. Experiments made at the Agricultural College of Dookie. Vic- toria, must have been made on land in very good heaii}, as the plot without manure gave 35 bushels per acre ; with 1 cwt. of Thomas phos- phate, 39.: bushels ; and with 1 cwt. sulphate ammonia and ^ cwt I'luri- ate of potash added to 1 cwt. of superphosphate, 59 bushels. This showed how good a complete manure acted, probably the potash in particular, for Professors G. M. Aikman and R. P. Wright, of G-lasgow, say that a crop of 60 bushels and 3,175 lb. of straw require 22 lb. of phosphoric acid, bh lb. of nitrogen, and 62 lb. of potash. The great <][uantity of potash required may be the reason that our crops are not 33 lieavy. Their experiments seem also to indicate this where they used 80 lb. of superphosphate and 40 lb. nitrate of soda, and tho crop was 13 J bushels less than where 60 lb. of sulphate or muriate of potash -was also given, and the potash ripened the crop earlier. Mr. R. W. E. Maclvor, in his "Chemistry of Agriculture," says also that 45 bushels of oats are likely to impoverish the land by about 193 lb. •of mineral substances, amongst which are 18.9 lb. of phosphoric acid, 94.1 lb. of silica, 11.8 lb. of lime, 38.1 lb. of potash, and as the straw contains 139.4 lb. of the mineral substances, the grain only 53.6 lb., the straw should be returned or burnt on the land, an advice not likely to be adopted. The average from forty-eight farms in British Columbia was 63 bushels per acre, and James Gilmore took his oath that his crop of 32 acres of oats averaged 154 bushels per acre, but the report gives no particulars as to manuring. From France I can give a number of experiments. M. Dumonte, of Croisseroux, had, with 480 lb. of Thom^bs phosphate, 13 bushels 35 lb. more than without any manure ; with 80 lb. of nitrate of soda added to the 480 lb. Thomas phosphate, 24 bushels more; and with the further addition of 160 lb. of muriate of potash, 48i bushels more of oats per acre. As the unmanured plot gave 31 bushels the land was in fairly fertile state. M. Lecuyer, of Plomelin, had 1,392 lb. of oats, without manure, per acre; with 480 lb. of Thomas phosphate, 1,856 lb. ; with 480 lb. of Thomas phosphate and 168 lb. of muriate of potash, 1,992 lb.; with the further addition of 30 lb. of nitrate of soda, 2,320 lb. The land was in still better heart. M. Magnieu, of Oisilly, reaped, without manure, 1,296 lb. of •oats per acre, and manured with 320 lb. of Thomas phosphate 1,760 lb. BARLEY. It consumes within a few weieks after appearance above the ground quite one-half of the plant food it requires, and it should therefore be applied early. Professor Dr. Wagner says in vol. 100 of the Th.aer Library that barley will at first grow very luxuriant if manured with superphosphate. The nitrogen is thus •quickly consumed, the crops stop growing, the leaves get yello-wHsh, and the grain thin and ripe before the proper time. He demands "full manuring" for barley. The average of five fields of barley increased over partially manured land from 1,520 lb. to 2,160 lb. per acre. Last year a very successful experiment was made by H. Mueller, of XJnterliederbach. He had an unmanured plot, an- other manured per half acre with 2 cwt. of superphosphate, 1^ cwt. kainit of 40 per cent., equal to about 120 lb. of muriate of potash and J cwt. of nitrate of soda, and a third plot with 4J cwt. of Thomas phosphate, and the same quantity of potash and nitrate as on the second plot. The cost was equal for superphosphate and "Thomas phosphate, the profits on grain and straw were .£2/0/10 per acre from plot 2, and £5/1/4 from plot 3. The unmanured crop 34 yielded 20 cwt., the second plot 29 cwt., and the third 36 cwt.^ with corresponding increase in straw. Barley, if rich in nitrogen, is not so good for the brewer, although yon caiLQot expect any fair crop without a nitrogenous manure. If too rich it is suitable only for feeding. For brewing it should be evenly light yellow, thin-skinned, and easily germinating, and rich in. starch. The climate near the sea is favorable. A cool temperature, with many showers, farther inland also. A deep, humose loam„ which contains lime, is somewhat looses, and not too wet or cold, is the best soil, which must be free from weeds, and not manured with freiali dung. Dr. Aitken reports that the weight and the quantity cf the grain was much improved by potash. While from a plot manured with nitrate of soda and superphosphate 16 per cent, was classed as light grain out of a total yield of 1,706 lb., the remaining 1,510 lb. (28 J bushels) weighed only 50 lb. per bushel. When sul- phate of potash was added to the above manures the crop yielded 2,761 lb., of which 3J per cent, was light grain, while the remaining 48.9 bushels consisted of grain weighing 54J lb. per bushel. It is- interesting that Dr. Aitken made four years earlier experiments, apparently on the same ground, which was a clay soil, and it con- tained at that time as much potash as the crop of barley required. Even a somewhat larger crop could then be grown with nitrate of soda and phosphoric acid alone. Four years later the two plots, receiving only potash yielded 50 per cent, more grain. M. Monestier, of Montbrun, received, without manure, 1,360 lbs. of barley per acre ; with 480 lbs. of Thomas phosphate, 1,920 lbs. ; with 480 lbs. of Thomas phosphate and 80 lbs. of nitrate of soda, 2,240 lbs.; with 480 lbs. of Thomas phosphate, 80 lbs. of nitrate of soda, and 160 lbs. of muriate of potash, 2,640 lbs. In his average of nineteen experiments Professor Emmerling, of Kiel, did not mention the quantities of manures used ; but made some remarks. The steamed bonemeal gives up in the first year generally but Tittle of its phosphoric acid, but more of its nitrogen. Kainit with superphosphate or Thomas phosphate gave favorable results on sandy or moor land, not in some of the good loam of Eastern Holstem, where the soil contains sufficient potash. Paul Heddaeus, of Wolfskehlen, ex:perimented with m,anures for barley on a loamy soil. As complete manure he used 4 cwt. 80 lb. of kainit, and also of Thomas phosphate, with 160 lb. of nitrate of soda per acre ; but he had also three plots with only 80 lb. of nitrate of soda. Kainit and phosphate were given on the 5th of March ; the nitrate, one-half, on the 9th of April ; the other half on the- 4th day of May. The average of each three plots was as follows, viz.: 1, without manure, 15 cwt. 28 lb. of barley; 2, with full,. complete manure, 22 cwt. 40 lb. ; 3, with only 80 lb. nitrate of soda, 18 cwt. 32 lb. ; 4, without potash, 18 cwt. 50 lb. ; 5, without phos- phoric acid, 18 cwt. 50 lb. ; 6, without nitrogen, 15 ewt. 60 lb. The- cost of the manure for 2 was £1/15/, against a gain of £3/12/ per acre; for 3, £1/7/, against £1/18/4; for 4, £1/6/9, against £1/19/9- 36 :tor 5, £1/4/4/, against £1/18/9; for 6, 19/4, against 2/4, or, in the last case, a loss of 17/, which shows that the soil was very poor as regards nitrogen. An experiment to compare nitrate ofi soda and Peruvian guano was favorable to the latter, as the quality of the barley was somewhat better, especially as regards starch. Ex- periments giving farmyard dung to barley did not result favorably. Barley being but a short time in growing, experiments made on clay soil by Councillor Hoppenstedt, of Hanover, showed that quick-acting fertilisers were the best to use. The effect of different quantities of potash with 32 lb. of nitrogen and 48 lb. of phosphoric acid per acre on an average of three plots in every case was as fol- lows, viz.: Where beans, with superphosphate and kainit; wheat, with stable dung; turnips, with nitrogen and phosphoric acid had been previously grown, the unmanured plots averaged 1,603 lb. of barley; without kainit, 2,240 lb. ; with 320 lb. of kainit, 2,201 lb. ; with 480 lb. kainit, 2,307 lb.; with 640 lb. kainit, 2,405 lb. Another quicker-acting potash salt would probably have given far better results. Mr. F. Novara's experiment with lime on a humose, sandy soil after a crop of mangolds was 703 lb. per acre without manure, and 1,187 lb. with 3,700 lb. of lime, or £1/5/ profit, without calculating the straw. Barley is not to any extent cultivated in South Australia. In 1900 the crop was only 188,917 bushels from 15,767 acres, being 1,195 acres less than the year before. It is grown more for feeding than malting purposes. Tlie brewers are not in favor of locally- grown barley. My remarks on manuring should improve the sample. Mr. S. Schinckel, of Naracoorte (22.34 in.), manured with bone- dust, and had a heavy crop. Mr. W. Klenke, of Hartley (16 in.), sowed three acres with 1 bushel each, and reaped 31^ bags of barley, : giving 1 cwt. of colonial superphosphate to one-half and 2 cwt. of English superphosphate to the other. The Colonial proved the best. Mr. D. G. Stribling, of Stockport (r6.41 in.), manured 22 acres with 1 cwt. Thomas phosphate per acre, and the yield was 100 bags. Mr. Faulkner, of Stansbury (17^ in.), reaped 30 bushels of malting barley with 80 lb. per acre of a phosphatic manure, and Mr. Cudmore 42 bushels of malting barley. Mr. Jas. O'Shanaghan had dressed an acre with 2 cwt. bone- dust, and had 50 bushels of Cape barley at Port Lincoln (20 in.). At Riverton (20.36 in.) 60 acres were put in with the drill and farmyard dung, and only 4 bags per acre was the result. At Strafhalbyn (18.91 in.) 32 acres were sown, one half manured with .phosphatic manure, and returned 32 bushels per acre, while the unmanured part yielded nothing. Mr. A. Kinch tells me that at Cygnet River, in Kangaroo Island (30 in. or more), ho reaped 375 bags of barley from 23 acres. The land was new, from which 150 big trees had been grubbed, and no manure applied. At other -^timeg he had never more than 30 to 40 bushels per acre. Mr. 36 Thomas Willson, ot Hog Bay (K.I.), wrote in June, 1900, to- me, saying that three persons had applied phosphatic manures lu 1899 to small areas, and speak highly of its effect, so that now considerable quantities are being used. Mr. Dorward, of Port Lincoln (20 in.), used 2 cwt. of kainit for Scotch malting barley, and reaped 25 bushels, or from 6 to 8 bushels more than without it. Mr. J. Brock, of Tanunda (21.56 in.), used 3 cwt. of Peruvian guano per acre at £13 per ton, which resulted in 33 bushels 44 lb., against 8J bushels of poor quality from unmanured land. He had still better results from phosphatic manures at £4/10/ per ton. Other guano gave him 38 busliels 48 lb. per acre, against 18 bushels on land not so treated. Mr. R. Puckridge, of Warrow (under 20 in. ?) showed splendid sample of Cape, Chevalier, Duckbill, and Scotch malting barley, averaging 24 bushels. The average estimated yield on 5,693 acres of barley in 1898/9 was in Tasmania 32.36 bushels per acre ; in 1899-0, on 7,606 acres, only 18.76 bushels in consequence of the dry season. In conclusion, I may state that the average yield of 17 varieties of two-rowed and 19 of six-rowed barley grown on 16 farms in British Columbia w^as 52 J bushels per acre, and the average weight 57 lb. per bushel ; but what fertilisers had been used Ig not stated. MAIZE. The Adelaide Sewage Farm records from 25 to 30 tons of green feed per acre, but although somewhat neglected in South Australia, it gives very good returns in the more north-easterly parts of Aus- tralia. Commercial fertilisers are sometimes used there; but T must fall back chiefly on the experiments made at Hawkesbury Agricultural College (N.S.W.), the United States, and Germany. Those made by the Horticultural Society of North Carolina are re- corded in the form of photographs, without giving actual results as to the crops. A normal manuring with potash, phosphoric acid, and nitrogen increased the crop manifold over unmanured plots, and where lime was added, still more. Green manuring in place of nitrogenous manure was less successful. Where a double quantity of phosphoric acid was given to all others normal ^he result was very good ; but where potash was doubled, and the other manures normal, the crop of cobs was much less. Where the nitrogen was doubled the crop was better than from all other plots, except where potash, phosphoric acid, and nitrogen were applied in three times the normal doses. In the last case, however, it is doubtful whether such quantities of commercial manures gave a pavable result. The normal quantity of the manures used were 50*^ lb. of potash, 50 lb. of phosphoric acid, 20 lb. of nitrogen, 2.000 lb. of slaked lime ; and for green manuring, cow peas. This would require per acre about 99 lb. of muriate of potash, or 103 lb. of sulphate of potash, 325 lb. of superphosphate or Thomas phosphate., and 125 lb. of nitrate of soda. Professor Wiigner manured maize in pots with phosphoric acid and potash, and had 37 only half as strong plants compared with those that had received 3g. of nitrate of soda. With 6g. the difference was still greater. Maize does not send its roots deep, and requires, therefore, much plant food near the surface. Farmyard dung and liquid manure are very good. If intended for green fodder the large varieties require per acre for a crop of 32,000 lb. 60 lb. of nitro- gen, 32 lb. of phosphoric acid, and 118 lb. of potash, and for a crop of 64,000 lb. twice the before-mentioned quantities. The smaller varieties require for 16,000 lb. only 30 lb. of nitrogen, 16 lb. of phosphoric acid, and 59 lb. of potash. To cultivate maize for grain 48 lb. of nitrogen, 22 lb. of phosphoric acid, and 56 lb. of potash are withdrawn at a medium crop of 2,000 lb. of grain and 2,760 lb. of straw, &c. Twice the quantity of grain, with, how ever, proportionately less straw, require 96 lb. of nitrogen, but somewhat less than twice the quantity of phosphoric acid and potash as used for the mediiun crop. If your farmyard dung contains 48 lb. of nitrogen, 14J lb. o^ phosphoric acid, and 32 lb. of potash per manured acre, you ^li have to supplement for heavy crops with commercial manures ; and, except nitrate of soda, they should be given long before the sowing as regards muriate or potash and Thomas phosphate. If the soil does not contain sufficient lime it is necessary to supply it, so as to obtain the full benefit from the manures. Experiments made at Amherst, Mass., U.S., with maize for fodder upon the same plots four years following each other show that the soil required much potash, but not so much phosphoric acid. Results of dried fodder per acre : — Manure. Ist Year. 2nd Year. 3rd Y^ar. 4th Year. Average. No manure... 2680 2240 1185 1033 1784 Without potash 3136 2777 2150 1344 2351 " phosph.acid 4301 3452 6451 5520 4931 " nitrogen ... 2509 2285 6553 6038 4346 Complete fertiliser , . . 7571 8019 8422 6603 7653 Experiments made at the Kentucky Agricultural Station from 1889 to 1894 on the same land, and also at Lexington, in Ken- tucky, U.S., resulted in loss where a superphosphate or nitrate of soda, or both together, were applied. Sulphate of potash alone gave always a good return and profit, and in most instances, when added to the other plant foods, also a profit. The crops did almost, without exception, decline from year to year, and in 1894, the fifth crop in some instances was less than one-half compared with that obtained in 1889. In the Western States generally from 35 to 80 bu5?hels are harvested per acre : — 38 Kentucky Agricultural STATIO^ Manure per Acre. Grain in 1889. Profit in 1889. Average of 5 yr8. Unmanured... 2,184 lbs. 2,072 lbs. Complete fertiliser ... 4,929 " + £1 11 0 3,786 " Superphosphate and nitrate 2,121 " -£1 11 3 1,927 " of soda 143 lbs. sulphate of potash... 4,972 *' + £3 6 7 3,537 " 143 lbs. sulphate of potash ") 143 lbs. nitrate of soda ... ) 5,054 *' + £2 16 3 3,920 *' 286 lbs. superphosphate ... ") 143 lbs. sulphate of potash ) 4,617 '' + £2 5 0 3,383 " Dr. G. Smets, of Liege, records as the middle of two experi- ments made by him that without phosphoric acid he had 70.10 gr. ; with J gr. of phosphoric acid in Thomas phosphate, 585.10 gr. ; with h gr. of it in superphosphate, 659.75 gr. of maize ; but he adds that the value of a manure cannot be compared immediately after its action the first year, irrespective of the difference in price. Dr. Petermann has, with his careful researches, found that he ob- tained the same increase in crops with both phosphoric acid manures, provided the Thomas phosphate was flour-like fine. In Dr. Smet's latest work on "L'Acide Phosphorique" he mentions that those plants which with difficulty absorb the phosphoric acid in the first stage of the growth — like turnips, beets, and maize- are better to be supported with some superphosphate, but to give this and Thomas phosphate not at the same time. In the pamphlet by M. Toulouse Camille, written for French teachers of primary schools on commercial manures, he recommends for maize per acre 400 lb. of Thomas phosphate, 120 lb. of muriate of potash, and from 80 to 120 lb. of nitrate of soda. At the Hawkesbury Experimental Farm in New South Walog a large number of experiments with maize have been made in 1893, 4, and 5. A crop of wheaten hay was in all cases taken off, then ploughed, harrowed, and disced, and brought to a fine tilth. Drills were 4 ft. 6 in. apart, and the seed dropped by hand 16 in. apart. In the first five experiments a mixture of 300 lb. kainit, 200 lb. superphosphate, and 200 lb. sulphate of ammonia was spread over the drills at the rate of 580 lb. per acre. The seeds were soaked into a solution of copper sulphate. Yellow Hogea maize was always used. Eight seeds to a set proved to be too many, as cobs were small. Seeds in the drills 9 in. apart gave a larger yield, with, however, also smaller cobs than where the distance was greater. The importance of clean cultivation wa^ shown by other experiments, the average 6i two years of uncul- tivated plots having been 38 bushels 31 lb.; of one 'cultivation, 42 bushels 55 lb. ; of two cultivations, 44 bushels 43 lb. ; of three cul tivations, 55 bushels 31 lb. ; and of four cultivations, 56 bushels 37 lb. Cultivation did not require hilling. Seeds from the middle 39 of the cob yielded better than from the top, but those from the butt-end gave the largest crop per acre except in 1897. Experi- ments made with other manures at an equal money value of 30/ per acre compared with no manure are of value where the brands are better known than in South Australia. In ten instances there was a loss, in 21 a gain of from 16/6 to £4/0/3 per acre. All the Colonial Sugar Company's different compounds gave a profit, No. 4 being the best, with a profit of £2/16/3, the yield being 63 bushels 20 lb., against the unmanured acre with 28 bushels 50 lb. In 1897 Nos. 6 and 7 proved to be still better than No. 4. The varieties of white maize gave very good yields, both in cobs and leaf, when manured with 490 lb. per acre of bonedust, blood manure, ani kainit mixed in equal quantities. Thomas phosphate applied singly (costing 30/) yielded 3 tons 11 cwt. 94 lb. cut for the silo pits. A mixture of 2 cwt. blood manure, 2J cwt. bonedust, and 2 cwt kainit yielded 3 tons 9 cwt. 75 lb., and another of 1 cwt. sulphate of ammonia, h cwt. of sulphate of potash, 1 cwt. superphosphate, and 1 cwt. bonedust gave the best returns, viz., 5 tons 1 cwt. 109 lb. of green feed, but at a somewhat greater expense. The Under-Secretary of Agriculture of Queensland informs me that thtr; manuring of maize is practically non-existent in Queensland except in isolated cases. In South Australia fine cobs were grown by Mr. F. Gray, of Riverton (20.36 in.); Messrs. Fisher, of Renmark (11.43 in.); Mr. A. B. Robin, of Nuriootpa (about 21 in.) ; and Mr. Blackwell, of Naracoorte (22.34 in.). The late J. E. Brown harvested from 5 acres at Bundaleer Forest (about 14 in.), from 40 to 45 bushelf per acre. Mr. Hutchens and Mr. W. F. Hughes, of Woodside (31.14 in.), made fine ensilage from cut maize. Mr. Westerman- Smith, of Golden Grove (about 24 in.), grew maize and sorghmn better on rich, light soil, and even on pure sand than on stiff flats. Horse-hoeing improves the crop much. He sows in October, feeds with maize till February, when sorghum gets ready, which will last until April and May. Millicent Bureau (29.02 in.) states also that maize will grow on the peaty land in sheltered places, but not on €he open black flats; and Mr. W. Brooks, of Hartley (about 16 in.), sows maize on the furrow, works it down well and puts an iron roller over it; then sows lucerne on it, which thereby obtains shelter. Mr. Giles, of Mount Pleasant (27.59 in.) sows in November with bonedust on well-cultivated clayey flats, and provides for one month food for about twenty head of cattle. Mr H. C. Schmidt, of Tanunda (30.56 in.), had 4 ft. high maize on the 5th of December, sown in October. Mr. E. W. Tucker, of Finniss (17.29 in.), showed Szeckler m^aize, having as many as ten cobs growing on one stalk, and the grain was much larger than the imported. On the swampy lands there he could cut from 50 to 70 tons of green feed. Mr. W. H. Hughes, of Aldgate (30 in.), had Horse-tooth maize 7 ft. and Ninety Days' maize 6 ft. high in loamy soil, enriched by bonedust ; and Mr. C. Arndt had the Ninety Days" maize 10 ft. high, stooling and cobbing well on a river flat. Mr.. 40 CJ. Ricks, of Cherry Gardens (over 30 in.), had another crop of Cob- bett's Corn after cutting it. Mr. T. Searle, of Millicent (29.02 in.), estimated that maize sown in October should yield at the rate of 90 bushels. When he fed his cows with maize the value of their milk was increased as from 5^ to 9. Mr. T. Carter, of Clare (24.30 in.) sows 60 lb.; and Mr, D. Hanna, of Gumeracha (33.04 in.), 2 bushels broadcast, 20 lb. with the drill. Mr. A. Steinwedel, of Balaklava (15.94 in.), manures with good compost or super phosphate, and makes the distances between the rows a 9-tiue scarifier, with the two end tines only down. Hay and Pasture. — There can be no doubt that in Australia pasture lands have been almost everywhere robbed of a great portion of the natural nitrogen, phosphoric acid, and potash. From 1893 to 1899 inclusive the export of wool is said to have been 2,111,863,834 lb., containing as much nitrogen as in 456,200 tons of nitrate of soda, as much potash as is found in 11,320 tons of muriate of potash, or 45,256 tons of kainit, which latter is contained in the grease of the wool and near its roots. During the above years 46,088,677 sheep and 1,009,187 lambs have been exported, or nitrogen equal to 298,341 tons of nitrate of soda, and the phosphate of lime in the above animals was equal to about 141,034 tons of Thomas phosphate. Such being the case, our farmers, at all events should follow the ex- ample of Mr. Schickert, of the Schniftenberg Farm, described by me in our "Journal" of December, 1898, to apply phosphoric acid and potash manures in large quantities to enable them to keep twice the number of cattle and horses, or else sheep. Mr Schickert's farm was quite exhausted by former tenants, full of weeds, and the land itself, 960 ft. above the sea, was by nature poor of humus, one-half stony or sandy, the other a tough clay. Now it has become the place for pilgrimage of hundreds of the most intelligent farmers. By the application of potash and phosphates the number of pea-flowering plants will rapidly increase , and draw nitrogen from the air, which in turn nourishes the grasses and other herbs. Mr. Cameron, the agricultural editor of the "Dundee Advertiser," said at an agricultural dinner on 4th January, 1900: "By and by lighter stocking would have to be practised. . . . But the keeping of cattle was almost out of the question. Artificial means should be taken to restore the balance of phosphates and potash so plentifully taken off the lan.^ in the framework of animals, and in wool. There was no more generally useful phosphatic top-dressing than Thomas phosphate, which ought to be applied at the fall of the year, and that application could be very advantageously followed in early winter by a good dressing of potash, the cheapest source of which was kainit." According to Professor Wright, potash salts alone, whether in the form of kainit or muriate, give a considerable increase of crop (of grass hay), and when due allowance is made for succeeding crops, and the increased development of leguminous herbage sprinp^- ing up on the land, the use of these manures is distinctly profitable 41 Experiments were made at Cleghorn and ten other farms in 1893 and 1894 on clay loams, and the average per acre of air-dried hay was with 2 cwt. of muriate of potash 27 cwt. 2 qrs. ; with 2 cwt. of muriate and 2 cwt. of superphosphate it was only one qu^arter more; but if 1 cwt. of nitrate of soda was added, 38 cwt. The use of so much nitrate of soda is, however, not advisable, as the other herbage and grasses may be too much stimulated at the expense of clover (see Plate VI.) At Cleghorn itself the crops were respectively .36 cwt., 42 cwt., and 46 cwt., or 6, 12, and 16 cwt. of hay over the unmanured plots, so that the total profit per acre was £1/13/, .£2/4/, and £3/19/, calculated at £3 per ton. At Rothamsted as soon as potash was withheld from any plot of permanent pasture the produce declined, and in the period of fourteen years, from 1862 to 1875, it gave only three-fourths of the amount of total produce recorded from the potash-manured plot. From 1876 to 1892 the potash plot still further increased its lead by 50 per cent, more produce. No other mineral substance supplied as manure — nei^^-her lime, nor phosphoric acid, nor any other — exercised such an in fluence on the yield of hay as potash. Leguminous plants flou rished. and the grasses became denser. Plate VT. Experiment on the Feldberge (810 metres above the sea), • without a nitroo^enous manure. A — -— 1 i m ■ y^ jjj^ i ik^y^^i^^ 1 ■ E •"'"■--■•■• ;.-:■.■.!<•.,.. 1 1 :•■ ■ ■ " J 1 Un-Qianured. Manured with Average of 5 years, Thomas Phosphate, 4 cwt. 1,056 lbs. per acre. Kainit, 4 cwt. l.ime, 10 cw t. Average of 5 years. 3,320 lbs, per acre. Dr. G. Smets says in his "Phosphoorzuur in den Landbouw" that in experimenting with superphosphate and Thomas phosphate he had on moist pastures from Tliomas phosphate in three years 5,852 lb. more per acre, and from superphosphate 3,692 lb. more than from unmanured land. On very dry pastures he had from Thomas phosphate 5,836 lb. more per acre, and from superphos- phate 5,128 lb, more than from unmanm-ed land. He recommends 42 480 to 800 lb. of Thomas phosphate per acre, and 320 to 48'J lb. of kainit the first year, and 160 to 320 lb. of Thomas phosphate and 240 to 430 lb. ot kainit afterwards. Professor Br. Wm. Somerville, of Cambridge, said in "The Land Magazine": — "In the great majority of cases the character of grass land can be far more cheaply and quickly improved, without breaking it up (re-seeding), through the agency of manures, com- posts, drainage, &c. ' At the Northumberland County Farm the percentage of white clover is only 0.3 on the untreated ground, whereas it is 15.6 on the plot which received 5 cwt. per acre of Thomas phosphate less than two years ago. Mr. D. Hall, The Farm, Cark-in-Cartmel, after six experiments with Thomas phosphate alone and with Thomas phosphate and sul- phate of potash came to the coutjlusion that on calcareous soil 3 cwt. of Thomas phosphate and 1 cwt. of sulphate of potash should be applied per acre, and not one manure only. At the County Council Farm in Lancashire 4 cwt. of Thomas phosphate and 117 lb. of muriate of potash was better than sulphate of potash for clover hay. Messrs. J. A. Murray, B.Sc, and T. H. Middleton, B.Sc, Lec- turers at University College of Wales, Aberystwyth, report on the relative merits of superphosphate and Thomas phosphate, either alone or with potash and nitrate of soda, that the results were almost exactly equal. Nitrate of soda was a little better and cheaper than sulphate of ammonia. The comparative value was 115 to 110. Professor Middleton, in his last annual report on experiments conducted by the teaching staff of the Aberystwyth College, sums up the results of the manuring of pasturing lands as follows: — "On examining the effects produced by two seasons' use of the manures on the crops of this year, we find that in no case has nit- rate of soda done much for the crop, and that over the whole twelve plots it has slightly decreased the crop (of clover. — Ed.) Superphosphate has jn the average increased the crop, whether used alone or with othir manures. It has done so most markedly when combined with kainit. When so used the T3rofit exceeded 100 per cent. Kainit has produced about twice as much increase as^ superphosphat'C. It is clear that the land requires potash manures, and that it will pay well for them. On the average of twelve plots the profits from the outlay of 6/ for kainit amounted to about 200 per cent., and in favorable cases rose to more than 300 per cent. In a favorable season a mixture of 4 cwt. kainit and 4 cwt. superphosphate has yielded a profit of 200 per cent., and the follow- ing mixture of manures is likely to yield a profit of at least 100 per cent, in ordinary seasons. Two hundredweight Thomas phosphate xpplied in autumn, 1 cwt. superphosphate applied in spring, and i. Ewfc. kainio in spring (?). Professor Wagner says that where on a meadow at Bayersreich, rreatly in want of phosphoric acid and potash, in October, 1889, 6' «wt. 40 lb. of Thomas phosphate and 4 cwt. 80 lb. of kainit per- 43 acre were applied, and only kainit given in the next eight years, the crop was in 1890 better by nearly 6 cwt. of hay over the not manured portion, in 1891 by 18 cwt. 40 lb., in 1892 by 20 cwt. SO lb., in 1893 (a very dry year) by 11 cwt. 60 lb., in 1894 by 23 cwt. 60 lb., in 1895 By 10 cwt. 40 lb., in 1896 by 8 cwt. 40 lb., and in 1897 by 11 cwt. 20 lb., in 1898 by 4 cwt. 40 lb. So you cannot form any conclusions from a single year. It is clear that the Thomas phosphate act^d well for nine ye^rs, and potash was much required. At another meadow 31 lb. of hay were cut from 1 ar (10 ar J of acre) without manure; but a similar plot, which had re- ceived 12 lb. of Thomas phosphate and some kainit cut 121 lb. Meadows at Upper Seehof, also destitute of phosphoric acid, yielded in 1894, without manure, 17.2 cwt. per acre; but with 480 lb. of Thomas phosphate, given in autumn 1893 on another portion, 24.8 cwt. In 1895 the results were 20.8 cwt. without manure, and with another 480 lb. of Thomas phosphate, given in autumn 1894, 71.6 cwt. of hay. At Lower Seehof, still more destitute of phosphoric acid, the unmaniired portion yielded in 189'4 only 6 cwt. of hay per acre; but where 480 lb. of Tliomas phosphate was given in autumn, 1893, 18 cwt. In 1895 the unmanured part yielded 11.6 cwt.; but another 480 lb. of Thomas phosphate gave 58.8 cwt. (See plates VII. and VIIa.) (Professor Wagner adds that of courae, provision for potash had to be made. Photos, of Hay, from 150 square yards, at Ernsthofen. (See Plates VII. and VIIa). Plate VII. No manure, 4,480 lb. per acre. 44 Plate VH.a. 7,680 lb. per acre. Manured with 1,600 lb. Thomas phosphate and 1,600 lb. kainit per acre. although the quantities are not mentioned.) Other experi- ments, also made at Upper and Lower Seehof, but on poorer Mid not so moist soil showed that the combination of phos- phoric acid and potash gave in 1896 more than double the yield, and in 1897 six times, and nearly eight times, as much as the un- manured land. The best manuring of grass lands was at Goettingen found to be lime, kainit, lliomas phosphate, and nitrate of soda. The unmanured was as 100 to 160.6, but Dr. Edler recommends to manure with 5 to 6 cwt. of kainit and 4 to 5 cwt. of Thomas^ phosphate per acre as better paying, the increase in such case being as 100 to 139.3. Professor Dr. Bardenheuer manured at Lamersdorf in 1892-3 his meadows with 4 cwt. Thomas phosphate and 4 cwt. kainit per m6i*gen (J acre), and had 21 J cwt. of hay, against 6 cwt. from the uhnianiired. Mr. Jans, however, in Eiderstedt, used on his clayey ^oilonly 2 cwt. of Thomas phosphate with ^ cwt. kainit, and cut 2*3:6 cwt. of hay, against 12.6 cwt. , One hundred and. twenty-eightexperimeutsiiiXorrainehave also I resulted in showing that if Thomas phosphate was used in March or beginning of April (here July or August) the first cut of hav~ O be H 1-- * O o ee •w S § bft ce c: O i s a, ce CO o -:! 54-1 ^ ^ «; OC— « (V ■* GO ^ J2 * I (4-1 Q. o CD '£, CO o bf)'— 46 had hardly increased or l^e pasture much benefited, but the second cut was from one-tfeiid to one-half better. Where Mr. Weren- skiold used potash and nitrogen with superphosphate and Thoma* phosphate the latter gave a little better crops, and the after-effect was rather striking. The experiments, made under direction of Agronomical Teacher Fr. Von Oppenau, in Alsace, so far as they deal with the drier portions in Muensterthal, seem for us applicable. Where 900 lb. of Thomas phosphate and 576 lb. of kainit were used on a dry sandy loam upon stone at no great depth 1,000 lb. more hay was obtained in two cuts per acre. At another place, with the same quantities of manures, on similar soil, 1,080 lb. more hay were cut ; and again, where the soil was simply dry, with no stony substratum, 2,880 lb. more were cut. The Agricultural Union of Gotha made experiments in 189'^, giving 4.40 cwt. of Thomas phosphate and 6.60 cwt. of kainit per acre. The worst gave a net profit of 7/3, the best of £6/3/6 per acre. Mr. R. Krug, a German agricultural travelling teacher, re- ports about a medium meadow, with sandy soil on a loamy sub soil, that stable dung gave a loss ; liquid manure, a net profit of £2/3/; 4 cwt. of kainit, £2/2/9; 4 cwt. of Thomas phosphate, £3/7/9 ; 4 cwt. kainit and 4 cwt. Thomas phosphate, £5/8/9 per acre. Professor Maercker found at Lauchstaedt that potash alone did not pay, but when 2 cwt. of Thomas phosphate was added to 10 cwt. of kainit per acre 5 cwt. more hay was taken from one cut the second year, and 11 cwt. more in two cuts the third year. The result was botanically of much importanco, and the hay contained more albumen, according to a chemical analysis by Professor Fleischer, m Berlin, who found 0.99 per cent, of potash and 0.44 per cent, of phosphoric acid in the unmanured hay, against 2.00 per cent, potash and 0.66 per cent, phosphoric acid in the manured hay. That you may improve the feeding value of your hay very much by manuring with Thomas phosphate and kainit has been shown by experiments made at the Marburg Agricultural Station,, on the meadows of the Rhoen Mountains. The resulbj at per morgen, a little more than half an acre, were : — Average of hay for 5 years Albumenoids . . Fat Extractive mat- ter without ni- trogen Unina mired. Two cwt. Thomas Phosphate and 2 cwt. Kainit. Without Lime. 10 6 cwt. 8-96 p. c, 8111)8. 3-50 pc, 32 " r)2-27p.c.. 471 " Without Lime. 22 i) cwt. 13-98 piC, 273 2-72 p.c, .53 48-24 p.c, 941 ■f. ■ i . .,.\'V With 2^ cwt. of Lime. 27 'i cwt. U-43p.c., 269 lbs. 2.5.'>p.c., 60 " ."iO^S p.c, 1,180 '« With .5 cwt. of Lime. 30 -.5 cwt. 12 64 p.c, 329 lbs. 2-73 p.c, 71 " .'50-10p.c,l 303" Irrespective oi 'the smaller quantity of hay from the- unmanured land, . tlie quality of the manured hay 47 is better. It may contain only 0.4 per cent. of phosphoric acid, but that mantired as above, or with more Ihoma? phosphate, up to 0.6 per cent., and more. Sometimes complaintf' have been made that the taste was not as good. Dr. Max Passon believes that this may be in consequence of the magnesia in the kainit, and recommends the use of muriate of potash with Thomas phosphate. After all, the feeding value is of great importance, ar our young cattle or lambs will grow quicker, their bones requirinp phosphoric acid and lime ; in fact, four-fifths of an animal's mineral portion consists of these, which they obtain through their food from the soil, and the albumen will also nourish them so well thaA you may rear excellent animals fit for work, for the butcher, or to supply large quantities of rich milk. The feeding value of crops produced wth dfferent manures has also only quite lately been tested, during the last three years by Dr. Somerville, at Cockle Park, on plots of three acres each, and the difference was remarkable. He says : "We find that it ha-^ taken pasture equal to less than 21 lb. of hay to give 1 lb. of livfc weight increase in the case of plot 3 (the large dressing of h ton of Tlioiiias phosphate per acre), and of plot 7 (superphosphate ])lus potash). In other words, for equal weights of herbage the feeding value of the material on plots 3 and 7 has been nearly double that which was grown on plots 2 and 6. Plot 2 received 4 tons of caustic lime and 6 was unmanured. Professor Maercker gives the following composition of gras« hay, equal to a greater nutritive value in manured against un- manured, viz., 288 lb. to 200 lb. Manured. Unmanured. Albumen ... 11.46 per cent. 7.91 per cent. Fat ... ... 2.57 per cent. 0.66 per cent. Phosphoric acid 0.59 per cent. 0.30 per cent. MM. Briers and Schreiber manured at Tongres one block Avith 2,000 lb. of lime, 400 lb. of kainit, and 800 lb. Thomas phosphate per acre. The result was: — Manured. Unmanured. Green grass 16,544 lb. 9,016 lb. Lime in hay, per cent. ... 16,879 lb. 14,853 lb. ~" ^ " 4,701 lb. 3,480 lb. 17,723 lb. 14,662 lb. 13,737 lb. 12,457 lb. Phosphoric acid, per cent. Potash, per cent. . . . Nitrogen, per cent. Mr. J. C. Huwoldt, of Mount Gambler (32 in.), manured in June, 1900. 18 acres of a field of 27 acres with 2 cwt. of bonedust per acre, leaving 9 acres unmanured. He put in September 90 sheep, 10 cattle, and 9 horses into the field, and kept them there until Feb- ruary. 1901, all of them being then healthy and fat. They had cared very little for the herbage on the 9 acres which received no manure, upon which there was still plenty of grass when he removed the stock. Any other phosphatic manure with some nitrogen would produce there the like result, where sufficient potash seems avail- sible. 48 Mr. Woolley, known as the farmer who produced the great wheat crop of 77 bushels per acre in Skimblescott Fann, had used for many years annually from 40 to 60, or, lately, even 70 tons of Thomas phosphate. More than half of nis 346 acres are low left in pasture, and the most remarkable thing was that where there was a general outcry of drought and scarcity of fodder, the delds of Skimblescott were full of grass, literally calf-leg deep, and alV his stock — 17 horses, 360 sheep, and not long before 90 head of fat cattle — -were in excellent condition. Sixteen acres were once in wheat, and the crop valued in 1879 at only <£14. By liberal treat- ment with phosphate, the last being 5 cwt. per acre of Thomas phos phate, this field has so improved that it fed in 1899 70 wethers — bought in March — and now sold at upwards of £1 per head profit. Mr. Woolley pins his faith on the liberal use of Thomas phos- phate and cake. He can now get this phosphate at half the price it formerly cost him in bones. If it had been introduced ten years earlier he should now be richer by some thousands of pounds than he is. In fairly wet seasons as many as 6,751 acres of grass ha/ are mown in Tasmania, yielding 980 tons. As much as 2 ton* per acre was, however, gathered where 7 cwt. of bonedust was used; and in North Bruni IJ tons of hay with 3 cwt. of phos- phates. The foregoing remarks, although intended mostly for grass-hay, or pasture, are also applicable for our hay, which consists chiefl7 of wheat and oats, cut before too far advanced towards ripening of the grain. The majority of our farmers, however, do not sow these specially for hay, and this would not manure the land, except for either wheat or oats, from which they cut portions for hay for home use^ being either too poor or too luxuriant to leave for a grain crop, or too dirty. Where a hay crop is sown it sbould be manured as* well as for a crop of wKeat or oats. A farmer reported that he carted from a paddock, on which wheat was drilled with phosphate? the year before, quite one-third more hay, as compared with land unmanured last year. Bonedust drilled in at the rate of 1 cwt. per acre gave no apparent result for oats, with wheat, however, half a ton of hay more per acre. Mr. Ruwoldt, of Mount Grambier (31.82 in.), had 1 ton more. Where on 60 acres fallow of strong land 1 cwt. of bone phosphate w,as broad- casted and Tuscan wheat sown, 32 cwt. of hay were gathered, against 24 cwt. per acre from unmanured land. Professor Lowrie^ with mostly under 17 in., when using '2 to 3 cwt. of superphosphate or bonedust per acre for hay, at a cost of 12/6 expects to get at least a ton more per acre. One hundred and twelve pounds of guano from Kangaroo Island, with 11 in. rain gave as good a crop as 112 lb. of superphosphate; that is, 1 ton of wheaten hay per acre, against 10 cwt. where the land was not manured. The same resulted with oaten hay, which had received /? cwt, of Kangaroo Island guano per acre, broadcasted, viz., 1 ton : 49 while the unmanured land gave half a ton. At Port Elliot 3 cwt. of this guano gave 25 per cent, more hay than unmanured, and 2 cwt. of bone phosphate to Algerian oats gave 50 per cent, more hay from the manured crop, on black soil in Teatree Gully (about 25 in.) 1 ton of hay per acre. Mr. Isaacson, of Auburn (24.40) had 6 cwt. more hay per acre where he had manured with Thomas phosphate. Of course, the above poor results were in an exceedingly dry season, but, irrespective of the hay obtained from land manured with phosphates and potash, containing much more album enoids, actually up to 11 per cent., against 6 per cent., and to 0.6 per cent, of phosphoric acid, we are all well aware that hay or erass grown on dry land, and in dry seasons, is far preferable to that grown even in our South-East with a greater rainfall. Tlie proportionate feed- ing value is at least 104 to 100. CLOVER. M. de Vuyst declares his experiences made in fruit- ful clayey soils to Be that potash has there been nrofitable for clovers, and recommends the application of 480 lb. of kainit per acre. Mr. Hy. Thompson, M.R.C.V.S., Secretary of the Aspatri? Agricultural Co-Operative Society, which supplies to its members large quantities of commercial manures, says: "Kainit is invaluable for clover. The best results are got where not less than 5 cwt. per acre are applied at the back-end of the year." Professor Dr. P. Wagner says in Heft. III. of his "Manurial Questions" : "In the same soil, where cereals grew but miserably unless manured with nitrogen, and where manuring with potash and phosphoric acid remained without effect, red clover was indifferent to nitrate of soda; but manuring with potash and phosphoric acid brought them to luxuriant development.'' He admits that on the very noorest soils a small quantity of nitrate of soda may after all be advisable. Red clover sown without manure in pots gave in three cuts 33 g., 49 g., and 29 g., against 94 g., 98 g., and 69 g. where potash and phosphoric acid was given. I give now a few ex- periments made in France, which might be followed here, addinji potash. M. Lefeuvre, at Dominelais, harvested with 32,000 lb. of dung, in two cuts, 3,688 lb. of clover per acre; with 1,600 lb of Thomas phosphate, 7,064 lb. Abbe M. Quillet, of Malans, ob tained without dung only one cut; but he had with 80 lb. of Thomas phosphate two equally good cuts of 2,664 lb. each, or an excess over the one cut of 3,328 lb. M. Bessirard, of Argentan. had, with 320 lb. per acre of Thomas phosphate, 1,680 lb. more hay, and with 480 lb. of Thomas phosphate 3,120 lb. more than without any manure. Whether the soil for these experiments alsc obtained potash or was rich in potash, I cannot say. At all events potash would have increased the crop. In a favorable soil plants two months old should have their roots 2 ft. Heep, at five months to 5 ft. and more. The Agricultural Union of Spelle, in Hanover, had three expe- rimental plots sown with clover without any cereal. No. 1, un- 50 manured; No. 2, manui-ed at the rate of 4 cwt. of Thomas pnos- phate and 6 cwt. of kainit ; No. 3 at the rate of 6 cwt. of Thoma? phosphate and 10 cwt. of kainit per acre; and while the mimanured yielded 24 cwt., No. 2 had 92.80 cwt.; No. 3, 116 cwt. in one cut, second being fed off. In the North Island of New Zealand I observed clover to be ? great success. Crimson clover is spreading around Millicent (29.02> and Mount Gambier (31.82), and Mr. R. Smith had already a crop of il for three years. Mr. F. Lines, of Kanmantoo (17?. in), has done well with several varieties of clover. You may cut crimson clover for seed or hay, and it will still re-sow. In the report of experiments on clover conducted at the Council Farm, Hutton, it was found that the average increase in using 4 cwt! of Thomas phosphate over an unmanured acre was 3 cwt. of the first cut of partially dried hay ; with an addition of 117 lb. of muriate ot potash to the 4 cwt., 12 cwt. ; with a further addition of ] cwt. of sulphate of ammonia, 19 cwt. 3 qr. ; substituting 142 lb. of nitrate of soda for the 1 cwt. of sulphate of ammonia. 22 cwt. Ten tons of farmyard manure increased the crop to 21 cwt. 1 i[r. over the acre which received no manure. None of the com- mercial manures used singly, except the nitrogenous manures, although increasing the crop slightly, met the cost of the manure. The grass derived too great benefit from the dung, operating against the proper growth of clovers. The application of a mix- ture of muriate of potash and Thomas phosphate encouraged the growth of clovers more than any other treatment. On light land it is advisable to refrain from using nitrogenous manures, and if only potash and phosphoric acid are given early in spring there need be no fear of leaving the land in poorer condition for next year's crop. In spring, 1899, some of the experimental plots were top-dressed with sulphate of ammonia at the rate of 1 cwt. per acre, and it was found that the plots which in 1898 received ful- manuring, viz., 1 cwt. muriate of potash, 2 cwt. Thomas phosphate, and 1 cwt. nitrate of soda gave the best result in the second year The farmyard dung gave no increase with the above addition of 1 cwt. of sulphate of ammonia. All classes of soil were repre- sented, especially in experiments made in 1898, and strong, medium, and gravelly soils in 1899. My. J. C. Ruwoldt, of Mount Gambier (31.82 in.), had 2 acre* under clover thirty years ago, and mowed in two cuts 4 tons of clove? hay per acre. White clover killed all the sorrell in a paddock *own with 1 lb. per acre of seed, and used as pasture. Bokhara Clover (Melilotus albus) is a biennial plant, and grow^ the second year to 3 or 4 ft. It has been grown near Millicent (29 in.) on peaty land, and either cut for hay, wh'en commencing to flower the second year, or left for seed, or sheep and cattle may feed it? down till only the stalks are left, which will then in a few months bring forth again a good bite. Mr. H. Stewart had 17 bags of seed from 4 acres. It requires about 4 lb. to sow an acre. It grows also well in poor sandy soil, and should do well in York© 51 Peninsula and on the West Coast in calcareous soil, provided the roots, which penetrate 3 to 4 ft. deep, are not stopped by solid limestone. Like all other pea-flowering plants, it is sure to give largely increased crops when manured with phosphoric acid and potash, and enrich the soil with nitrogen. Forty years ago I found this clover to grow well in Bugle Ranges on a deep light soil with a rainfall of about 28 in. RAPE AND MUSTARD I have always recommended as good fodder plants. The land should be will pulverised, and even if ploughed under as green manure, or fed off, should be manured, so as to give a fine crop. The late Mr. J. L. Thompson, of Beefacres, Dookie, and Hawkesbury College, so well known as a good farmer, certainly produced good crops of rape in rotation from wheat-sick land \»ilh- out manuring; but he ploughed fully 6 in. deep in January, and worked the land so as to bring its tilth to the proverbial "onion bed" before he did sow in April after the first rains, about 6 lb. of seed broadcasted. As a protection against the fly a top- dressing of soot and ashes, or perhaps lime is advisable. If in- tended for green manure it should be ploughed under when com- mencing to flower. In about seven or eight weeks it should be fit for sheep, and one acre fattens ten lambs, especially if fenced off by a movable wirenetting. Mr. H. Hart, of Millicent (with 29 in.), fenced across liis mustard field, taking 2 J acres at a time for 300 sheep, which lasted them, with an outlet into an adjoining grass paddock each day, for six days. Care must be taken that the luxuriant growth does not blow them. For seed the sickle must be used when most of the seeds are ripe, and thrashed on a tarpaulin. Seed sell at 12/6 a bushel. To sow a few pounds of rape into a clean stubble gives after a light harrowing some- times a good bite after a summer rain, such as we have sometimes. Members of the Bureau at Yarrow and Port Elliot advise the cul- tivation of rape. In Tasmania from 2 to 2h cwt. of phosphatic fertilisers are used sometimes per acre for rape upon which sheep and lambs are to be fattened. In New Zealand no less than 125,367 acres have been (1900) under rape, or actually 21,446 acres more than in 1899. On two farms m the Tokomairiro Plain manures (not mentioned) were drilled in, and an exceptionally good growth was the result. Mr. J. C. Ruwoldt, of Mount Gambler, S.A. (31.82 in.), fat tened after well-manured potatoes 100 sheep on 25 acres sown with mustard. Mr.G. H. Vickery, of Meadows (34.56 in.), praises the Broad- leaf Mustard for the earliest crop. Drill it in 1 in. deep in February to catcli the first light rains. The plants run to seed in December, often 7 ft. high. Mr. T. Lewis, of Cherry Gardens (over 30 in ). had a single plant weighing 12 lb. In the hills you can, of coiu'^e, sow at any time. Mr. E. Lamming, of Paskevilie (15.49 in.), fed his pigs for three weeks on mustard, and afterwards his sheep, for whom such early feed is very valuable. Mr. H. 52 Hart had September-sown mustard 3 ft. high in eight weeks. For seed he sows earlier, and requires four months. Rape sown in spring by Mr. W. Vigar, of Mount Pleasant, did well, but when sown in autumn by Mr. H. A. Giles it was destroyed by wet weather. Mr. S. J. Stuckey, of Millicent (29.02) had skimmed off a bit of the swamp lands, and burned it, thus giving potash to the °o\\, and had heavy crops. From 1^ to 2 acres he sold half a ton of seed at £25 a ton. Mr. C. Faulkner, of Stansbury (17.26) had Broad- leaf Mustard 4 ft. high, with which he feeds his cows; and Mr. Plummer, of Bowhill (11.50), thought every farmer ought to grow it Both require a soil in very good heart; ajnd in Europe dung was formely given freely to the preceding crop. Fertilisers can. of course, be used, but I cannot give quantities from experiments. TURNIPS (For Fodder). Mrs. C. Poss, in East Prussia, manured per morgen (^ acre), with 2 cwt. of Thomas phosphate, 2 cwt. of kainit, and 1^ cwt. o^^ nitrate of soda, at a cost of .£1/7/, and harvested 350 cwt. of turnips, against 200 cwt. from an unmanured morgen. The net profit was £2/8/. J. Goebel, of Ernsthofen, produced from one ar (one-fortieth of an acre), without manure, 386 lb. of turnips, or 153 cwt. per acre. When manured per ar with 12 lb. of Thomas phosphate. 24 lb. of kainit, and 12 lb. of nitrate of soda, or per acre with 480 lb., 960 lb., and 430 lb. respectively, he harvested 1,338 11>. per ar, or 534 cwt. per acre at a net profit of £4/15/6 per morgen. or about £8 per acre. (See plates IX. and IXa.) f i^m ' :|^:-Ii%#^' Platk IX. Turnips on very poor clay. Joh Goebel, of Ernsthofen. Without Manure. — Produce from 4 perches, 386 lbs. 63 Plate IXa. Four perches manured with 24 lbs. kainit, 12 lbs. Thomas phosphate, and 12 lbs. nitrate of soda produced 1,338 lbs. turnips. Mr. R. Agnew, of Millicent (29 in.), sows 7 oz. of turnip seed; Mr. Hart, 5 oz. per acre. At Moorak, near Mount Ganibier (31.82 in.), there were in 1893 100 acres with turnips (Purple Top and Swedes), upon which 2,500 sheep were kept for a week, as .the caterpillars made their appearance. Mr. Williams had fattened 600 sheep on 10 sucres. An acre gave from 15 to 20 tons per acre, and he fully expected that with turnip growing the district could fatten off 100,000 sheep. He produced one Purple Top lurnip weighing 7 lb., Mr. McColl, of Rendelsham. some up to 25 lb , Mr. Chant, of German Flat, one of 35 lb. with the leaves. Mr. Hart, of Millicent, a swede of 16 in. diameter. Mr. A. Bairstow, of Narridy (16.78 in.), raised fine turnips 5 and 6 in. through from land manured long before he sowed the seed, but afterwards he cultivated the crop well. Mr H. A. Giles, of Mount Pleasant (27.09 in.), in February put in 30 acres with turnips after good rains, and by Hurdling off portion at a time kept 650 sheep on them for fourteen weeks. Mr. P. Trim- mer, of Tanunda (21.58 in.), found Tliomas phosphate very bene- ficial for a crop of turnips ; and Mr. Hunter, of Watervale (27 in). 54 considered it tlie best pliospliatic manure for tliem. Mr. Wm. Prou.l, of Tod River, near Port Lincoln (20 in.), produced Yellow Stone turnips, weighing up to 10 J lb. At Mount Gambler turnips are sown ^ lb. per acre with drill during September in drills 2 ft. apart, but even when sown in July or October good crops resulted. Mr. Langberg, of Naracoorte (22 34 in.), considered there was not much waste in feeding turnips off with sheep if put on when the leaves begin to wither. Mr. Sage, of Balaklava (15.94 in.), trans- planted them from seedbed on ordinary mallee land, and some were 15 in. in circumference. The turnip crop is the most important in the Waikato dis- trict in New Zealand. If it is a failui'e and a wet winter the mor tality amongst the stock is very great. Frequently sheep must be removed from North to South, or the reverse. On high and dry land the crops are frequently inferior for want of moisture to germinate the seed. The Auckland district had in 1898 32,485 acres under turnips; Wellington, 31,619; Canterbury, 141,898; Otago, 178,393 acres. In 1899 the total for New Zealand wa? 519,945 acres. At the experimental Station at Wyndliam, South- land (N.Z.), the Purple Top turnips were sown on fifty-two plots with fertilisers, and with or without lime. The cost of the manure is given at about 15/ per acre; broadcasting and seed, &c., 11/; but if drilled, &c., £1/18/ per acre. Roots per Acre. Tons. Cwt. Qrs. No manure 21 19 2 No manure, but 2 tons lime ... 37 13 0 3 cwt. pure crushed bones 36 15 1 Ditto, with lime 39 13 1 2 cwt. Tison's superphosphates 38 8 0 Ditto, with lime 35 7 2 2 cwt. Thomas phosphate \ 2 cwt. Hend. & Badger's fert. No. 2.../ 38 >> 0 Ditto, with lime 39 8 1 Tlie average rainfall at the experimental station is about 45 in., with a temperatuie from 40 deg. to 70 deg. With the Thomas phosphate the tops weighed 5 cwt. more per acre, the roots some- times more, at others less, with equal quantities of manure. Ex- periments made in the Transactions of the Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland of 1892 were a little in favor of Thomas phos- phate and nitrate ol soda against superphosphate and stilphate of ammonia of the same value. At Ringarooma, in Tasmania, as many as 40 tons have beeu taken from an acre without manure. Elsewliere 10 tons have been harvested with 2 cwt. of Thomas phosphate ; and at Ellendale from 55 15 to 20 tons also with phosphates. In 1898-9 4,857 acres, with an •average of 12.08 tons per acre, were under cultivation ; in the d''v year of 1899-0 only 3,350 acres, with but 8.67 tons. Trials were made with a large number of varieties of turnips •during five very dry months in 1894 at the Hawkesbury Experi mental Station in New South Wales, when hardly 5 in. of rain fell during their growth. For table use, Orange Jelly, Early Red American, and White Nepaul were the best; for cattle, Yellow Tankard and Purple Top Mammoth. At Momohaki, New Zea land, 120 lb. of steamed bonedust and 22^ lb. of Thomas phosphate gave th^ best results of twenty experiments. In the Middle Islanc? l^ew Zealand, 1 to 1?> cwt. of superphosphate have also given good results, as stated by Mr. Murphy, F.L.S. From I to 1 lb. of seed is sown with the drill, and the manure dropped in front of it, or given in a liquid state by a water drill. This latter invariably secures a rapid and vigorous braird, forcing the young plant into the roiigh leaf, after which it is secure from tTie attack of the turnip beetle. If broadcasted and too thick the harrow is run over them, or thinned by a drill-grubber or scuffler. An acre with a little hay will fatten from eight to ten sheep. MANGEL WUKZEL appears to do well almost everywhere in this State, where there is a fair rainfall. Thomas phosphate and muriate of potash mixed should be given some time before sowing, nitrate of soda -one-half at that time, and the other half when hoeing, but •care should be taken not to spread it while the plants are wet from rain or dew on account of its corrosive action. Mr. J. Goebel, of Ernst h of en, experimented in using on poor loam the following manures : — ^fanure. Average Yield in Profit on the Owts. per Acre. Cost of Manuring. Larger Crop. No manure 154 ^-|- cwt. of kainit, 4i 535 .£3 15 8 £7 12 10 cwt. of Thomas phos- phate, 4i cwt. nitrate soda Potash omitted 385 £2 18 10 £4 0 10 Phosphoric acid omitted 344 £3 4 10 £2 8 10 Nitrogen omitted 348 £1 7 10 £4 8 5 Kainit and Thomas phosphate were given on the 18th January, nitrate of soda one-third on 14th June, two-tTiirds on 5th July. Mr. P. Heddaeus, of Wolfskehlen, used on a rich loam on foMr plot-s : — 50 Manure. Average cwts. j per Acre. , Costs of Manuring. No manure 12 J cwt. kainit, 4 cwt. Thomas phosphate, 4i cwt. nitrate of soda Potash omitted , ... 433* 734^ 6::04 £3 16 :> &'l 17 2 Profit on Larger Crop- £5 1 2 £2 15 2. Kainit, Thomas phosphate, and one-third of the nitrate of soda were given on the 30tli day of May, one-third of the latter on the 7t]i July, and one-third on the 25th July In South Australia even the best of these crops are not con- sidered lar^e, so at Yankalilla (with 28 in.), where the roots fre- quently weighed half-a-hundredweight, and at the Glencoe Estate, nfear Mount Gambier (31 in.), the manager weighed in 1892 a measured portion of the crop, and found it to average 66 tons per acre. Mr. W. Pearson, of the Meadows (with 34^- in.), consider* from 40 to 60 tons of roots per acre a good crop, whilst the summer pickings of leaves and thinnings will give almost as much feed as he could get from many green crops. Besides, the crop is available probably for ten months of the year. But he emphasises tLe necessity for heavy manuring. His neighbor had roots scarcely larger than radishes ; while he has had crops up to 80 tons per acra. He gives a good coating of forty loads of stable manure when ploughed in May ; in July ploughs again, dresses with 4 to 6 cwt. of bonedust, with 4 to 5 cwt. of salt where the land does not natu- rally contain salt. He sows at the end of August or beginning- of September in drills IJ in. deep, from 2 ft. to 2 ft. 6 in. apart, after another light ploughing. Afterwards he thins, and hoes, or cultivates. He calculates the whole cost per acre in manure and labor at £12/10. Mr. J. Lawric. of Port Pirie (with 12| in.), grow* always good crops of mangolds, although his land is of a dry nature. Mr. JaiTett, of Maitland, Yorko Peninsula (19.80 in.), stated that mangolds at Mr. Gready's weighed fully 35 lb., measured to 27 in. in circumference, and were 2 ft. long. At the Sewage Farm mangold* are said to absorb 3 in. of water every fourteen days during the hot months, but grow well enough with much less. Sixty to eighty tons per acre have been grown there. Single roots often weigh 56 lb. each. I measured myself one at Mr. Hart's Farm at Milli- cent having a diameter of 16 in. When the root* are matured and removed they should be stored for a few weeks to allow sugar to be formed in them. If left too long in the ground the feeding value of the roots deteriorates in becoming to fibrous and woody. Mr. T. Corlett, of Yorketown (with 18 in.), reported that, although mangolds when sown on salt patches did not germinate ; young plants transplanted did well. Some of them 57 were measuring 6 in. across the top. Mr. J. Christison, of Clare- 24.30), had 40 tons of roots per acre. Mr. J. C. F. Lauterbach, of Woodside (31.14 in.), also cultivated mangolds for forty years- successfully. Mr. D. Keilly, of Millicent (29 in.), had mangolds up to 42 lb. in weight, and another member had 80 tons to the acre. Mr. S. Vanstone, of Minlaton (17.62 in.), stated that mangolds, especially if manured with superphosphate, had done well on hi=! salt lands, before considered valueless. Mr. G. H. Vickery, of the Meadows (34 J in), says that 15 in. of rain are desirable for mangolds ,. but they can be grown also at the Burra, Booleroo, Netley, in the North-East, Bundaleer, Wirrabara, and many other places of tfce- North. He fallows the land mainly to destroy insects. The late Dr. Voelker recommended 3 cwt. of superphosphate 2 cwt. of kainit, and 1 cwt. of nitrate of soda per acre. The late- H. C. C. Schmidt, of Tanunda (21.36 in.), recommends 20 to 24 tons of farmyard manure, or 3^ cwt. bonedust or superphosphate, I cwt. muriate of potash, and 1 cwt. of sulphate of ammonia. Tl^e 'Farm, Field, and Fireside" recommend 15 to 20 tons farmyard manure, 3 cwt. of phosphate, 2 cwt. nitrate of soda or of sulphate of ammonia, 2 cwt. kainit, and 3 cwt. salt. Nitrate should be give'> in two doses. Sulphate should be applied before the other fertilisers, and some prefer it to nitrate for mangolds. Mr, T. Williams, of the German Creek Estate (31.82 in.), near Mount Gambler, had 55 acres under mangolds in 1895, and the crop, which* was estimated to contain from 80 to 100 tons of roots per acre, was- expected to fatten off 1,000 sheep. He sows in drills 30 in. apart about 3 lb. per acre. They grow only to half-size during the spring, and the autumn rains make them grow full size. If used too soort they scour the stock. Mr. Langberg steeped his seed in liquid manure, and put them to sweat in an iron tank. The Globe* Mangels are best for shallow soil, the Long Red richest in sac- charine matter. At Ringarooma, in Tasmania, up to 30 tons per acre are growa without manure ; 16 tons with stable manure in North Bruni, ancJ* 15 tons witli 4 cwt. bonedust. In 1898-9 the average of 1,540- acres was, however, 19.32 tons, and in the dry 1899-0 13.40 tons on 1,244 acres. At New Zealand 8,051 acres were under man- golds in 1900. At Momohaki Experimental Station unmanured" plots yielded only 14 tons 7 cwt. per acre ; 7 cwt. steamed bone- dust and IJ cwt. of Thomas phosphate, 53 tons 12 J cwt. of root^, and 10 tons 1| cwt. of top ; with green bonedust and phosphatPs,„ somewhat less. LUCERNE OR ALFALFA. Very interesting experiments were made by Mayor Hed- daeus, at Wolfskehlen, on medium heavy clay soil at two diffe- rent farms. In November, 1894, he manured six plots each of 1 ar (10 = J acre) at the rate of 800 Ib.per acre of kainit, adding for a crop of oats 80 lb. of nitrate of soda in April, 1895 ; six others witha 58 "the same, and at the rate of 1,600 lb. of Thomas phosphate; and six with the kainit and nitrate of soda, and at the rate of 2,400 lb. of Thomas phosphate of 16 per cent. In April, 1895, He put in oats and lucerne. No further manure was given in 1896 md 1897. The crop of oats was on an average benefited by the Thomas phosphate by 2 bushels 10 lb. of gram per acre, but there were 124 lb. less of straw per acre. The crop of lucerne was in 1896 manured at the rate of 1,600 lb. Thomas phosphate per acre (given in 1895), and yielded on an average 651 lb. more of hay per acre ; and ^ith, at the rate of 2,400 lb. per acre of Thomas phosphate, 1,284 lb. more. In 1897 the result was still better, the average crop of luceaiie hay being respectively 2,604 lb. and 3,240 lb. more per acre. From these experiments it is apparent that the soil contained sufficient phosphoric acid for the oats, but for the lucerne the Thomas phos- phate increased the crop considerably, and the crop was a paying one. Lucerne and all legumens demand plenty of phosphoric acid and potash, and will then also enrich the soil with nitrogen. Wolff states that 1,000 lb. of lucerne hay contained 23.6.1b. of nitrogen, and in the ash 17.3 lb. of phosphoric acid, 21.9 potash, lime 34.9, silica 8.2, magnesia 4.2, sulphuric acid 4.9, oxide of iron 1.6, chlorine 2.5 lb. The ashes on granitic soil, chalky soil with flint, clayey soil with chalk, or very chalky soils show great variation in the percentages of mineral compounds. Professor Boiret says that you find much more phosphoric acid in leguminous plants than in grass hay, which contains in a ton about 7 lb. of phosphoric acid ; while in lucerne hay the quan- tity is 10 lb. 3 oz. ; in clover hay, 11 lb. 3 oz. ; in sainfoin hay. 8 lb. 3 oz. He gives only instances of tue manuring for sain- foin, giving an increase of one-fifth to one-third, which prove the great advantages of applying large quantities of Thomas phos- phate, up to 8 cwt. per acre, in preference to other phosphatic manures, the land there generally being poor in lime. I find the following results of experiments made in France : — 'M. Divoux, of Merviller in Meurthe and Moselle, had 2,640 lb. of lucerne hay without manure in the two cuts; 5,840 lb. with 400 Th. of Thomas phosphate ; and 6,400 lb. with 400 lb. oi Thomas phosphate and 400 lb. of kainit per acre. M. Barraud, of Villereal (Lot and Garonne), harvested from the two cuts wiiii- out manure 4,680 lb. per acre; with 320 117. of Thomas phospha^^e, 7,802 lb. ; witn 640 lb. of Thomas phosphate, 8,705 lb. per axjre. M Chevais, of Tournelles (Loir and Cher), obtained from the two cuts without manure 4,142 lb. ; with 320 lb. ot Thomas phos- phate, 6,859 lb. ; with 320 lb. of Thomas phosphate and 120 lb. of muriate of potash, 7,428 lb. of lucerne hay per acre. I think it is desirable to give some cultural advice. Althougb. lucerne grows well in the moister parts of South Australia, or where water can be supplied, I am not aware that other manures %ave been used than dung. I am pleased to be able to record 69 that the acreage has been doubled in the last three years, especiilly in the Lower North. Lucerne thrives best in a warm, friable soil and subsoil and de- pends more on a subterranean than a surface water supply. Tho seed-bed must be well pulverised, and the seed covered not more than 1 in. ; 12 lb. of seed is perhaps sufficient per acre if intended for seed-raising, 30 lb. where fine hay is desired. The several cuttings should not be too near the ground, and the sickle bar of a mowing machine, therefore, set high. The great injury done here to lucerne by the springtail insect Smynthurus can be- minimised by spraying the field with either 1 lb. of Paris green ov London purple to 50 gallons of water. Kerosine emulsion has also proved effectual. In Mr. E. J. Hector's paper it is stated that he lost many- acres of lucerne where the water lodged too long on it, as well at Langhome as on the Broughton, and no stock should be allowed on it in winter. Mr. Dombasle fed sheep on 2 one-seventh lb. of dry lucerne hay as a sufficient ration for the day.. Seven pounds was equal to 3J lb. of barley, or 14 lb. or raw potatoes, or 16 lb. of the best Silesian beetroot. One acre subdivided may feed four horses, fis continual grazing on the same piece will kill the plant:s The first cut for hay must be made before the grass seeds are ripe Mr. W. Pearson, ot the Meadows (with 34| in.), says that lucerne- is the most valuable for the stiffer soils in the hills, and answers- well to sow with barley, oats, or rye on such soils, provided they aro sown thinly, and cut early- if at all rank, or they may choke it. His first two cuts he dries for hay. If liberally top-dressed' with manure four or five cuts of 2 ft. long each can be obtained. After the last cutting he manures again, and harrows it in. At the Adelaide Sewage Farm, with irrigation, they cut four or Hwe times in summer, and for the remainder of the year there is a fair crop. There is danger in feeding lucerne during its early stages of growth, as it contains a gaseous liquid, which inflates the stomach. At the flowering' stage dry fibre develops, which makes its consumption safe. Mr. Hailey, of Findon (about 22 in.), 4 miles west of Adelaide, has taken eight cuts where irrigated from the Torrens bv a steam pump. At Baroota Whim (13.72 in.), it grows well on stiff clay when once established, having been protected against severe frosts by a hay or cereal crop. Mr. Rice-Kelly, of Ren- mark (11.43 in.), says that 10 bushels of seed have been obtained from lucerne five or six years old, and at that time an acre of lucerne should be worth £30 per year. One ton per month of the hay and three quarts of shelled maize per day should keep a pair of horses while working hard. Mr. H. W. Hughes, of Gladstone ^^15. 19 in.), has been very successful. The chief reasons so many ^ail is sowing the seed too deep, cutting too close, or feeding too- long at a time. He uses only 10 lb. of seed and a heavy roller, but no harrow after sowing, only later, after the young plants have got into full leaf. Mr. Byerlee, of dry Eurelia (about 12 in.), had a growth of 18 in. in twelve months after sowing. Messrs. Ward Bros. 60 •of Ulooloo (probably 15 in.), had a crop yielding two cuts within a. few weeks in the first year. They did perhaps sow in water- ■courses, where the spring water was shallow, such localities being^ praised by them. Messrs. Simson Brothers, of Limestone Ridge, near Naracoorte (22.34 in.)^ had 30 acres under lucerne. Mr. T. \aughan, of Angaston (21.93 in.), gives a good dressing of manure in July of each year. He sows and harrows in a few oats, which will give a nice cut about September. The same course is re- •commended by the Murray Bridge Bureau (13.90 in.), with barley or wheat; and Mr, E. J. Hector, of Port Pirie (12f in.), sows 15 lb. of Cape barley or oats per acre in April or May for the North, later in the South without a cereal, and uses on a well- -piilverised seed-bed only 4| to 5 lb. of seed, while others sow up to 12 lb. and more. Mr. R. Cross, of Kanmantoo (17.44 in.), got from 60 to 70 tons of hay from lucerne sown thirty years ago. Mr. T. Lewis, of Burra (17.77 in.), recommends lucerne for light soils uf Eastern plains. Mr. Weyland, of Bowhill (11 in.), grew lucern? on rubbly land without irrigation. The Veile's formula for manuring an acre of lucerne is super- phosphate 352 lb., muriate of potash 176 lb., gypsum 352 lb. Pro iessor Lowrie recommends 400 lb. of a phosphate, 5 cwt. and up to 2 tons gypsum, and later 6 cwt. of wood ashes, or even 10 cwt. AVhere lime is wanting 6 to 8 cwt. bonedust is most profitable, and also annually, in winter, according to the crops cut, from 4 to 10 cwt. Others recommend from 480 to 720 lb. of Thomas phosphate and the same of Eainit, or from 120 to 160 lb. of muriate of potash. Thomas phosphate is for such a perennial crop preferable to super- phosphate. -According to these formulas, and another used in New Jersey Experiment Station, where a little nitrogen [in three years 90 lb.), was given beside the phosphoric acid and the potash, the lucem*^ crop was enriching the soil very much by drawing nitrogen from the air. The three years' crop at New Jersey contained actually 912.8 lb. of nitrogen! What a large sum would be required to apply the 822 lb. of nitrogen by means of fertilisers after deducts ing the 90 lb. supplied ! Professor Maercker's experiments at Lauchstaedt proved that -4 cwt. kainit on good soil given to barley and afterwards yearly man- urings, with 5 cwt. kainit and 3 cwt. Thomas phosphate gave- the largest profit per half-acre, viz., 14/3. An increase to 10 cwt. of Thomas phosphate Increased the crop by 2.39 cwt. of lucerne hay, but not the profit, which was only 6/3. It should be mentioned that lucerne does not grow well where Ikere is an excess of iron in the soil, but it feeds most heavily on lime, potash, magnesium, and phosphoric acid, so that a top- dressing is advisable after some years if you do not manure every year. Without lime you cannot expect large crops. Mr Jared G. Smith, an agrostologist, says : "There is no better hay ^lant than alfalfa in regions where it will grow, and the field •should be cut when the first flowers appear, before the stems begin 61 to become hard and woody. With proper care the limit of profitable production need not be five, or twenty, or even fifty years." At the Experimental Station, Manhattan, Kansas, disc harrow- ing even four times in four months has been a remarkable success^ The crop was very thin and poor, but with 1.19 in. of rain in June,. 4.51 ir. in July, and 2.84 in. in August four cuttings were made. SORGHUM AND OTHER SUMMER FODDER PLANTS. The best time for sowing seems to be the end of September, or first week of October, if possible shortly after rain, after the land is again, in a mellow condition. Sorghum will grow fairly well even without rain or irrigation, where millet or maize will not prosper. It should be cut just as the seeds begin to turn color. If not sown broadcast and hoed several times in summer the crop should be good, and a second crop is in that case sure to grow. Mr. H. Carter, of Clare (24.30 in.), thinks 10 lb. of seed sufficient, Mr. D. Hanna, of Gumeracha, 15 lb. Mr. A. Steinwedel, of Bala- klava (15.94 in.), prefers the black seed varieties and early amber- cane for fodder, and dhurra for seed. The rows should be 2 ft. apart, the soil kept open by cultivation, and 2 in. of soil dr.-iwn towards the stems, which will cause another ring of roots. He sows in September with only about 2 lb. of seeds per acre, and cuts- when in blossom. The "Farmers' Guide" for the United States, states that sorghum is much benefited by muriate of potash. Mr. J as. Wilson, of Petersburg (12.17 in.), having tried many fodder plants without much success, recommends, however, sorghum, which should there be sown in July. If weeds are growing too freely with the sorghum he turned cattle in, and on removing them in January sorghum was soon again 1 ft. high. Wheiat following: sorghum did not always do well with him. Cattle seemed to prefer amber-cane, took afterwards to sorghum, and last *o Farmers' Friend, where the three were in one paddock. C )ws gave abundance of milk. He sowed 3 lb. of seed per acre (cost 3d. per lb.). Sorghum makes good ensilage, if chaffed into the pit. Johnson Grass (Sorghum halepense) gives good crop, but should not be planted in I^nd intended for other crops, it being so diffi- cult to get it out of the soil. The late Mr. Kluske, of Eudunda (16.96 in.), had different sorghums 5 and 6 ft. high in March, and Johnson's- Grass 3 ft. Mr. A. Plush, of Galea (15 in.), also had sorghum and Kaffir Corn 5 it. high. Mr. Bishop, of Mallala (16.56 in.), had still in June Kaffir Corn 4 ft. high. Mr. R. Marshall, then of Templars (about 18 in.), ploughed in, 3 J in. deep, with a multi- furrow plough 300 acres with sorghum, using 3 lb. per acre broad- cast, and the crop was very good, in spite of the exceptionally drv season. Mr. T. Serle, oi Millicent (29 in.), raised a crop of dhurra 8 ft high ; and J. Grunicke and J. Moseley, of Woolundunga (16.98 ^*n.).. considered dhurra a very valuable fodder plant. Mr. Westerman- Smith, of Golden Grove (about 24 in.), feeds with sorghum after- February until April or May. Mr. W. J. Trembath, of Daven- 62 port (9.24 in.), recommends Johnson Grass (Sorghum halepen?e) as growing witnout irrigation^in the hottest weather. Mr. T. Gray, of Amyton (^12.41 in.), had grown sorghum tor several years with- ouo impoverishing the land much, and other members said that in wetter districts it had proved to be beneficial to the wheat crops. (In what way?). Millets are doing well at Millicent (29.02 in.). For green fodder it should be sown there from September to December, so as to increase the yield of milk from a given number of cows in April and May when butter is dearest. This is better than to increase the number of cows. Twelve pounds of seed in drills 18 inches apart, or 15 to 25 lb. broadcasted, is recommended. Crops of 7 to 10 tons per acre are not unusual. Mr. J. Bawd, of Mount Gambler (31.82 in.), grows Hungarian millet without any in-igation to perfection. At the Hawkesbury Experimental Station (N.S.W.) many varieties of sorghum, millet, &c., were sown on land previously cropped with peas, the haulms then being ploughed in 10 in. deep on 12th November, and the following manures spread broadcast and harrowed in (per acre), viz., 1 cwt. kainit, 1 cwt. super- phosphate, 2 cwt. bonedust, 1 cwt. sulphate of ammonia, at a cost thg~two. aays that the yiold-£^£-potatooc wao in nvory inntrnioo larger of 30/. They were first cut on the 20th February, and a second cut was made on the 12th day of May; but suffered from the weather. Pearl millet gave the best results, viz., 16 tons 17^ cwt at the tirst cut and 2 tons 7.V cwt. at the second cut. Next came early amber cane, with 9 tons 11 J cwt. and 4 tons 11 J cwt. ; Kaffir Corn, with 6 tons 5 J cwt. and 3 tons lOJ cwt. ; and dhurra, sorghum, with 5 tons ISX cwt. and 4 tons llj cwt.; Planters Friend, 8 tons 13} cwt. and 2 tons 12 cwt. I do not find manuring mentioned, but no doubt a complete manure "will greatly increase the crop. Kale does remarkably well in Millicent and other parts of 'he South-East, and requires manuring, as stated under Cabbages." POTATOES. Next to Germany, I believe the United States are growing the largest crops, and also as regards acreage under crop. The Director of Geneva Station, New York, U.S., states that the a^:ii of potatoes contains 59.8 per cent, of potash, and experiments showed that larger quantities of potash were required than usual in potato manures. The average yield without potash was 8bh bushels per acre: with «iulphate of potash 112 J bushels; and with muriate of potash, 135 bushels. The latter was a good fertiliser, even on some clay soils, where potash may be said to be present in considerable quantity. In Oregon Mr. French reported that kainit produced 145 bushels, against 81 bushels per acre unmanured, and Director Flagg, of Rhode Island, stated that muriate of potash produced 7fi bushels per acre more in combination than where sulphate of 63 pctash was so used, while, on the contrary. Director Giessmann, of Massachusetts, when making experiments to compare the effects of the two says that the yield of potatoes was in every instance larger where sulphate of potash had furnished the potash of the fertiliser ;. and Director Scovell, of Kentucky, appears to be of the same opinion. He adds that the potatoes contain the largest amount of dry matter, and are, therefore, of the best quality. Mr. W. P. Brooks, of Amherst Station made eight experiments comparing muriate and sulphate of potash, when the latter gave an average of 22.1 bushels more of n erchantable tubers, and the eating quality has generally beeii: better, as containing less water and more starch. Mr. T. M. White, of New Brunswick, New Jersey, says that, averaging three experi- ments, muriate and sulphate yield practically the same ; but that potatoes gi^own with the latter are best when cooked, while muriate- is somewhat cheaper. The New Jersey Experimental Station, iir U.S. harvested on three farms also more tubers from muriate of potash, but from sulphate of potash they contained slightly more starch, viz., 16 lb. per acre. Mr. Whittemore, of Colebrook, New Hamp- shire, says for that State* the composition of manures should be 9 to 11 per cent, of phosphoric acid, 9 to 15 per cent, of potash, and 2 to 4 per cent of nitrogen. Phosphoric acid used alone at Storr's Station, Connecticut, or in combination with nitrogen, brought but littla- over nothing. Professor Wagner records the same result of a sandy soil, and Director Scovell, of Kentucky, said that 200 lb. of sulphate of potash produced slightly more than 80 loads of stable manure, and results showed decidedly that there was a profit in the use of potash compounds. The money expended in sulphate of ammonia and superphosphate was entirely lost. Mr. D. D. Johnson, of West Virginia, obtained from 800 lb. of kainit with phosphoric acid (as 2 to 1) 161 J bushels per ,acre, or a net profit of £11/9/6 p&r acre, less the cost of digging the increased crop. The careful experiments at the New York Exneriment Station con- cerning the relative effect of muriate and sulphate of potash upou: the composition of the potash were inconclusive. Profesaoir Dr. Maercker made experiments in largei vessels^ filled with a light sandy soil, to which 2J per cent, of peat was^ added for the purpose of ascertaining the results with different potash salts. Each vessel received 2 g. of nitrogen in form of sulphate of ammonia, 1 g. of soluble phosphoric acid, and 20 g. of carbonate of lime. One-half of the vessels received also at he rate of 97 lb. of potash per acre, the other at the rate of 193 lb. The variety "Professor Maercker" potatt^s were planted on the 10th day of April, 1896, and harvested in the tirst days of October. Those with less potash gave, where kainit whs used, 141 g. ; with sul- phate of potash, 159 g. ; and muriate of potash, 234 g. of tubers. The double quantity of kainit gave 195 g., of sulphate of potash 298 g., and of muriate of potash 337 g. The starch was with fho smaller doses of potash almost equal : with the larger, muriate of potash had a percentage of 16.67, and sulphate of potash of 17.30,, but the larger crop of muriate gave 23 g. more of starch. 64 Plate X. Experiments made by Mr. T. F. Stroud, of Shakes Station, Connecticut* 1895. The photos, represent the crop on ith of an acre. Unmanured. Result per acre — 3,952 lbs. of potatoes. 06 Plate Xa. Manured per acre with Result per acre 215 lbs. muriate of potash 551 lbs. superphosphate 358 lbs. nitrate of soda 12,835 lbs. of potatoes.. 66 With tops returned to the soil a crop of 200 bushels per acre re- moves 36 lb. nitrogen, 13 lb. phosphoric acid, and 60 lb. potash. If th& new German potatoes are, however, planted, and such crops as 300 cwt. and more are grown, the proportion of plant food removed is, of course, so much more, although the larger growth on the surface returns also more into the soil if turned under. Professor Maercker demands for these varieties, to obtain a fairly full crop, 58 J lb. cf nitrogen, 24 lb. of phosphoric acid, and 79^ lb. of potash per acre, but he says also that you cannot use only commercial manures. The potatoes would only be able to take up about two-thirds of the nitrate of soda or sulphate of ammonia, one-third of the phosphoric acid, and about 60 per cent, of the potash contained in the respective manures applied, and, if larger quantities to make up for the defi- ciency were used, it would at least with nitrate of soda and kainit (unless the new kainit is used) be injurious, and 6 cwt. of nitrate per acre also too expensive. From 100 to 150 cwt. of the very best, farmyai'd dung, supplemented by commercial manures, are, there- fore, wanted. When green manuring is possible after a suffi- cient rainfall in Febiiiary or March, and the potatoes are planted in August or later, you might obtain from 80 to 100 lb. of ntro- gen per acre. The Long Island Farmers Club use instead of dung 440 lb. of high-grade dried blood, and only 127 lb. of nitrate of soda per acre. The Permanent Nitrate Committee offered in 1896 prizes for growing potatoes on not less than an acre with dung and fertilisers used in the discretion of the competitors, but in conjunction with nitrate of soda of 95 per cent, purity. The best retiun obtained,, the Cupar and North of Fifeshire Agiicultural Society, on sandy, clayey loam, with 30 tons of dung at time of planting, 4 cwt. of superphosphate, | cwt. of sulphate of potash, 1 cwt. of steamed bone- flour in drills, and 1 cwt. of nitrate of soda sown broadcast before earthing up last time. The land had been two years in pasture, and only in 1895 had a crop of oats. Result, 23 tons 12 cwt. 1 qr. and 25 lb., against 15 tons 19 cwt. and 8 lb. not manured. The soil was, therefore, in very good heart before. Tlie Blandford Farmers' Club applied to strong loam on clay 15 loads of dung in winter, J cwt. of nitrate of soda at planting, and ? cwt. nitrate of soda in three dressings of 28 lb. The crop resulted in 13 tons 1 cwt. 1 qr. 20 lb., against 8 tons unmanured. The land had borne wheat in 1893 and 1895 and mangolds in 1894. Skelton-in-Clove- land Agricultural Society used merely 20 loads of dung and 1 cwt. of nitrate of soda on strong soil, and the result was 17 tons 9 cwt. 3 qr. 15 lb., against 11 tons 11 cwt. 1 qr. 26 lb. Previous crops m 1894 seeds, in 1895 oats. The Easingwold Agricultural Clul> manured sand on sand, which had turnips, oats, and clover in 1893. 1894, and 1895, with 15 tons of duns:, 5 cwt. kainit when planted, and 1 cwt. nitrate of soda when eartlied up, and the result was 12 tons 4 cwt. 18 lb., against only 7 tpns 9 cwt. 10 lb. without manure, or an increase of 64 per cent. (The kainit should have been applied much earlier, and the result might have been still better.)- Dr. Aitken reports in the Highland Society Transactions. 1887, that. 67 a complete manure, containing nitrogen, potash, and phoBphoric acid gave 7 tons 3 cwt. 32 lb. per acre; without phosphoric acid, 4 tons 19 cwt. 40 lb. ; without nitrogen, 4 tons 9 cwt. 24 lb. ; and without potash, 3 tons 1 cwt. 56 lb. Experiments conducted m Cumberland by 0. D. Hunter, F.C.S., with complete manure, con- taining nitrogen, phosphoric acid, and potash gave 9 tons 2 cwt. and 8 tons 3 cwt. ; without potash, 5 tons 7 cwt. and 4 tons 10 cwt. ; without manure, 4 tons 14 cwt. and 3 tons 4 cwt. Dr. Aitken finds that 2J cwt. per acre of refined potash salts with other manure* give best results. Professor Dr. P. Wagner says to produce 400 cwt. per acre potatoes require 80 lb. of phosphoric acid, and in an article on the necessity to supply nitrogen to the land, gives us the results of four experiments with potatoes grown in a sandy soil at Arheilgen. While respectively 156 cwt., 128 cwt., 100 cwt. 40 lb., and 167 cwt. 20 lb. per aero were obtained without manure, against 186 cwt., 242 cwt., 197 cwt. 60 lb., and 229 cwt. 60 lb. with potash, phosphoric acid and 1 cwt. of nitrate of soda, when omitting tho nitrate of soda the first plot gave no increase over the unmanured plot, the others respectively 69 cwt. 20 lb., 49 cwt. 20 lb., and 18 cwt. 40 lb. per acre. From twenty experiments made in Southern Pines, N. Carolina, U.S., the following conclusions are formed, that aoi increase ot potash showed a gain in the percentage of first-grade potatoes by 12 per cent, when double the normal ration was given. Increasing the phosphoric acid to double normal ration increased the first- grade potatoes by only 3 per cent., and where the nitrogen was so increased the first-grade potatoes were 4 per cent, ahead. But both phosphoric acid and nitrogen promoted the total yield of tubers by 8 per cent, of all sizes. Two plots unmanured of one- twentieth of an acre, yielded 86.4 and 98.7 lb. of potatoes, while 250 lb. of nitrate of soda, 400 lb. of add phosphate, and 160 lb. of muriate of potash yielded 239.4 lb., and with an addition of 2,000 lb. lime, 306.7 lb. tubers. French experiments generally show the importance of nitrate of soda, even where large quantities of farm- yard dung were given, except where M. Monville had at Bellevaux planted Magnum Bonum in very good soil, rich in humus. He had three plots of 150 ft. square, giving to No. 1, 4 lb. of Thomas phosphate and 2 lb. of sulphate of potash; to No. 2, 4 lb. of Thomas phosphate, 2 lb. of muriate of potash, and 2 lb. of nitrate of soda; and to No. 3, no manure. The crop was alike in No. 1 and 2 of more than double the quantity of finer tubers than taken irom No. 3. M. Le Henry's, of Ferre, experiments resulted from no maniu'e in 9,600 lb. of tubers; No. 2, with farmyard dung, in 11,200 lb.; No. 3, with farmyard dung and 480 lb. of Thomas phosphate, in 24,000 lb. ; No. 4, with the same as No. 3 and 80 lb. nitrate of soda, in 26,720 lb. ; No. 5, with the same as No. 4 and 160 lb. of sulphate of potash, in 28,800 lb. per acre. M. Gallien, of Leotoing, had nearly one-third more tubers when he added 800 lb. of Thomas phosphate to farmyard dung, and netted £6/14/6 per acre. M. Kunsch, of Montfaucon, planted "Magnum (58 Bonum/' and harvested, without commeiciai manure, 22",700 lb. of tubers per acre; with 480 lb. of Thomas phosphate, 28,160 lb. ; wibk 480 lb. of Thomas phosphate and 80 lb. of nitrate of soda, 30,88'> lb. ; and with 480 lb. of Thomas phosphate, 80 lb. of nitrate of soda^ and 160 lb. of muriate of potash, 31,040 lb. The soil seemed to require hardly any potash, except that in the farmyard dung and m the soil to give a full crop. M. Houry, of Val-Notre-Dame, ob- tained from one-fortieth of an acre, without manure, 128 lb. ot potatoes; from farmyard dung, 422 lb.; and adding Thomas phos- phate to the dung, 576 lb., as reported by Dr. Smets. M. C. Ribaux, of Plan-Jacot, who has great faith in the lasting qualities of Thomas phosphate of from four to seven years, planted potatoes without commercial manm-es on land that had 14,000* lb. old dung for a crop of wheat, and again 12,000 lb. a fortnight, before planting, and his crop was 16,198 lb. ; with 550 lb. of Thomas- phosphate the yield was 18,832 lb. ; with 550 lb. Thomas phosphate and 480 lb. kainit, 18,304 lb. ; with 225 lb. nitrate of soda added to the above 550 lb. and 480 lb., 20,240 lb.; with the Thomas- phosphate and nitrate of soda, 19,164 lb. ; and with only 275 lb. of Thomas phosphate, 17,240 lb. The profits over the cost of tho- commercial manures were respectively 60/, 29/, 60/, 36/6, and 19/. Mr. Hoppenstedt, of Sladen, Germany, found a large increase in his crop of heavy soil, where he used potash to three varieties of potatoes, but he used only kainit, and proved how necessary an earlier application of this salt is, especially with later sorts, that could utilise the potash for a longer time. He used 128 lb. of nit rate of soda and 96 lb. of superphosphate to 480 lb. of kainit at the planting of the potatoes, and had 4,800 lb. more than from not manured land, and 1,974 lb. more than where only the nitrate ff soda and superphosphate had been given. Where the 480 lb. of kainit had been applied in autumn he had 6,386 lb. per acre more,. and, where given to a previous crop, 8,852 lb. more harvested than from unmanured land. The starch was only 16.5 per cent, where kainit was given at the planting, 18.7 per cent, if given in autumn,, and 19.9 per cent, if to a previous crop. (See last page as to appli- cation of manures). Another interesting experiment was made by Mr. Hofmann, of Urnshagen. He manured in 1897 with 4 cwt. of kainit, 4 cwt. of Thomas phosphate, and 196 lb. of nitrate of soda at per acre for oats and vetches, and harvested 6 cwt. 80 lb. per acre more grain and 16.78 cwt. more straw than from an unmanured block. He then planted in 1898 potatoes, and had on the unmanured 82 cwt., and on the land manured in 1897 at the rate of 168 cwt. per acre, or, after deduction of the cost of the manure, a profit at the rate of £7/17/9 for the two years. Mr. Wermter, of Robertshof, in East Prussia, manured good medium soil with stable dung, and had -at the rate of 156 cwt. of potatoes per acre ; but where he supplemented the stable dung with at the rate of 8 cwt. of Thomas phosphate, 2J cwt. of 40 per cent, kainit (here to be substituted by 2 cwt. of muriate of potash),, and 3 cwt. of nitrate of soda, the result was at the rate of 250 cwt. per acre. (See plate XT') 69 Plate XT. Experiments made by Mr. Wermter, of East Prussia. Photograph of produce from 4 perches. Stnbledung and Stabledung,' 8 cwt. Thomas phosphate 156 cwts. per acre. 3 cwt. nitrate of soda 2|- cwt. of 40% kainit (or 214 lbs. muriata of potash) 250 cwt. per acre. Professor Dr. Wagner gives his latest experiences with nitra^" of soda and sulphate of ammonia. He referred to half an acre of potatoes manured with IJ cwt. of nitrate of soda, arid another half an acre which received sulphate of ammonia, containing an equal quantity of nitrogen. Of both he used one-half on the 18th April with the planting of the tubers, and the other half on the 2hd' of May as a top-dressing. The half an acre with nitrate of soda had 33 cwt. more potatoes than an unmanured half an acre ; but sul- phate of ammonia gave ^5 cwt. He" explains this that the soil was very percolative, and the spring of 1898 had so much rain that the nitrate was more washed out than the sulphate of ammonia. Dr. G. Smets says in ''La Potasse" of 1900 that potash applied in too great a quantity can interfere with the first development cf the potato plant and the starch, but if applied earlier, potash can considerably increase the crop, even double it. In the sands of the Camrine he obtained 30' per cent, more through potash. Avhich should be applied to a former crop, or in winter. Entire tubers are four times as safe to use with potash than cut tubers. c 70 If potash is properly applied it increases the crop, the starch, and the number of large tubers. Professor Maercker had from loamy soil from the "Magnum Bonum," without potash, 20,456 lb. per acre; with 8 cwt. of kainife applied to the former crop, 23,848 lb., or 3,848 lb. more ; with [ another 8 cwt. given in spring the crop increased to 27,760 lb. per acre, or 7,304 lb. more. Mr. Rassmann, of Amoenau, Hesse-Nassau, on good sandy soil i realised from stable dung at per acre 67.20 cwt. ; with stable dung [and 320 lb. Thomas phosphate, 640 lb. kainit, and 120 lb. nitrate cf •soda, 117.20 cwt., or 50 cwt. more, at a cost of £1/6/ for the mineral f manure. (See plate XII. of a similar experiment by him). Plate XII. Experiments by Mr. Rassmann, of Amoenau. Red sand in good cultivation after oats, 1899. Photo, of produce from y\rth of an acre. 84 cwt. 30 cwt. stabledung. Produce per acre — 146 cwt. 30 lbs. Manured with stabledung and 4 cwt. Thomas phosphate 8 cwt. kainit 1^ cwt. nitrate of soda per acre. Net profit on the commercial fertilizers, £3 Os. 6d. per acre. 71 In the year 1899, at the experimental station at Koeslin, Pom- merania, potatoes received the following mineral manures per acre ofi jnedium soil : — ; Plot. Nitrate of Soda. Thomas Phosph'te. 40 per cent. Kainit. Increase against No. 1. starch. Cost of Manure. Net Profit. 1 2 160 400 i 1 here jriate 37 cwta. 18-8 p.c. 18-5 " 27/6 28/4 3 200 400 160 ?,;■£ 50 ♦♦ 18-4 '• 34/ 41/4 4 — 400 chai 1.8. 0 Pot 12 " 18-4 " 14/9 3/2 5 160 — 160 .^^o 24^ " 18-5 " 18/9 18/6 6 160 400 - IJ 231 " 18-7 " 22/ 12/11 7 160 400 160+ 1,600 lbs. Lime. m " 18-5 '' 3 11 38/10 atl/6pr. 100 lbs. The phosphoric acid and potash were given some little time l:>ofore planting, together with one-half of the nitrate of soda when the potatoes appeared above ground, and the other half before hill- ing them up. Dr. Somerville, of Newcastle-on-Tyne, writes as regards experi- ments made at Cockle Park : The addition of 7^ cwt. of mixed arti- ficials without potash to 15 tons of farmyard manure has produced an average increase of 6^ tons of marketable potatoes. The addition of 1 cwt. of sulphate of potash, costing 9/ (here 12/) has resulted in a marked increase, 1^ tons in one case and 1 ton in the other plot. Where 15 tons dung, IJ cwt. of sulphate of ammonia, and 6 J cwt. superphosphates were applied, the percentage of ''small" to the total crop was 25. whereas plus 1 cwt. of sulphate of potash to these manures, the percentage of small potatoes was reduced to 18. The same was observed where the dressing with muriate of potash was doubled. With 1 cwt. per acre the percentage was 34 ; with 2 cwt., *23. At the potato-growing competition of the East Lothian Agri- cultural Society there were separate plots of half an acre, which received the same manures as others, but in addition potash and all used 3^^ cwt. kainit, and the increase on some plots was 2 tons 4 cwt. 3 qr., 2 tons 1 cwt. 3 qr., and 2 tons 14 cwt. It was said that near the sea the winds would carry sufficient muriate to the land, but where 3 cwt. kainit was there applied to very rich land it yielded 28 cwt. more merchantable potatoes. I may remark here that there have been cases reported by members of our Branch Bureaus that soaking potato setts in a solu- tion of 1 lb. of sulphate of /ammonia and 1 lb. of nitrate of potash in 5 gallons of water had proved a successful manuring ; if soaked for twenty-four hours, and then left twenty-four hours before planting. This solu- tion has as least rotted cut potatoes, and has certainly shown in many instances that it required more water, so as to be harmless, and even then was not always a success. At Hawkesbury College, "Kew South Wales, also solutions of J lb. of sulphate of ammonia and J lb. potassium nitrate with IJ gallons of water and other solutions often prevented germination. 72 View of Competition Crop at Rhodes Farm, North Berwick, where the kainit dressing had been applied. View of Crop at Rhodes Farm adjoining the competition crop, manured in precisely the same way, except that tlie kainit dressing was withheld. 73 In a recent publication, " Manuring with Brains," it is,; however, claimed that potash in the form of kainit is invaluable for preventing " scab " and " sprain " in potatoes. Sprain manifests itself by black bands throusfh the tubers, which render them unsaleable. Mr. A. C. Brown, Pinkie Mains, Musselburgh, pioneer of early potato growing on the East Coast, could only prevent the above diseases by applying an annual dressing in early winter of 5 cwt. per acre of kainit, and he has, in fact, grown potatoes five years in succession on the same field. While scab is a great source of loss throughout Great Britain, sprain is most prevalent in the eastern midland counties of f^cotland ; but those growers who regularly apply a liberal dressing of kainit enjoy an enviable immunity from both diseases. It is little use to apply kainit in spring, and much better results are on light land than on heavy. Professor Campbell, of Yorkshire, says :^" The necessity of using potash for potatoes has been forcibly demonstrated." In the United States potatoes grown in Colorado are known as perfection, but the planting of land previous under lucerne is partly responsible for this. Very few reports for Australia are recorded of crops obtained, a>nd hardly any stating what kind of manure was applied. Mr. T. C Ruwoldt, of Mount Gambier (31.82 in.), used in 1898 1 cwt. of bone- dust p3r acre to wheat, and planted in 1899 potatoes without more manure, which yielded him 6 tons, against 8 tons, and a not profit of £1/15/ where he applied 5 cwt. of bonedust. It is stated that experiments where potatoes were manured under, or at the sides, ^ive a far heavier crop, and contain more starch than where the manure was mixed with the whole of the soil. It is satisfactory to know that a larger area has been planted in 1899, viz., 8,40^3 acres, from which 19,716 tons were gathered, against 6,653 acres and 14.445 tons in 1898. New Zealand had in 1898 38.604 acres under potatoes, yielding an average of 4.95 tons, but in 1899 7.73 tons on •22.593 more acres. Near Invercargill, N.Z., there were many sorts planted in 1899 in good garden soil merely with rotten stable dung, the season being very good. Many varieties gave from 10 to 17 tons per acre. White Elephant gave 26 tons, Early Regent the same, Bruce 23 tons. Early Rose 24 tons ; but it must be remembered that the rainfall! was very evenly distributed through the year, with a temperature varying from 40 deg. in winter to 70 deg. in summer. At the Experimental Farm at Momohaki, N.Z., commercial manures alone were* used') with the Early Rose variety, and 3| cwt. superphosphate gave 7 tons S cwt. 1 qr. 13 lb. per acre ; 3 A cwt. Thomas phosphate, 7 tons 14 cwt. 1 qr. 21 lb. No nitrogenous or potassic fertiliser was used with the phosphates, only ■i-ome commercial mixtures that yielded less except a root manure, "which produced 7 tons 16 cwt. 3 qr. 18 lb. Experiments on 51 plots at-Wyndham, N.Z., yielded but little better results on account of a flooding and severe frost. Four hundredweight of bonedust and 2 cwt. of Thomas phosphate gave 9 tons; 3 cwt. bonedust and 3 cwt. kainit, 9 tons 8 cwt. 74 Experiments at Hawkesbury College, New South Wales, with a rainfall of 10 in. from August 25 to January 29, and a tem- perature up to 100 deg. in summer, did not give good yields with 730 lb. per acre of a mixture of 300 lb, kainit, 200 lb. superphosphate, and 100 lb. of sulphate of ammonia. Early Rose yielded best with 6 tons 3 cwt. 52 lb. In the North- Western Division of Tasmania, which includes Cir- cular Head, no less than 20,351 acres were planted in 1900 out of nearly 27,000 acres for that State; but the average yield was in 1898-9 only 4.35 tons, and in 1899-00 3.78 tons. I am told that the potatoes are there mostly planted on land newly cleared of the forest, and but little manure is used except at Flowerdale, wher3 4 cwt. of bonedust or Thomas phosphate secured 5 tons; and at another division, where 2 cwt. of Thomas phosphate yielded 5|- tons. The Editor of the "Farm, Field, and Fireside'' recommends a& the basis of a manure for potatoes 15 tons of farmyard manure, 2 owt. of superphosphate or 3 cwt. of Thomas phosphate, 2 cwt. sulphate of potash, and 1 cwt. of nitrate of soda. Professor R. P. Wright, in his report on experiments on the manuring of potatoes in 1889, comes to the following conclusions, amongst others: A moderate quantity (10 tons per acre) of farmyard manure along with suitable commercial manures is more profitable than a still greater quan tity of farmyard manure. Potatoes grown on farmyard manure- alone deteriorate in nutritive value and cooking quality. The best are those grown on commercial manures alone. Potatoes grown witli commercial manures alone suffer more readily from drought on light soils than where farmyard manure had also been given. It is best to use both, and the quantity of potash found in such case most ^effective and profitable was that contained in Ij cwt. of sulphate of potash of 97 per cent, purity. Kainit is less effective, and the roots distinctly inferior in nutritive value and in cooking quality ; and, although to some extent potatoes grown with muriat^e of potash, are also inferior to those with sulphate of potash, the crop is mostly greater. (See Potatoes after Peas, pages 75 and 76, at Iledwigsberg). Peas and Beans are a crop which leaves the soil in better heart as regards nitrogen, and many South Australian farmers had used these nitrogen gatherers long before the late Professor Dr. Hellriegel's important discovery. Thus, practice has for once fore- stalled theoretical discovery, for all knew that a good pea crop told upon the succeeding wheat crop, and it became here almost the only rotation of crops. How to obtain a good crop of peas has been shown by many experiments made in pots, and a few in ihe field. Mr. W. Pearson, of the Meadows, S.A. (with 34 in.), read a paper after twenty years' experience, and stated that for the hilly districts peas are simply invaluable as a fertiliser, and more reliable for a subsequent hay or grain crop than bonedust or any other artificial manure he has tried. For the peas he had, however, been more successful with bonedust than with other fertilisers. (This was challenged !) Mr. Spence, of Clarendon, used also 4 cwt. of Conrad's bonedust with excellent results. He reduces the soil to a fine tilth in April, destroys any wild oats and other weeds spring- 75 ing up by running sheep on it until J une or J my, when he ploughs the peas in 4 to 5 inches deep with the manure broadcasted, and he cross-harrowed thoroughly. He uses the roller when the peas are well out of the ground, and harrows again across the previous harrowing. The peas are mowed when the top pods are just full, not dry, and puts them in small heaps, from which you cart them in and thrash them out at once (to save stacking) on a merely warm, but not a hot day, to prevent the breaking of the haulms too small. At Port Broughton the blockers planted in 1896 quite 50 acres with peas for the Adelaide market, and did well with 14 in. rain. At Lcbethal the peas are put through a chaffcutter, and then, after being winnowed, are stored for winter fodder. Mr. H. W. Robinson, of Balaclava (with 16 in. rain), advocated the cultivation of 20 to 30 acres of peas annually, and never the same piece twice in suc- cession. He drills them in 14 to 16 in. rows apart in. June with 1 cwt. of superphosphate per acre. The Early Dun pea is recom- mended by him as the best variety ; by Mr. H. E-oediger, of Gawler River (18.90 in.), the Yorkshire. The pea likes a light soil, with a good proportion of lime in it, and Thomas phosphate could supply this. From ^ to 2 bushels per acre is usual. Mr. Harper, of Clarendon (32.46 in.), sows 3 bushels. For ensilage a mixture of peas with barley is very good. Mr. H. Gray, of Hindmarsh. had on a black flat 73 bags from 5 acres. Mr. J. Lewis, of Cherry Gardens (about 36 in.), used 3 cwt. per acre of Thomas phosphate for his peas, and had a splendid crop. Mr. R. Wood, of Dalkey (15 in.), had 13 bags of peas from 3 acres broadcasted. Professor Wagner recommends the use of 440 lb. of any phosphate of 16 per cent, and 160 lb. of muriate of potash per acre. Plates could show clearly how little difference a nitrogenous manure makes, while potash and phosphoric acid are required for the full development of the peas. Without manure the peas and straw show 2.02 g. of nitrogen ; with the potash and phosphoric acid manuring no less than 6.11 g. of nitrogen. We have, therefore, enabled the peas to draw so much nitrogen from the air on giving a sufficient supply of potash and phosphoric acid. Only in a very poor soil as regards nitrogen it may be advisable to assist peas for their first development with a small quantity of nitrate of soda, not exceeding, say, from 40 to 50 lb. per acre. At the Agricultural Station at Georgia, U.S., a very much larger application of nitrate of soda was given, and the crop was also much better than with potassic and phos- phatic manures alone ; but it is more than doubtful that the crop was payable, and the air had not been drawn upon for nitrogen so long as the manure contained it. At Hedwigsberg, near Frankfort, ten experiments were made with peas in sandy soil, poor in lime, and quite impoverished. The whole of the ten plots received per acre 480 lb. of Thomas phosphate (No. 1, nothing else) and eight of them 6,400 lb. of lime. After harvesting the peas the straw was ploughed in for a crop of potatoes in 1894. (It should be men- tioned, however, that the late Dr. Voelcker classified the value ©f pea straw as first, even better than oaten straw and bean straw with the pods). 76 Per acre of jrreen peas in lbs. Potatoes in Plot. 1892 1893. 1891. I Only lime and Thomas phosphate 2, 1 86 1,914 13,112 •2 Only lime with 640 lbs. kainit 2,276 2,140 16,220 :i Only lime with 1,280 lbs. of kainit 1,744 2,154 14,932 4 Only lime with 160 lbs. muriate of potash 2,680 2,312 16,000 ■o Only lime with 320 lbs. muriate of potash 2,520 2,328 16,132 6 Only hme with 166 lbs. sulphate of potash 2,936 2,512 17,868 7 Only lime with 332 lbs. sulphate of potash 3,220 2,481 16,088 ^ Only lime with 450 lbs. potassium and magnesium carbonate 2,872 2,392 13,732 9 Thomas phosphate and 450 lbs. potas- sium and magnesium carbonate 2,712 2,544 12,268 10 Thomas phosphate with 640 lbs. of kainit 2,572 2,248 12,756 All the plots received in 1893 240 lb. of Thomas phosphate, and plots 2 to 10 the same quantity of potash. In 1894 no manure was given to the potatoes. Professor A. Bourgeois publishes in his "Essais d'Engrais Chi- miques" some experiments with peas made by teacners in the De- partment of Meurthe and Moselle. They had to use 1,600 lb. of Thomas phosphate and 160 lb. of sulphate of potash; and M. Hail- laiiy, in Uruffe, harvested from one square yard of unmanured land 1,385 g. of green peas; from the manured, 2,400 g. M. Leclerc, of Courielles, from the foiiner per acre of green sugar peas, 1,200 lb. ; and from the manured, 1,600 lb. Three others had also good results with the above manures, and where M. Gryer added 160 lb. of nitrate of soda he had luxurious plants, but few peas. Mice did nob attack the peas on the manured lands. Near Osterode peas were sown between newly-planted rasp- berries, for whose benefit nitrogenous manure was given in excess of what might have been given to peas alone. The manure was given in FebiTiary, and on the 17th of May as top manure 240 lb. of muriate of potash and 400 lb. of superphosphate. The results were per acre : — Green Peas. Drv Peas. Plo^ Lbs. Lbs. Unmanured 612 400 1 Unmanured, but top-dressed 1,152 752 -2 , 520 lbs. Thomas phosphate and 232 lbs. of sul- phate of ammonia 2,076 1,356 :? 232 lbs. of sulphate of ammonia and 960 lbs. of kainit ... 1,814 1,180 4 520 lbs. Thomas phosphate and 960 lbs. of kainit 1,175 770 5 520 lbs. Thomas phosphate, 232 lbs. sulphate am- monia, 960 lbs. kainit 2,624 1,712 • In Tasmania peas are generally grown without manure, and give but very poor crops, from 10 to 20 bushels; at Frankfort, 30 bushels of grey peas were grown and 6 cwt. of bonedust used. With broad beans an experiment was made , by Mr. E. Lierke, of Westeregeln. Potash and phosphoric acid showed there also very much increased crops, while nitrogen was barely doing this as regards the ripe beans. Unmanured, the crop of green beans was 9,472 lb. per acre, the green stalks and leaves 14,368 lb., ripe beans 2,246 lb. Manured with 153 lb. of sulphate of potash and 216 lb. of double superphosphate, the green pods weighed 11,265 lb.> the stalks, (fee, 16,304 lb., the ripe beans 3,502 lb. Nitrate of soda being substituted for the phosphoric acid, the pods and stalks weighed more, but the dry beans less, only 3,098 lb. Mr. Jas. Mason, of Witney, Scotland, manured exhausted soil as regards cereals with phosphoric acid, lime, and magnesia (pro- bably the potash manure containing much magnesia, sulphate of potash-magnesia), tilled well, had a strong crop of beans, followed by a fair crop of clover hay, and another clover crop. He col- lected, without nitrogenous manure, 376 lb. of nitrogen per acre in the three years, equal to 1 ton of nitrate of soda. This supported in the fourth year so voracious a nitrogen-eating crop as potatoes. Farmyard dung has about the right proportions of potash, viz., 2 per cent, to 1 per cent, of phosphoric acid, but the 2 par cent, of nitrogen in it are far in excess of the need of the bean, and it is. therefore, wasted, and prevents the drawing of the nitrogen, from the air. Professor Wright records the experiments made with beans at Pumpherston in a cold, thin, high-lying, poor clay. All the plots received nitrate of soda and phosphoric acid except one, which had only potash salts, and this plot gave 26 J bushels of dressed beans per acre. Of plot 1, that had sulphate of potash, the crop was 43^; bushels; plot 2 had muriate of potash, and returned 48|- bushels; plot 3 had only the nitrate and superphosphate, and the crop was only b^ bushels and 2^ cwt. of straw. Professor Wagner has shown how little nitrogen is required for beans in plot 10, in his ''Anwendung Kunstliciier Dungemittel."' Dr. AitkenV experiments at the same place gave as the average return of four plots without potash, plot No. 1 unmanured, No. 2 with phosphate. No. 3 with nitrate, and No. 4 with nitrate and phosphate as 5J bushels per acre; while the average of four other plots, 1 with potash, 2 potash and phosphate, 3 potash, phosphate, and nitrate, and 4 potash, phosphate, nitrate, and gypsum, was 41^ bushels per acre. The quantities of manure used were at the rate of 160 lb. of phos- phoric acid, nitrogen at the rate of 40 lb., and potash at the rale of 120 lb. per acre. Director Dabney, of North Carolina, U.S., says : "Kainit and peas together are the most promising agents for improving our southern soils;" and Mr. McCallum, of Eobeson County, says: "The plot on which I used kainit made twice as many peas as any of the others. You could plainly tell the very row where the kainit commenced by the number of pe^s." Experiments made by J. Harms, of Neuendeich, Holstein, on heavy soil, after re- ceiving at the rate of 64 cwt. of lime per acre, gave a profit of £1/7 j6 78 per acre over the unmanured, 6 cwt, of Thomas phosphate, 65 lb. of kainit, and 130 lb. of nitrate of soda having been applied. I con- clude this with the words lately frequently used : "Potash is the dominant manure for leguminous crops." HOPS. Experiments in manuring have been made in 1899 m Germany. There were in each case five plots of 100 plants. One unmanured, No. 2 complete manure, with 100 gramm. Thomas phos- phate, 90 g. of 40 per cent, kainit, and 110 g. of nitrate of soda, No. 3 omitted nitrate of soda. No. 4 omitted potash. No. 5 omitted Thomas phosphate. The mean crop of the experiments wa« 54 per cent, more from the complete manure, No. 2, than from the un- manured plot. The cost of the manure was 3/6 for the 100 plants, and the crop more than 18 lb. better. Mr. Deininger had with complete dung 22 lb. more dry hops, Mr. Distler 24 lb. more. Without nitrate of soda they had each 12 lb. more, without potash respectively 8 lb. and 12 lb. more, without Thomas phosphate 11 and 16 lb. more than from the unmanured plot of 100 plants. The profit was with the complete manuring respectively 11/6 and 14/. In an experiment made by Mr. Baumeister the soil had sufficient potash, but hardly any phosphoric acid, so that the results were : With complete manure and without potash, these were equal ; with- out Thomas phosphate, equal with the unmanured plot; and with- out nitrate of soda, only 4 lb. more. Mr. J. Meyer found in his soil so much phosphoric acid that the omission of Thomas phosphate was not so serious a diminution of the crop against complete manuring ; the former was 21 lb., the latter 26 lb. But the omis- sion of nitrate of soda gave only 6 lb., and the omission of potash 11 lb. more than the unmanured plot. Mineral manuring influenced the quality of the hops favorably. In Kent, England, large quantities — 3 to 4 cwt. of dissolved Peruvian guano — ^are said to be used. In Tasmania a crop of about 595,000 lb. was the average taken during the last two years from 651 acres under crop. Last year there was an increase of 118 acres. New Zealand had 994 acres with hops, and exported 6,228 cwt. TOBACCO. Mr. W. W. Heath, of the Finniss Branch, says in his paper : "Deep and thorough working will always pay, and the more manure the greater and better ( ?) the crop. Old land in good heart, with artificial manure, is good, but new land or virgin soil, with the same quantity of manure, is far better." American authorities are not of opinion that all manures, or. even suitable manures, in excess are desirable. Chlorine contained in common salt, kainit, muriate of potash, are very injurious to the burning of tobacco. Even sulphate of potash and phosphoric acid should not be used to excess, nor nitrogen in the form of raw animal fertilisei^s or fresh dung. Mr. Butterwick, of Florida, says that generally from 200 79 lb. to a ton of commercial fertilisers is applied per acre ; seldom more for a high-grade leaf for wrapping. In the Connecticut Val- lay applications of 3,000 lb. of concentrated chemical fertilisers is the rule rather than the exception, the nitrogen being supplied in various forms, and at different times, and the phosphoric acid and potash broadcasted before planting. The proportion is about 60 lb. of phosphoric acid to 75 lb, of nitrogen and 120 lb. of potash per acre. Professor Keszler's remarks on the burning of tobacco in my paper read on August 29, 1892, at the Central Agricultural Bureau, should be well considered before manuring. He recom- mends from 400 to 480 lb. of sulphate of potassium and magnesium in autumn and 240 to 320 lb. in spring per acre, well mixed with the soil. Professor Stutzer recommends Martellin to be used some time after other fertilisers. ORCHARDS. > Planting of fruit-trees was being carried on in 1900 in South Australia more than ever before. In 1899 there were 15,477 acres, irrespective of the trees grown in cottage gardens. But I doubt very much that manuring of them has been properly carried cut, if at all. Only during the last six years the manuring of fruit-trees with anything but compost or farmyard dung has been called attention to. The few experiments made with commercial fertilisers have been made to trees only a few years old, or at plant- ing. This much is certain, that we have not to judge by th« con- tents of the several fruits what the trees require as plant food. The late Professor Dr, Barth said : ''Not in the fruit is the preparation of their sugar; the leaves do this with the aid of the sunlight by means of the chlorophyl in them, and the water from the roots. The sugar thus produced proceeds from the leaves, through branches and twigs, and forms with other plant food received from the roots new wood and leaves, &c., and only later in the season obtain the fruits the sugar after the actual growth of the tree is less energetic." He and Dr, Steglich have at last found that the plant food required in a year by apples, pears, cherries, and plums is very different. An apple-tree requires yearly in grammes, if its stem has a circum- ference of 10 in,, 59 g, of nitrogen, 11 g, of phosphoric acid, 51 g, of potash, and 109 g, of lime, A pear-tree of like dimensions wants 37 g, of nitrogen, 7 g, of phosphoric acid, 40 g, of potash, and 69 g. of lime, A sweet cherry-tree requires 30 g, phosphoric acid, 95 g, of potash, and 209 g ,of lime, A plum-tree, 11 g. phosphoric acid, 74 g, of potash, and 75 g, of lime. The quantity of nitrogen is not certain for the two latter; but the yearly require- ments per square yard may be only 3 to 4 grammes for the cherry and 7 to 8 g. for the plum, not 17 g. as mentioned by A. Wagner, Director of the Ae^ri cultural Winter School at Gelnhausen. Quite lately Dr, Steglich, of the Experimental Station at the Botanical Gardens in Dresden, has favored me with fuller informa- tion. He savs, in concord with M. Lechartiers, that fruit^troes require comparatively little phosphoric acid, two to three times ^ much nitrogen, and three to four times as much potash, or per 80 square yara annually 10 to 15 g. nitrogen, 5 g. phosphoric acid, and 12 to 18 g. potash, and 40 g. lime. For heavy soil sulphate of ammonia should be applied in autumn, after the leaves have dropped. For light soil nitrate of soda in spring before the leaves appear. At planting he recommends bonemeal and Thomas phosphate and muriate of potash, but rejects stable dung as quite unsuitable at PLANTING. Lime he puts on in autumn, but not with other fertilisers at same time. A tree of 20 in. circumference requires to be manured on 25 square yards with say, 15 x 25 = 375 g. nitrogen in 3.75 lb. of sulphate of ammonia of 20 per cent., or 5 lb. nitrate of soda of 15 per cent.; 15 x 25 = 375 g. potash in IJ lb. of muriate of 40 per cent.; 5 x 25 = 125 g. phosphoric acid in IJ lb. of super- phosphate or Thomas phosphate; 40 x 25 = 1,000 g. of lime in 2 lb. of fresh lime, or 2.6 lb. carbonate of lime. The cost would be about 6tl. He plants in holes ten yards wide with 400 g. nitrogen, or 8 lb. blood manure, 200 g. phos- phoric acid in 3 lb. Thomas phosphate, 600 g. potash in 3 lb. muriate of potash, or 10 lb. of kainit and 4 lb. of lime. The annual manuring, I presume, he will modify somewhat in accordance with the before-mentioned requirements of the different fruit-trees. Authorities, however, do not agree at all, and this shows hovr few experiments have been made extending over a number of years. Ml. Grobben, a lecturer on fruit-trees, mixes the soil on planting for each tree with 20 to 40 lb. of Thomas phosphate and some potasli. This, he thinks, will ensure fruitfulness for fifty years, and prefer- able to manuring every year, and that you will never hear of the die back disease. But Councillor of Economics Goethe, of Geisen- heim, an undoubted authority, plants apple and pear trees into holes 2 ft. 6 in. deep, and mixes the soil with only 1 lb. of kainit and I lb. of Thomas phosphate, and these quantities have been used with success by my son in Bugle Ranges for most of his young ti'ees. Goethe recommends that they cannot any longer dispense with fertilisers, if they hope to obtain payable crops. After the first two years the quantity of manures to be given should be in accordance with the extent to which the roots of the young trees have spread around the stem. They generally extend to a greater circumference than the branches, and this stands to reason, as the roots are allowed free development, while young trees are cut with a view to shaping. In thin soil the roots spread farther out in search of plant food, less in strong soil. Pear-trees trend their roots more to a depth. If it is intended to plougli between the rows it is advisable (and perhaps in any case) to cut ^he subsoil 6 in. further around in the hole underneath the surface «oil, instead of sloping the soil downwards from the siirface, as is seen almost everywhere. To know how much manure is required for larger trees we Imve to ascertain the number of square yards the crown has spread, and then to add one or more yards in circumference, as far as the roots may eventually extend. Director A. Wagner recommends to give per square yard: 1. animal liquid manure, in addition to phosphoric acid in quantities of 10 pints in spring and summer; 2, sewage, with w^ood ash or potash. 81 3 to 4 lb.; 3. compost, 22 lb. in autumn, winter, or spring; 4, larmyard manure, 10 lb., same time ; 5, Thomas phosphate, H to 2h oz., same time; 6^ muriate of potash, | to 1 oz., same time; 7, nitrate of soda, J to 2 oz., half at the time of potash and phosphate, half in spring. The mode of ascertaining the number of square yards to enable you to work out the quantity of manure to be given to a tree is to multiply half the diameter of the crown of the tree by itself, and again multiply the product by 3.14, as 5 x 5 = 25, and 25 multiplied by 3.14, say, 75 square yards. The tree would require 75 times 2 oz. Thomas phosphate, or 9 lb. 6 oz. ; 75 times 1-?, oz. njtrate of soda = 5 lb. 14 oz. ; ar.d 75 times 1 oz. muriate of potash = 4 lb. 11 oz. Closely planted orchards wrAild require per acre 7 to 10 cwt. Thomas phosphate, 2 to 3 cwt. muriate of potash, and 2 to 6 cwt. of nitrate of soda, the latter only to be increased from 2 cwt. if wood formation must be forced. M. J. S. Wagner says in the "Journal de 1' Agriculture'" that trees must be manured not less than one yard in circumference beyond the surface covered by the crown of the tree. He recom- mends 9 lb. of an organic fertiliser .like blood manure per square yard in autumn, winter, or early spring ; also liquid manure, about 9 pints, in spring or summer, supplemented with a phosphatic fer- tiliser, 5 to 7 pints of nightsoil, supplemented by a potash salt, ca)i also be given in spring or summer 20 lb. of compost in autumn, winter, or spring. If commercial fertilisers are to be used, 20 ^o 50 grammes of a phosphatic-potassic dressing, consisting of 40 to 60 gr. of 15 per cent. Thomas phosphate and 20 to 30 gr. muriate of potash should be used in autumn, winter, or early spring, and 30 to 50 gr. of nitrate of soda in spring. A London paper, "The Fruitgrower," says that analysis has shown that in each 10 lb. of apples there is but 0.008 lb. of nitro- gen and only 0.001 lb. of phosphoric acid, and that, therefore, both are not mucii required. But there is in 10 lb. of apples a larger quantity of potash. 0.013 lb., and in an average crop of 75,000 lb. per acre 7 5 lb. would be removed. After ten such crops the orchard would probably cease to bear, simply because there is nothing in the soil to produce fruit, and the trees may still appear fairly vigorous. The remedy is, of course, to manure. The London "Fruitgrower and Market Gardener" proposes 2 cwt. per acre, to be applied in autumn of one part of potash and three parts of phosphoric acid. To obtain nitrogen for the trees he advises green manuring, and prefers before all others to grow turnips until a good bulb is formed, and then to pull and toss them in a heap, which, when decayed, is spread and ploughed in. Mr. E. Beekman, of Middleton, New Jersey, U.S., used per acre on Pippins 512 lb. of bonedust, 28 lb. of nitrate of soda, and 153 lb. of muriate of potash, and collected 6,726 lb., against 5,504 lb. where not manured, and the apples were of far finer quality and color. With double the quantities given to Keswick Codlins, and especially if 307. lb. of muriate of potash was used with the bone- 82 dust and nitrate, 3,384 lb. more apples per acre were gathered. Iii a letter received by me in August, 1900, he qualifies this by stating; that muriate alone will not do more than unlock the natural fertility of the soil, and add to the general health of the trees, and that 200 to 250 lb. per acre is enough, if used year after year with bonedust and nitrogen obtained from clover or horse manure. I find that apples and pears receive in Tasmania frequently 6 cwt. of bonedust and from 2 to 4 cwt. of kainit per acre. 13,172 acres were planted with apple and pear trees, and the estimated crop 643,209 tons of apples and 34,629 tons of pears. New Zealand had 23,956 acres under orchard. A large number of cherry-trees have been planted at Feld- brunnen, in Germany, in 1890, and most of these have been regularly manured with 3 lb. 6 oz. of Thomas phosphate and 1 lb. 9 oz. f muriate of potash. On an average they returned 7 lb. 7 oz., against 4 lb. 9 oz. where not manured. Those trees that also re- oelived 1 lb. 7 oz. of nitrate of soda averaged 9 lb., and the fruit was heavier and of superior quality when manured. Experiments made with peach-trees in New Jersey, U.S.,. during five years showed that only where potash, phosphates, and nitrogen were applied, leaves and trees were healthy and the fruit of good quality. Nitrogenous manures produced wood and foliage^ potash and phosphoric acid encourage fruit buds and maturation of fruit, refined potash salts increase the size of the fruits. They^ were beautifully colored, and have a most excellent taste. Use 90 to 180 lb. of nitrate of soda, 320 to 640 lb. of phosphatic fertiliser, and 110 to 220 lb. of muriate of sulphate of potash. You have perhaps to wait a dozen years before the crop of olivesis payable, but these trees require little attention, are regular croppers, and last for hundreds of years, provided you can give some manure. Irrigation brings them quicker into bearing ; and Professor Biolettr says that although the soil must not be poor, sandy, and loamy, even rocky soil within 100 miles of the* sea, is suitable. I find nothings recorded that commercial manures have been used. Trees raised from seed are longest living, but the flesh of the olive must be removed, or many will not germinate. The pits should be placed in water, and those that float rejected. After that the pits must be cracked with care before sowing to quicken germination, or placed for twenty-four hours in a solution containing half a pound of caustic soda to a gallon of water, A sandy bed heavily- manured with thoroughly rotten manure is required. The pits are actually surrounded by well rotted manure, which facilitates transplanting, as a ball of earth may adhere to the plant. Almonds seem to be specially adapted for South Australia, and ought to pay well if planted in suitable localities, where the blossoms- are not damaged by frost. I have not heard of any manuring. Per- haps that proposed in a handbook for the Association of Ammonia Manufacturers for apricot and nectarine trees will be also suitable for almonds. It states that a good luxuriantly-growing tree will' with profit consume about 7 lb. of sulphate of ammonia in March and 83 a similar quantity in July ; and, best, just before a shower of rain, S lb. of nitrate of soda would be useful. I have repeatedly recommended the growing of prunes. Cali- fornia lately had a good crop of 114,227,000 lb., and there is un doubtedly a good sale for them. Here prunes frequently bear too large a crop, and drop most of the fruit on account of drought or want of plant-food. A dry position is, however, fairly safe if they ^Te budded on the peach, and fertilisers, together with the thinning of the fruit, may give you a good-sized French prune. When Coe's Golden Drop or the Silver Prune are grown where there is a good rainfall, Myrobalan stocks may be preferable. That South Australia can produce fine trees and fine apples is undoubted. So Mr. Wescombe, of Upper Sturt, had 70 bushels of apples in 1892 from a tree planted forty years go, and at Watervale I saw an apple- tree twenty years old, which was 5 ft. in circum- ference at the base, and was 44 ft. across the branches. The finest Calville Blanc and Gravenstein have been grown in Bugle Ranges and Norton Summit, and London knows by this time some of our good keeping varieties. We have, however, to use great care in grading and packing. Quality is, of course, a feature which cannot be neglected. With- out using fertilisers — for stable manure may produce mainly leaves and wood — you may obtain small fruit; perhaps prematurely matured, woody, a mass of skin and core. But if you have your fruit not of one size it should not be forgotten that some of the •dealers at home have customers that demand only the best and largest fruit, for which they are prepared to pay high prices ; while other dealers can do best with medium fruit, and grading thus suits both, and helps the trade. Of course, only the best varie- ties fit for export should be planted, and the public taste must be studied, but also the eye pleased by color and equal size when the •case is opened. Finally, it is a mistake to believe that because a tree ha.^ borne well one year it cannot give any fruit next year. If mois- ture and plant food is not present the tree is unable to mature fruit, but with these in sufficient quantities it should bear every year, except when blossoming in unfavorable weather. The answer I received from the Angaston Bureau, a district where apricot? are grown in large quantities was that the trees had not yet received any manure. But is the crop always as good as it might be ? In supply- ing chiefly potash and Thomas phosphate I have myself never been without a full crop of apricots, peaches, plums, loquats, and figs. Other fruits I do not cultivate in Adelaide plains. Shelter towards the south-west and north is not only desirable, in many localities imperatively demanded for a profitable orchard. Since the above w^as written I have been favored by His Grace the Duke of Bedford with his first and second report on the Wobum Experimental Fruit Farm. The ground was trenched in 1894, and in the absence of leading data a normal mixture was given of fertilisers to replace the food constituents which, according to 84 E. Wolffs analyses of the ash of crops of apples, are removed, and double that qq^antity was allowed for waste by drainage, &c. This consisted of 94 lb. of sulphate of potash, 152 lb. superphosphate, 32 lb. sulphate of magnesia, and 97 lb. nitrate of soda per acre, and was applied around the young trees for a distance of some 6 in. beyond the extension of the roots. Upon the trees reaching matu- rity the whole of the ground will be manured. The relative pro- portions of the manuring were also those which Lawes and Gilbert used for their best results in grain-growing. The fertilisers were applied in autumn, except the nitrate of soda, used in spring or even July. The cost was £1/10/ per acre, equal to about an equivalent in dung. One half plot received before planting at the rate of 30 tons of London manure to the ;acre, the other half annual doses of 10 tons per acre, and all these trees received also the commercial manures. The results after sdx years showed that the store of food material in the trenched and well-cultivated soil was ample for tho yovmg trees, and that even the largest applications of fertilisers hud hardly any effect at the Woburn Experimental Tree Farm. In little else than sand or exhausted agricultural land it will doubt- less be quite different. His Grace admits also that older trees, which have exhausted the ground around them, want manure, and too rarely get it. Another result is of great interest. Where grass was on purpose sown and allowed to grow around his young trees, otherwise treated normal, and the grass, when cut, allowed to rot on the plots, the increase in the weight of these trees when lifted after three years was not so' much as doubled, while other trees had increased 10 to 15 fold in weight. Even total neglect, care- less planting in untrenched ground, no manuring or tending of the soil or trees, produced no greater effect than grass ; weeds being mostly annuals, are not quite so bad as grasses. I will add here a list of quantities of fertilisers that have been recommended for average full-grown trees, and which I have found to answer fairly well. For oranges and lemons I have used years ago bonedust, but subsequently have once in every year applied the following in pounds, viz. : Prunes Plums Apricots Peaches Cherries Oranges Lemons As regards lemons, it has been no success with me. and I find that probably the quantities were too small. Professor Hilgard stated in 1894 that these fruits removed the following quantities of plant food from one acre, viz. : 20,000 lb. oranges, 42.2 lb. potash, 10. G lb. phosphoric acid, 36.6 lb. nitrogen ; 20,000 lb. lemons, 53. S lb. potash, 12.2 lb. phosphoric acid, 30.2 lb. nitrogen. Of coul-se. l^homas Nitrate Kainit. Phosphate. of Soda. 16 5 2 , 12 4 21 16 5 2' , 12 4 li . 14 5 1 4 3 u 1 3 li 85 leaves and wood require and contain also large quantities, and mucVi more plant food must be giv(3n. With a complete manure another advantage is that the rind is 22.5 per cent, less than where no manure was given Professor Woodbridge also states that although a soil may be rich in not available potash, quantities of Stassfurt rjotash salts were needed for good crops. At Dumville Grove, in JFlorida, a lemon-tree that yielded from 8 to 10 boxes a year received during three successive years in three equal divisions each year, 48 lb. sulphate of potash-magnesia, 25 lb. sulphate of ammonia, and 27 lb. acid phosphate of 18 per cent. Previously, until eight years old, tJie trees received only 5 lb. of the above mixture. The fer- tilisers were put into a ditch around the tree nearly 1 ft! deep, and covered with water. Oranges received at Dumville Grove the same quantity of potash, only 16 lb. of sulphate of ammonia, and 36 lb. than from the unmanured acre. Cauliflowers. — Light dunging, with the addition of commei- •cials, produced at Hadlow better results at less cost than 25 tons dung. The average of foui' crops was per head 4 lb. 5 oz. from the fonner, against 4 lb. 3 oz. from the latter, When 12| ton?, dung, phosphates, kainit, and 2 cwt. of nitrate of soda was given. According to E. Von Wolff's analysis, 15,000 lb. of cauliflowers and trunks per acre require 100 lb. of nitrogen, 371 lb. phosphoric aci'l, and 109 lb. potash. It may, therefore, be advisable to use 25 loads dung, 400 lb. nitrate of soda in two doses, 200 to 250 lb. Thomas phosphate, and 120 lb. of mm'iate of potash, or without dung, 6 cwt. •jiitrate of soda, 5 cwt. Thomas phosphate, and 340 lb. of potash. Carrots. — Many French Agricultural teachers made experi- ments with 1,600 lb. Thomas phosphate, 160 lb. sulphate of potash, and 160 lb. nitrate of soda per acre. The lowest return was 1,600 lb. more than from unmanured soil, the highest 6,080 lb. more. Near Osterode, in the Harz Mountains, experiments were made on a heavy clay soil, which had received stable dung to previous crops of vegetables. When 240 lb. of muriate of potash, 520 lb. of Thomas phosphate, and 312 lb. nitrate of soda per acre were given, the increase over unmanured was 11,200 lb. The muriat-e of potash seemed to be more required than the other fertilisers, where only two were used. Thomas phosphate and muriate were given with the seed, the nitrate of soda before the first and seeond hoeing. Some •crops have apparently much greater difficulty in obtaining their necessary supplies of potash than others, and carrots seem one of the former. It is generally admitted that it is best to sow can^ots on land which received dung to a previous crop, and to use commercials when sowing. Where 12^^ tons dung per acre had been used at Hadlow to a previous crop 18 tons of carrots were the result; but with the addition of 6 cwt. of phosphates and 2 cwt. of nitrate of soda the crop was 22 J tons, and with the further addition of 4 cwt. of kainit '25^ tons. Land that had received no dung to the preceding crop yielded 17|^ tons. When, however, instead of dung 4 cwt. nitrate of soda and the phosphate and 4 cwt. kainit had been applied, 24| tons was the result. Celery. — 300 lb. Thomas phosphate, 336 lb. nitrate of soda, and 220 lb. sulphate of potash per acre are recommended. Where dung is to be used it should be applied to a former crop, and only com- mercials given containing, according to Mr. R. L. James, 10 per cent. potash, 7 per cent, phosphoric acid, and 4 per cent, nitrogen. Cucumbers. — Mr. C. Vibrans, of Calvoerde, manured a good sandy soil with dung and with 480 lb. of Thomas phosphate, 200 lb. nitrate of soda, and 240 lb. of muriate of potash per acre, and obtained on the average 12,877 lb. of cucumbers, against 8,885 lb fi'om beds not manured with commercials, and the number and size 91 of them was greater. Kainit in place of muriate of potash was^ injurious to the crop. Kohlrabi. — Mr. Buehler, near Laupheim, manured with 40,000' lb. dung per a«re. Result, 36,000 lb. of kohlrabi. Adding 400 lb. Thomas phosphate and 200 lb. nitrate of soda, the crop yielded 41,600 lb. When adding to the dung, the phosphate, and nitrate on another plot 400 lb. kainit, he obtained 50,600 lb. per acre, and a net profit of £1/19/. Lettuces. — -At Hadlow the crops were enormously greater and more vigorous where commercials were given in addition to light dung. Four hundredweights superphosphate or 7 cwt. Thomas phosphate, with 4 cwt. nitrate of soda without dung, were 3J cwt. of lettuces better in two crops than 12 J tons of dung alone. Melons. — The whole plants of water melons took from the soil, according to Mr. H. J. Patterson, of Maryland Experimental station, the following plant food per acre, viz., 37.20 lb. of nitrogen, 12.82 lb. )f lowing plant food per a-cre, viz., 37.20 lb. of nitrogen, 12.82 lb. of phosphoric acid, 56.65 lb. of potash, and 10.60 lb. of lime. This shows that less phosphoric acid is required than for Cucumbers. At Georgia Experimental Station 360 lb. of superphosphate and 180 lb. of nitrate of soda gave 34 fruits, against an average of 5.75 fruits- from three unmanured plots. Sweet Melons showed at Rhode Island that at the rate of 5,720^ lb. of burnt lime per acre was absolutely required to obtain a good crop. At the rate of 700 lb. of superphosphate, 320 lb. of muriate of potash, 180 lb. of sulphate of magnesia, 320 lb. of sulphate of ammonia and 5,720 lb. of burnt lime per acre gave per plot 17.35 lb. of fruits, and where 480 lb. of nitrate of soda • was substituted for the sulphate of ammonia 23.40 lb. of fruits. Where dung is also given, of course, much less nitrogen is required. Onions. — ^M. Marshal, of Vilaine-en-Haye, France, used 1,60(> lb. of Thomas phosphate, 160 lb. sulphate of potash, and 160 lb. nitrate of soda per acre. Result, 5,600 lb. more than from un- manured. Considering that E. Von Wolff's analysis mentions that a crop of 16,000 lb. of onions per acre require only 21 lb. of phos- phoric acid less Thomas phosphate may be sufficient, as appears alsa by experiments at Hadlow. Plots with dung were very poor, averaging 3 tons per acre, probably essentially due to the absence of its physical influence in enabling the soil to retain moisture. Twelve and a half tons dung and 4 cwt. each of superphosphate, of nitrate of soda and kainit, gave the best result; in 1897 12| ton^ per acre, partly due to the moisture-attracting power of the kainit in a dry season. In the United States no less than 270 lb. of nitrate of soda, 450 lb. of a phosphatic manure, and 160 lb. muriate or suK phate of potash per acre are used. Parsnips gave at Hadlow similar results as Carrots. Peas. — See page 74. Rhubarb. — The large variety, "Victoria," gave at Hadlow a large increase with 25 tons dung over 12^ tons. The approximate weight per acre was 27J tons, against 20 tons, while, however, to 12^t tons dung, 4 cwt. superphosphate, or 7 cwt. Thomas phosphate- 92 I* ^ ? * • * Mr. Wm. Neild, RR.H.S., of the Horticultural College in Cheshire, mixes no natural or farmyard manure with the soil, as he believes it has a tendency to produce gross shoots, and these are more subject to disease. Commercial manures he applies not until the plant has apparentl}^ used up all the available food of the soil. The manures were mixed thoroughly and applied weekly at the rate of ^th of an ounce to each plant, on the surface, and watered in. The best results were from one part nitrate of soda, one superphosphate of lime, and one nitrate of potash, or two parts nitrate of soda and one part nitrate of potash. APPLICATION OF FERTILIZERS. This is a matter of some consequence. I have already mentioned ■that with potash and also phosphoric acid it is better not to apply them at time of sowing. Apply them somewhat earlier — with kainit months before — and so also as to mix them thoroughly with the soil. They may be drilled in or broadcasted evenly over the land, and then ploughed under with a skim-plough, or, on mellow soil, worked into the soil by harrowing. If the farmer has any fear that larger quantities of the acid or the potash might injure the seed, these fertilizers, if drilled with the seed, had better be mixed with dry earth, and when using small quantities it enables him to spread it more evenly. It is different with nitrogenous fertilizers. You can use either nitrate of soda or sulphate of ammonia at the time of sowing and planting, or as a topdressing at a later time. As regards nitrate of soda it is generally admitted that it is best to divide the total dose intended to be given into two or three parts ; the last portion, with cereals, whenever they are commencing to throw up their haulms. The leaves should be dry, and when spreading any fertilizers avoid windy .days. Vaidon & Pritchard, Printers, Gresham-street. UNIVERSITY OF CAIvlFORNIA IvIBRARY