MANURES AND SEEDS EXPERIMENTS
An interesting series of experiments relating to manures and seeds are being € carried out on Lord Egerton'a estate. Qpo field whioh had been regularly mown and manured at intervals with farmyard manure, besldeß having had, three yeara ago, a dressing of road sorapingi and gas lime. The field his a strong though not deep soil, and a clayey subsoil,, and Is . well drained. It is divided into eight ono-acre plots and treated as follows :— A, ka'nit, 4jwt ; B, sulphate of ammonia, 2_cwt ; O, farmyard maaare, 15 tons } D (uo manure); E, lime, 4 tons j P, boiled boue, Bcwt ; G. lime, 2 tons ; H, half an aore with liquid manure, quarter aore ploughed and sown with permanent grass seeds, and quarter acre not manured. The result of the experiment bas been reported on by Mr Smetham as follows : — The grass was mown on July 4 and the different plota converted Into bay, the weather being fairly good for tha purpose. On July Bih the bay was carted and weighed, tha weights and tares being carefully checked.
The result of these weighings are m« struotive, and show dearly the influence of the manures upon the yield of grass, the ammoniaoal manures particularly giving an immense inoreaae over the unmanned plot. The following were the weights obtained :— A, kalnit, 20owt 3qra; B, sulphate of ammonia, 39 owt O, farmyard manure, 20owt 3qra 91bs; D, nothing, 17c wt 3qrg 191bs j E, lime (4 tons)J9o(rt 3qrs24lbs; F, bones, 22owt lqr 61bs; G, lime 2 ton, 20owt 2qn 4lbsj H, liquid manure, 62owt 2ara I4lbi. Although the grass was out and made Into hay as nearly as possible under the same conditions, it was found that, owing to the different quantities to be operated upon, the percentage of water left ln tha resultant hay varied to suoh an extent aa to make a oorreotlon neoessary, and to iff;ot this the moisture was accurately ascertained m samples taken from each plot, with the following results :— Plot A, 16-40 moisture per oent ; plot B, 1780 : plot O, 15-00 ; plot D, 14 20 : plot B, 16-40 ; plot F, 16 00 ; plot G, 16 40. According to the analyses, the aotual dry matter yield per aore was— Plot |A (kalnit). I7cwt lqr llibs ; plot B (sulphate of ammonia), 32cwt 61bs ; plot O (farmyard manure), 17owt 2qr 231bs j plot D (nothing), 15owt lqr Ulbn ; plot B (lime 4 tonB), 16owt lqr 26!b8 ; plot F ( bones), 18 owt 3qrs 23Iba ; plot G (lime 2 tons), 17 cwt 191bs. The sulphate of ammonia plot has yielded a crop which will far moro than cover the cost of the manure, bnt this result will have been brought about to some extent at the expense of the land, and to repeat the experiment, without tbe addition of other fertilising agents, would be to injure the land, and doubtless also ruin the pasture. The largo increase m the yield, due to the sulphate, shows that, properly applied, and In conjunction with other elements of plant food, the manure is exceedingly beneficial and remunerative ; but, like all highly stimulating manures, It mutt be used with discretion. It is curious to note that the larger dressing of Ifme appears to have had a leas beneficial effaot than the smaller quantity. The difference is not great, but 1 believe it to be due to the iojurouß effect of larger quantities on the herbage. Efefore tbe iime oan act it ranst be washed into the soil j but all the proportions of caustlo lime coming m contaot with the blades of grass must cause damage to a greater or less extent Doubtless next year the results will be reversed. The verysfclmalating effect of the liquid manure haa been largely due to the ammonia whioh it ooutains, but the beneficiil effects must be partly ascribed to the water it contained, which, m a dry season like the present, oould not fail to inorease the yield. The experiment m converting the quarter acre without growing a oorn crop proved a failure, the annual weeds killing the permanent gras whioh waß sown there. The second field which was divided Into ten equal plots, varied somewhat m soil, two diSerent mixtures, both for perman=mt grass and two and threo yeara* ley, both with wheat and oata. The field waa inspected with interest, but no definite result oan be attained till after the lapse of two more yeara. There was a small plot devoted to potatoes. • Buttons,' ♦ Spencer • and « malncrop ' gave the best reaulta —" N.Z. Agriculturist."
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Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1728, 30 December 1887, Page 2
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758MANURES AND SEEDS EXPERIMENTS Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1728, 30 December 1887, Page 2
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