TURNIP MANURING TRIAL

Hokitika Guardian, 1 November 1930, Page 2

TURNIP MANURING TRIAL

EXPERIMENTS JN SOUTH* CANTERBURY.

The results of a manuring trial on the yield of a turnip crop and showing how a crop can be greatly increased by expending a few shillings more per acre on manures and sowing a little extra seed have just come to hand. THe experiment was carried out on the farm of Mr James M’Farlane, Springburn, and was laid down by the Instructor of Agriculture at Ashburton, Mr E. M. Bates, on January 13, 1930. The germination counts were taken on Februnry 10 and the crop was weighed on July 30. There were five different treatments and ten replications of each treatment. Treatment ] was super lewt and 9oz of seed in 14 inch rows; treatment 2, super 1 plus lime 1 and 9oz of seed in 14 inch rows; treatment 3, super 1 plus lime 1 and 9oz of seed in 7 inch rows; treatment 4. super 1 plus lime 1 nnd 13oz of seed in 7 inch rows; nnd treatment 5, super 2 plus lime 2 and 13oz of seed in 7 inch rows. Each of the germination figures is the average of sixty counts. The average number of plants per 10 feet of 14 inch rows is as follows:—Treatment 1, 9.1 plants: treatment 2, 11 plants; ■'■atment 3, 12.9 plants; treatment 4. 17.8 plants; treatment 5, 19.9 plants. When the number of plants per 10 feet of 14 inch rows in treatment 5 is taken as 100 the relative number of plants treatments is as follows: —Treatment 4, for the same distance in the remaining treatments is as follows:—Treatment 4, 89.6; treatment 3, 64.8; treatment 2. 55.5; treatment 1, 45.6. For the yields each result is the average of thirty weighings. Treatment 1 gave a yield in tons per acre of 7.7; treatment 2, 11.2 tons per acre, an increase of 3.5 tons over treatment 1; treatment’3, 11,3 tons per acre, an increase of 3.6 tons over treatment 1 : but an insignificant increase over treatn\ent 2; treatment 4, 11.9 tons per acre, an increase of 4.2 tons over trrntm nt 1; treatment 5, 15.2 tons per acre, an increase of 7.5 tons over treatment 1. An observation by the instructor 's as follows:—-“Germination w’as adversely affected by heavy rains whn.h commenced falling as drilling finished. Super lewt is decidedly ‘he poorest treatment. Treatment No, 5 Is carilv the best.” The report which was issued 1y the Fields Division and Plant Research Station, Palmerston Nortr, is signed bv A. W. Hudson, Cron Experiment alist.