EXPERIMENTS IN BARLEY CULTIVATION.

Waikato Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2242, 20 November 1886, Page 2 (Supplement)

EXPERIMENTS IN BARLEY CULTIVATION.

Somk very intercuting experiments in the cultivation of barley h ive been recently carried out by PiofesM>r Kmch, at the Royal Agricultural College, Cirences^er, th-> detiiN of which have recently been uiven by tho learned profe*-or. The object was to test the merits of various mnnnrev Ktoh manure or mixture of manures was howii on dwphe. ite plots, the tnran yields of which are alone to be con--Moied, us the .soil of the field varied, and the duplicates were so arranged as to equalise- the conditions as far as possible. The gre.ite.st yiuld, 4(>i, bu-.1x.1s per <u,re, was obtained on the plots receiving o*:wt. nitr.ito uf .soda, 3owl". f-uperphosplmte of lime, and 3owt. kainit ; but other experiments showed that the kainit did no good, the soil being uatur.illy rich in potash. Sulphate of ammonia, 17-jlb, gave 11; bushels per acre ; 'iewt. nitrate of soda and .Jew t. Mipoiphohphat o, 41 1 ' bushels; 2<:wt. nitrate of soda, Hcwt, supeiphosph.«te, and 2owt. kainit, 43^ bushels ; 2(i2lb. .sulphate of ammonia, 3c wt. superphosphate, and 3owf. k.iinit, 42[ bmhels ; 17ulb. sulphate ot ammonia, IJewt. puperphosphate, and 3owt. kainit, 4l^ bushels; 2<:\vt. nitr.vtc of soda and 3o\vt. kainit, 314 bushels; 2cwt. nitrate of sod.t, 40^ bushels ; farmyard manure, 14 tons on one plot and 7 tons on the other, mem yield. 3!) bushels ; uu manured plotn, 36^ bushes ; 3«wt. superphosphate and 3':wt. kainit, 334 bushels ; farmyard manure applied late, 31 \ bushels. The best re'suit, in proportiou to cost, wai that obtained by the application of 17olb. of sulphate of ammonia alone, next to which anno the result from the use of 2r;wt. nitrrite of soda and 3o\vt. superphosphate The addition of a third ctv?. of nitrate gave only a very slight increase, not nearly sutlicicut to pay the extra, expense. This is quite in accord with the results at Rothamstel and Woburn, whcie the application of 2owt. nitrate of soda and 2cwt. to 3e\vt. superphoiphato has commonly proved the most remunerative of all the dressings. At Cirencester, last year, 1751b. sulphate of ammonia gave a still better return in proportion to cost ; but this superiority may be reversed next season, as the nitrate has beaten the sulphate more frequently than it has been beaten in the other experimental fields taken together. The importaut lesson to be learned horn the Cirencester, as from previous experiments, is that farmers cannot well do better, if their barley crops need manure at all, than apply either 1 to 2cwt. nitrate of soda, or 1 to Ucwb. sulphate of ammonia, with 2 to 3owt. superphosphate. At the present time, as sulphate of ammonia is only about 5s a ton more than nitrate ol soda, the former is undoubtedly the cheaper manure to use, as it contains a much larger peicentnge of nitiogen. Professor Kinch says that the lewt. of sulphate of ammonia doP3 the work of 1 {cwt. of nitrate of soda, and the former would now cost £11, while the latter would cost £13 Ss 9d. Caur for the Horses.— Farm horses that have been to grass all summer are again on the point of full labour, and in many cases they are so ill-prepared for work that numbers of them are virtually sacrificed at this season through sheer neglect. It is not uncommon in harvest time to see horses taken up from- the pasture and straightway harnessed, whether to reaper or cart, for a long harvest day, and then, wearied and overheated, turned out to the field again all night. Horses that have been running at grass are soft and unfitted for a lengthened stretch of hard work, straight off, with the best of handling ; but to make them do this, and then turn them out overnight, the worst of consequences may be teared, if they do not actually happen. It is in the feeding of, and caring for, a horse, more than working, that his strength lie. When kept in a stable upon hard and nourishing food, he may, after a long respite, be put to do a moderately heavy diy's work without much fear of injury. At n'ght he will doubtless be weary and tired in muscle, but otherwise he will not be exhausted. It is when a horse is driven in the yoke with his belly full only of soft gra-s, that the germs of disease and ailments find their opportunity, even although no symptoms of injury mly bo apparent at the time. Nor is it to bo wondered at when we think of the treatment bestowed. No horso i.s in a fit condition to do hard work when taken direct from pasture, and more especially if liring solely upon grass. Horses at pasture, when they are again required for work, should be stabled n few days previously, and fed upon drier and more concentrated food. A couple of small feeds of corn daily, with cut grass or tares, and a little hay or straw, will amply repay the extra cost ; and not only will the horses then do their work easier to themselves, but thay can be made to do more of it, and that without any risk. Those who have saved over a few old oats and peas will now find them of great value at this season for their borses. Green or new graiu in not nearly so suitable, but it is better than none at all. — Agricultural Gazette.