Page:Notes on five years' experiments on hop manuring conducted at Golden Green, Hadlow, Tonbridge.djvu/19

17 initial sale value. Although it is the latter valuation that more directly concerns the grower, it is of interest to have the two independent valuations side by side.

From these results it appears that, even in this year of abundant growth, nitrate of soda used in liberal quantities not only enhanced the yield, but distinctly improved the quality and intrinsic value of the crop.

In adding this one more year's record to the results published twelve months ago, it is well again to point out that all our experimental years, including 1899, have fallen within the curiously prolonged cycle of years showing a deficiency of average rainfall. I hope, however, with the aid of Mr. Shrivell, to continue the experiments for a number of years to come, and in this way to be able to see how the various dressings comport themselves in wet as well as in dry summers.

Readers will, of course, bear in mind that, except on Plots X and S no nitrogenous manure other than nitrate of soda has been applied to our experimental plots. Now, as I have already in effect observed, it is neither convenient nor desirable that hops, more than any other crop, should be