312 Agricultijkal Experiment Station, Ithaca, TT. T. 



successful and hence the system of horse hoe culture for wheat and 

 other similar grains is often known as the Lois-Woedon system. 



Smith succeeded in groM'ing twelve successive crops of wheat with- 

 out the application to the soil of any manure whatsoever, and he 

 claimed that no degeneration or diminution of quality ensued. Many 

 experiments similiar to those conducted by Smith and Tull have been 

 carried on in the United States always with satisfactory results so far 

 as the yield was concerned, but with high priced labor, and cheap 

 virgin soil it has been found in most cases unprofitable to practice, in 

 any large way, the Lois-Weedon system of wheat culture in its entirety. 



LOIS-WEEDON SYSTEM OF AGRICULTURE MODIFIED. 



The experiments were begun in 18 74. The previous year the land 

 had raised a crop of oats, without manure, and in 1872 and for several 

 years previous to that date had been in blue grass pasture. 



The land after removing the oat crop of 1873 was in a bad lumpy 

 condition. It was summer fallowed in 1874 and not manured. The 

 plots were 2 Of rods long and the entire area was cut into 8 strips of 

 ^■§-ff of an acre, each strip being 5^ feet wide. 



The first year of the experiment every other strip was drilled to 

 wheat, and the intervals cultivated, the following year the treatment 

 was alternated; the ones having borne a crop of wheat the previous 

 year being under summer fallow. ClaAvson seed wheat at the rate of 

 two bushels per acre was used in all cases. 



Yield Istyr., 1874-5, season poor, 158 lbs., at the rate of 10.31 bu. per acre. 

 " 2d " 1875-6, " fair, 369 " " " 35.77 " 



" 3d " 1876-7, " sup'r,694 " " " 67.23 " " 



" 4th " 1877-8, " fair, 637 " " " 61.42 '' " 



It should be noted that the strips are very narrow, only one width 

 of the drill being used, the intermediate spaces between these drilled 

 plots were cultivated four or five times each season. 



The effect of using such narrow plots was to allow the wheat to 

 virtually occujjy the whole land, as the culture between these narrow 

 plots was by the common t^ingle one-horse cultivator, this permitted 

 the roots to extend and feed upon the plots which were left vacant. 

 At harvest time the whole area had the appearance of a continuous 

 field of wheat, as the heavy heads leaned over into the spaces, and 

 shaded and covered the whole ■ ground. Note that these experiments 

 were conducted somewhat differently from those which are reported 

 below. 



