398 Bulletin 182. • 



station for the first time tliis season and with very favorable results. 

 As to prodnctivitj it heads the list and the quality is good. So far 

 as the experience of this season on nineteen different farms may be 

 an indication, it would seem that this variety might well be placed 

 alonoj with the well tried and ever reliable Kleinwanzlebener. 



The fertilizer tests. — As stated in the beginning of this bulletin 

 the plan of experimentation included a study of the effect of differ- 

 ent fertilizing material upon the yield and quality of sugar beets. 

 Arrangements were made with a number of farmers to receive sets 

 of experimental fertilizers from the station and apply them accord- 

 ing to instructions. The scheme embraced eight plats of one-twen- 

 tieth acre each as follows : Plat No. 1, 15 lbs. muriate of potash ; 

 plat No. 2, 15 lbs. nitrate of soda; plat No. 3, 30 lbs. superphos- 

 phate ; plat No. 4, no fertilizer ; plat No. 5, 15 lbs. muriate of pot- 

 ash and 15 lbs. nitrate soda ; plat No. 6, 15 lbs. muriate of potash 

 and 30 lbs. superphosphate ; plat No. 7, 15 lbs. nitrate soda and 30 

 lbs. superphosphate ; plat No. 8, 15 lbs. nitrate soda, 15 lbs. muriate 

 of potash and 30 lbs. superphosphate ; and, at the option of the 

 farmer, plat No. 9, stable manure. 



The conditions surrounding these experiments during the early 

 part of the season were favorable and the prospect of securing valu- 

 able data seemed good up to the time that the drought became 

 severe. As the season advanced it became evident that the real 

 struggle of the plant was for moisture rather than for plant-food. 

 Since it is impossible to secure nearly an acre of land that is per- 

 fectly uniform in texture and natural water supply it often occurs 

 that the crop will vary more on account of these inequalities than 

 from different fertilizers applied to the various parts. That com- 

 mercial fertilizers may produce their full effect it is necessary that 

 there be a liberal supply of moisture in the soil to take the plant- 

 food thus furnished into solution. Hence it will be seen that the 

 drought largely neutralized the effect of the fertilizer while it 

 emphasized the inequalities of the soil. The data received from 

 these experimenters are in some cases incomplete and owing to the 

 effect of the drought it is considered unreliable and not valuable for 

 publication. 



