CO-OPERATIVE EXPERIMENTS. 



Purposes and Methods of Conducting Them. 



Experiments conducted b}^ farmers in different parts of Kew York 

 State under the supervision of the College of Agriculture of Cor- 

 nell University, have been in operation for several seasons. These 

 experiments are a part of the University Extension Work in Agri- 

 culture, and the results obtained are of such a character as to war- 

 rant further oro^anization and enlaro^ement of the work. That the 

 farmers may more fully understand the objects and scope of the 

 work and also to facilitate its extension, the present brief statements 

 have been pi-epared. 



The Experiment Stations have been busily at 

 Value of work for a number of years and have accumulated 

 the data a vast amount of data that is of inestimable value to 



obtained, scientific and practical agriculture. Farmers every- 

 where are coming more and more to look to the 

 Stations and Colleges for the solution of their difficult problems and 

 for advice when undertaking any new agricultural enterprise. But 

 differences in soil, climate or facilities for work often render it 

 uncertain whether the results obtained on the Station and College 

 grounds will be verified in actual practice on the farms throughout 

 the State. This is particularly true in regard to experiments with 

 fertilizers. It is now universally conceded that the only way a 

 farmer may know what constituents of commercial fertilizers, if 

 applied to liis soil, will produce an increase of crop is by making a 

 trial, on small areas, with the various chemicals and carefully noting 

 the result. Furthermore it is known that a field at one time well 

 supplied with a particular element of plant food may, by cropping 

 or bad management, become depleted in the same. Hence one 

 experiment with fertilizers on a certain soil will not suffice for all 

 time, but must be repeated at intervals if the farmer is to treat liis 

 soil intelligently and to secure profitable returns. 



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