178 Bulletin 143. 



2. Results of Fertilizer Experiments with Sugar Beets at 

 Cornell University Experiment Station, 1897. 



By L. A. Clinton. 



The experiments with sugar beets at this Station in 1897 were for 

 the purpose of determining what effect, if any, different fertiUzers 

 would have upon the yield and quahty of the beets produced. 



In experiments with fertilizers a frequent source of error lies in the 

 fact that the soils of the different plats lack uniformity, and hence the 

 fertilizers applied do not have equal opportunity for each to exercise 

 its full effect. To obviate this difficulty the plats upon which the 

 beets were grown were prepared in the following manner : The soil 

 selected was gravelly loam and had been cropped heavily for three 

 years without the application of any fertilizer or manure. In the 

 spring of 1897 a space was measured off for fourteen plats, each, 4x5 

 feet in size. The soil of this whole area was then removed to a depth 

 of twenty-four inches, each layer of eight inches being thrown out 

 upon boards by itself. A solid brick cement wall was constructed 

 around each plat and to a depth of two feet below the surface of the 

 ground. This wall was constructed so that there would be no possible 

 chance for the beets in one plat to receive the benefit of the fertihzer 

 applied to any other plat. After the construction of the wall the 

 soil which had been removed was replaced in the inverse order of its 

 removal, the eight inches removed last was returned iirst so that it 

 would occupy its original place at the bottom. Before being returned 

 each eight inches of soil was thoroughly mixed and then an equal 

 number of pounds was put into each plat and packed. In this way 

 all the plats were filled, each layer of soil after having been thoroughly 

 mixed was returned to its original position. 



The fertilizers were applied at the time of planting, being put in the 

 bottom of the drill and thoroughly incorporated with the soil before 

 the seed was planted. All the fertilizers were applied in this way 

 except the lime on plat 13 which was applied as a top dressing after 

 the seed was covered. 



