-36 agricultural experiment station. 



Directions for Field Experiments with Fertilizers. 



1. Select land that is as uniform in character as possible, and 

 which has received no manure for several years (run-out land if you 

 have it) . 



2. The required dimensions of the whole piece are 8xllJ rods, 

 or 132x183 feet. 



3. Before the plots are laid out, plow the whole piece, and 

 pulverize thoroughly. 



4. Make the size of each plot one-twentieth of an acre, and the 

 dimensions one rod wide and eight rods long. 



5. Measure off the plots, and drive a stake at each corner, 

 leaving a strip of land two feet wide between the plots. If the land 

 is inclined, the length of the plots should be up and down the slope. 



6. Number the plots 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10. 



7. Put no fertilizer on plots 1 and 6, and no fertilizer on any plot 

 except that contained in the bags. 



8. Put the fertilizers on the plot numbered to correspond to the 

 numbers on the bag. Put Bag No. 2 on Plot No. 2, etc., etc. 



9. Apply the fertilizers in the manner which you have practiced, 

 only be careful that no fertilizer comes in contact with the seed. 



10. Make the same number of rows on each plot, with the same 

 number of hills in each row. This can be easily done by cross 

 marking. 



11. Put the same amount of the same kind of seed on each plot. 



12. Plant the seed (or sow) on the same day on all the plots. 



13. Cultivate the plots while the crop is growing, as nearly at the 

 same time as possible. 



14. Weigh the crop carefully on each plot, both grain and straw 

 if grain is sown, both corn and fodder if corn is planted, that is, 

 find weight of grain and straw separatelJ^ 



15. Carefully report any misfortune to the crop on any plot, and 

 keep a record of the appearance of each plot. 



It is gratifying to be able to state that the experimenters were 

 painstaking in their efforts to follow the above directions, and that 

 where the experiments escaped unavoidable misfortunes the results 

 were satisfactory, in some cases highly so. 



The sets of fertilizers were alike in all respects. Each set con- 

 sisted of eight bags, containing the materials stated below. 



