470 



Report of the Horticulturist of the 



crop in. winter and spring of 1897. 



As soon as Crop II was removed, the soil in each plat was 

 turned several times and given another application of acid phos- 

 phate and sulphate of potash at the same rate as before, making 

 the total application amount to 1,200 pounds of acid phosphate 

 and 800 pounds of sulphate of potash per acre, including what had 

 been applied for the previous crop. Soil 4 was thus changed to 

 4a, 5 was changed to 5a and 6 was changed to 6a. 



Again the effort was made to avoid any differences in the 

 growth of the plants which might come from unequal check to 

 the growth in transplanting by planting several seeds in each 

 place where a plant was to stand permanently, and afterwards 

 removing all but one plant. February 18 about 10 seeds were 

 planted in a place, covered with one-half inch of soil and lightly 

 watered. Only plump, healthy looking seeds were planted. They 

 were taken from the same packet which furnished the seeds for 

 Crop II. March 15 the plants were thinned leaving one plant 

 in each place. 3 



3 The size of the first leaf on March 15 was used as a guide in selecting the 

 seedlings which were to remain so as to have them as nearly uniform in size 

 as possible. The average measurements and the variation in size are shown for 

 each plat in Table B. A comparison of this table with Table A, page 468, 

 shows that greater uniformity in the seedlings was secured in this way than by 

 the method of planting seeds of uniform weight which was followed for Crop I. 



Table B. 



Average Size of Lettuce Seedlings Twenty-five Days After 

 Seed Planting. 



(crop III.) 



Soil. 



Average Variation 



Plat No. length of first in size of first 

 leaves leaves. 



4a. Amount of sand about like Soil 2 . . . 

 5a. About twice as much sand as Soil 4. 

 6a. Sand and manure ; no loam 



4a Three p'ats. 1.27 1 to 1.5 



5a Three plats. 1 .20 0.75 to 1 .5 



6a Three plats. 1.19 0.75 to 1.5 



