74 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Jan., 



and they balance each other, showing the difficulty of carry- 

 ing on such experhiients. In other words, the experiments 

 do not tell us any-thing, when we figure on yield of plats. 



Question. Did you have an average amount of rain ? 



Dr. Sturtevant. I am not able to say as to that, but we 

 had no drought. We had local showers, which protected us. 



Question. Did you not at one time favor root-pruning for 

 the corn plant ? 



Dr. Sturtevant. Yes, sir. 



Question. What is your opinion now on that ? 



Dr. Sturtevant. I am not here to give ophiions. I will 

 give you experiments, and my own inferences from them, if 

 you like, but I have given up having opinions. 



Dr. RiGGS. Did you observe any difference in the leaves 

 of the corn as it was growing ? whether they wilted after the 

 cultivation^ or whether they were like the other portions of 

 the field that were not cultivated ? 



Dr. Sturtevant. Corn with me only wilted one day 

 during the whole season, under any kind of treatment except 

 the most excessive root-pruning. 



Dr. RiGGS. I refer simply to the effect of cultivation ? 



Dr. Sturtevant. No, sir ; it did not cause the plants to 

 droop. 



Question. Were the two sections that were cultivated 

 both cultivated on the same day, so that the effect of the day 

 or of the state of the soil at the time would be the same on 

 both sections ? 



Dr. Sturtevant. Yes, sir. Every thing connected with 

 the experiment was done on a parallel line. I don't think 

 you can get any thing more out of that than failure. That is 

 all I can make out of it, except as illustrating the caution 

 required in experimenting, and the difficulty of it. That is 

 all I gave it for, and that is all I care to see in it. 



Adjourned to evening. 



