54 MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURE. 



Statement of David Choate, of Essex. 



Statement of experiments made with bone flour, manufactured 

 by the Boston Milling and Manufacturing Company. 



As requested by the trustees at their late meeting, I submit 

 the following statement : — 



I received one barrel of the flour of bone, manufactured as 

 above, on the 15th of May last, and on the 19th, and again on 

 the 23d, I applied it to Indian corn, as follows, viz., premising, 

 however, tha£ the whole field had been manured uniformly from 

 the barnyard, the manure having been spread and harrowed in. 

 I took six rows, each 36 hills in length, and upon the first two, 

 which I call Lot No. 1, I applied one-third of a pint to each hill. 

 The corn in all six of the rows was just coming up. 



The two middle rows (say No. 2,) had no bone at all. Upon 

 the remaining two rows, No. 3, everything being equal as before, 

 except that it was four days later, I applied one-sixth of a pint 

 to each hill, just half the amount put in the case of No. 1. The 

 quantity applied to No. 1 was at the rate, very nearly, of seven- 

 teen bushels per acre of 3,240 hills ; and upon No. 3 just half 

 that amount, or more exactly, 8.43 bushels per acre. The mode 

 of cultivation through the season was the same in all six of the 

 rows. 



The crop was harvested on the 29th of October. I should 

 have added that no one, whose attention was called to the 

 experiment, could satisfy himself that the bone flour either 

 hastened or retarded the growth or maturity of the crop in any 

 degree whatever. The weight of the corn was as follows : — 



In rows, No. 1, with 17 bushels bone to the acre, 109| pounds. 

 No. 2, with no bone, .... 98| " 

 No. 3, with 8.43 bush, bone to the acre, 100] " 



The above result would give, to the acre of 3,240 hills, as 

 follows, viz. : — 



No. 1, 4,927 pounds. 



No. 2, 4,443 " 



No. 3, 4,511 " 



