DEPARTMENT REPORTS. 135 



By 70 cords 18-inch ^rood, inventoried, @ $1.20 per cord $84 00 



800 split rails @ 13.50 per hundred 20 00 



64|- cords 3-ft. wood, sold® 12.25.. 145 12 



basswood kindlings for hall 2 00 



balance on account of permanent improvement 34 22 



$982 89 $982 89 



Field No. 8. — This field was in meadow this year, for the second year. In 

 1875 it received 6 quarts of timothy seed per acre after mowing, which was well 

 harrowed in. 



On April 24th it received a dressing of 1,200 lbs. of Grand Rapids j)laster or 

 about 50 lbs. per acre. On the 21st and 22d days of April it was rolled to help 

 the clover, which was badly heaved in some places by the frost. Siibsequent 

 facts showed that the clover was nearly all killed. It was proposed to try an 

 experiment with Homestead supeiphosphate in grass : so on May 13, the east 

 side of this field was selected an the place, and was separated into two equal 

 plats 16 by 20 rods, of 2 acres each, in the form of a rectangle. The south 

 plat received a dressing of 400 lbs. of Homestead superphosphate (a donation 

 to the College), evenly sown. The north plat received none. Both had previ- 

 ously been dressed with plaster. The grass was cut on July 10 and 11, raked 

 on the same day the cutting was done, well cured in the cock, and drawn by two 

 teams working at the same time on each j^lat. 



The hay was carefully weighed and the result recorded. The south plat yielded 

 8,110 lbs., while the north one yielded but 6,900 ; a difference of 1,210 lbs. on 2 

 acres, or a difference of 605 lbs. per acre in favor of the plat dressed witli the 

 superphosphate and plaster, over plaster alone. The south plat yielded at the 

 rate of 2 tons 55 lbs., and the north one at the rate of 1 ton and 1,450 lbs. per 

 acre. The whole field Avas finished July 22, giving a total yield of 87,270 lbs., 

 or 43 tons and 1,270 lbs. on 23f acres. This shows a yield of 1 17-20 tons 

 per acre, average on the whole field. The account with the field is : 



Dk. Ck. 



To Labor in haying $75 93 



freight on plaster and phosphate 149 



By 43 G3-100 tons hay @ $8 00 $356 22 



To balance 278 80 



$356 22 $356 22 



Pield No. 9 was alreadv sown to wheat when the year commenced, and 

 Beaded to timothy (as per last Eeport) at a cost of $159 64 for sowing, and 

 $20 75 for seeding to timothy. The field was sown on April 21, with G lbs. of 

 cloYer seed ]3er acre. The west f of the field was harrowed north and south with 

 iron tooth harrow once in a place, except two low, wet places Avhich were partly 

 filled with standing water. This was on April 24, 25 and 26. The field was 

 then rolled on April 26, 27 and 28, east and west. On May 2 the field received a 

 dressing of 800 lbs. Grand Eapids plaster, or about 33f lbs. per acre. On May 

 13, a plat 8x20 rods in the northwest corner of the field (Clawson wheat) received 

 a dressing of 200 lbs. of Homestead superphosphate. This wheat looked better 

 than the other after it, and I am confident yielded somewhat more ; but on 



