DEPARTMENT REPORTS. 



161 



SUPEllPIIOSPIIATE ON WHEAT. 



Messrs. Jarves & Hooper, of the Michigan Carbon Works, having given me 

 an opportunity to test their fertilizer on wheat, 1 embraced it and sowed plats 

 as follows : 



South. 



East. 



West 



North. 



On No. 1 I drilled in 2G0 lbs. of superphosphate per acre, using a Champion 

 drill manufactured at Oswego, N. Y., and designed to sew fertilizers with 

 various grains. On No, 2 260 lbs. of superphosphate were sown broadcast by 

 means of a broadcast attachment to drill ; the fertilizer thus fell behind the 

 drill, and was a top dressing for the surface. Each plat contains an acre, as 

 registered by the drill. On Nos. 3 and 4 no fertilizer was sown. Tlie plats 

 will each be accurately chained when harvested. The plats were separated by a 

 space of two feet on which no crop is grown, except that the whole field has 

 been seeded to Timothy, and will receive an addition of clover in spring of 1879. 

 The plats on which the fertilizer was sown, on October 23, appeared greener and 

 more luxuriant. An examination as to whether the superphosphate would have 

 any influence in keeping away Hessian fly, showed that it had no influence 

 whatever, as as many larvaa? were found in the fertilized as in the unfertilized 

 ones, or in the field in other parts sown on the same day, September 3 0. 



A report of results will appear in next year's report. 



FERTILIZER ON POTATOES. 



I received some fertilizer from the above mentioned firm in Detroit, manu- 

 factured expressly for use on potatoes. I therefore selected a place in field No. 

 8 and planted 8 plats, each plat being 14 feet wide and 2 rods in length, and 

 containing 64 hills. Tiie rows were 3,V feet apart, and the hills about 2 feet 

 apart in the rows. The variety planted was Brownell's Beauty. Each tuber 

 was cut into 3 to 5 pieces according to its size, and 2 pieces dropped in hill. 

 No manure of any kind had been put upon the land for 4 years. The land was 

 in corn stubble, was plowed, harrowed, marked and furrowed for planting, 

 nearly 2 oz. of the fertilizer (126 oz. on each plat,) were dropped in the furrow, 

 covered slightly with earth, and on this bed the seed was dropped and then 

 covered ordinarily. They were planted on May 23, and plats Nos. 1, 3, 5 and 

 7 received application of fertilizer at the rate of 742.} lbs. per acre, while Nos. 

 2, 4, 6 and 8 received none. The plats were cultivated three times during the 

 season and hoed twice, and received precisely the same treatment, as far as was 

 possible. The whole potato crop suffered much from a severe drouth, and these 

 as well as the field crop. This shortened the crop much. I think, from the 

 uniform showing in this experiment, that on poorer soil and an ordinary sea- 

 son, the result might have been far better. 



