402 



ANNUAL REPt)RT OF THE 

 LIGHT APPLICATION OF YARD MANURE. 



Off. Doc. 



1882-6 



1887-91 



1892-6 



1896-01 



1902-6 



1882-1906, 



p 

 c 



V3 



B _ 



n 



■c c 

 b o 



Showing the value of pi-odiicis from phits on all four tiers where 

 yard manure was applied as compared with plats receiving no fer- 

 tilizer during twenty-five years. 



It will be noted further that the returns from the plat receivinsr 

 ten tons of yard manure during the last five year period was almost 

 exactly double that of the plats receiving no treatment. The appli- 

 cation of twelve tons of yard manure has caused an annual increase 

 valued at $2.5.96, or a return of |2.16 for each tou of manure applied. 

 Tlie application of sixteen tons has caused an increase of $26. Gl or 

 |1.66 per ton, while tw'enty tons has caused an increase of |28.88, 

 or $1.44 per ton. These values were obtained from four acres rais- 

 ing four different crops during one year. In other words, if 100 

 acres of land had been in a four years' rotation consisting of corn, 

 oats, w^heat and hay, and one-half the land, namely, that which was 

 in corn and wheat, had each year been treated with six tons of yard 

 manure per acre, with the results obtained in this experiment the 

 increased annual value of the products on the 100 acres would not 

 have been $2,596, but one-fourth that amount, or $649.00. This is 

 not a ''get rich quick" proposition, but is a very satisfactory annual 

 increase from 100 acres of land. 



Generally speaking, economic farm management in Pennsylvania 

 calls for the use of yard manure supplemented by commercial fer- 

 tilizers. Every farm will have its individunl problems and hence 

 no advice can be given which will be of general application. The 

 experiments conducted at the station during the past twenty-five 

 years suggest that on a limestone soil, assuming a five years rota- 

 tion, consisting of corn, oats, wheat each one year, and timothy 

 and clover two years, the following will be an economic method of 

 fertilizing if maintained during a series of years. For the corn apply 

 six tons of manure per acre. For the o«(s apply no fertilizers except 

 when beginning to build up the soil, in which case 150 pounds of acid 

 phosphate may be applied. For the wheat apply 350 pounds of acid 

 phosphate and 100 pounds of muriate of potash. No fertilizer need 

 be applied to the grass land for the first crop, for the second crop 

 apply during the previous summer or fall six tons of yard manure 

 per acre, and if yard manure is not available apply in the spring just 

 as the gi'ass begins to start 150 pounds of nitrate of soda, 150 

 pounds of acid phosphate and 50 pounds of muriate of potash per 



