FARM DEPARTMENT. H57 



POTATOES. 



No. 95 — Farm Department. 



HILLS yS. DRILLS. 



BY C. J. BARNUM, 94, AND W. J. McGEE. '96. 



The object of the experiment was to ascertain, if possible, which method 

 of planting, in hills or in drills, gives the greater yield per acre. 



The potatoes were planted May 81, 1892, each potato being cut in four 

 pieces. Equal amounts of seed were used for equal areas, i. e., the same 

 amount of seed was used for an acre of hills as for an acre of drills. 



The test was made with several varieties in order that each individual 

 variety might not influence materially the general result. The various 

 plats of hills and drills alternated with each other, securing as nearly 

 uniform conditions as possible. 



The following table gives in bushels per acre the general average result- 

 ing from 24 experiments: 



AVith the Early Ohio, out of a total of 12 experiments, 6 were in favor of 

 hills, 5 in favor of drills and one experiment was indecisive. 



With the Eural New Yorker No. 2, 9 out of 12 experiments favored the 

 method of drills and three were in favor of hills. 



Four other experiments were made with other varieties, 3 of which 

 showed a balance in favor of drills while one gave the greater yield with 

 the hill culture. 



Thus we see out of a total of 28 experiments, 10 were in favor of hill cult- 

 ure and 17 in favor of drills. The general average, however, as shown by 

 the above table, was in favor of drills. 



Experiments along the same line were conducted by E. B. Hale during 

 1891. These experiments were quite extensive, being made with four dif- 

 ferent amounts of seed and each experiment was repeated three times to 

 secure uniform and reliable results. Two varieties were used in this 

 experiment and the result of the work is shown in the following table: 



