10 The Bulletin. 



tlie southeastern part of the State, also in potash. The potash content 

 is much higher in the northern part of the Coastal Plain Section ; espe- 

 cially is this true northeast of Albemarle Sound. The soil of the Edge- 

 combe Test Farm is between these two extremes, approaching the low 

 rather than the high potash content. Consequently we could hardly ex- 

 pect the increase from the use of potash to be as great when used on this 

 character of soil in the counties to the north of Edgecombe, but in 

 those to the south its use should be accompanied with larger increases 

 and greater profit. These light sandy soils are also deficient in lime. 

 This deficiency is noticeable in the growing of legume crops. Bacteri- 

 logical investigations show this soil to be very deficient in beneficial 

 bacterial life. 



The following figures which are averages for several samples taken 

 on the Edgecombe Eami show the chemical composition of the soil. 

 They state the pounds of plant food per acre contained in the surface 

 to the depth of six and two-third inches, and in subsoil to the depth of 

 twenty-eight inches. 



Pounds in Pounds in 



Surface. Suhsoil. 



6% inches. 28 inches. 



Mtrogen (JST) '. 984 1,720 



Phosphoric Acid (P2O5) 1,236 2,200 



Potash (K2O) 3,810 13,200 



Lime (CaO) 3,595 10,216 



Plats. 



The plats on which the experiments were conducted were embraced in 

 fields A and B. The farm on which all the plats are located has been 

 in cultivation for a good many years. The experiments were started 

 on field A in 1903 and on field B in 1905. The plats in field A were 

 laid off in three parallel series of thirteen plats each with a turn row or 

 driveway between each series. The plats are one-tenth acre in size or 

 217.8 feet by 20 feet, with an unfertilized space between plats sufficient 

 for one row and a four-foot unfertilized space at the end of rows. 

 Plats 1, 2, and 3 of the second series, and 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 of the 

 third series of this field are somewhat inferior in fertility naturally to 

 the other plats of the field, due to surface washing. 



The plats in field B were laid out in a similar way to those of field A, 

 except that the plats in the third series were of one-twentieth acre size, 

 but in the other two series they were of the same dimensions as those of 

 field A. Another difference was that in field B provision was made for 

 two rows between plats instead of one as in field A and these extra rows 

 were fertilized like the plat nearest to them, but were not harvested and 

 weighed with the plats. Work was started on field B in 1905 and a 

 rotation of cotton and corn with field A was beg-un. Bur clover was 

 sown on field B at the last cultivation of corn in 1908 and of cotton in 

 1909, but as the bur clover failed in 1909 the plats were seeded to 

 crimson clover early in N'ovember and covered by a Planet, Jr., culti- 

 vator, going once to the row. 



