The Bulletin. 5 



Iredell Farm. — This farm, located in the Piedmont section of 

 the State, lies about one and one-half miles northwest of the corpo- 

 rate limits of Statesville, and is bisected by the Statesville and West- 

 ern Division of the Southern Railway. 



The soil consists of a deep red tenacious clay soil and subsoil, 

 which is a type covering a large area of the Piedmont Plateau 

 of this and other South Atlantic States. Generally the only differ- 

 ence between the surface and subsoil in this type of soil is that the 

 former, having been broken up by cultivation and weathering, has 

 more or less vegetable matter worked into it. 



This soil is naturally strong, and is susceptible of high productiv- 

 ity under judicious fertilization and proper cultural management. 

 It is especially adapted to the growth of grains, grasses and clover. 



I. Variety^ Variety-distance and Distance Tests of Corn. 



Preparation and Cultivation. — The plats were all broke alike with 

 a two-horse turning plow 8 to 10 inches deep and harrowed. Soon 

 after the rows were run 4 to 5 inches deep and 4 feet apart in variety 

 tests and the several distances in the distance tests. 



The fertilizer materials were applied uniformly in these drills 

 and covered, the application being at the following rate per acre in 

 all tests: 



Three hundred pounds of a mixture of acid phosphate, dried 

 blood and manure salt,* which contained 7 per cent available phos- 

 phoric acid, 13/^ per cent potash and 3 per cent nitrogen (equal to 

 3.64 per cent ammonia), costing $3.24, were used. 



The slight ridges formed in covering the fertilizer were opened 

 and the corn, planted a little below the level, all testa of the same kind 

 at the same farm being given the same treatment as to time of plant- 

 ing and otherwise. All cultivations were as nearly level as possible 

 and rather deep early in the season, with the small hoes of the Planet 

 Jr. Cultivator, but became shallower, using the large hoes as the sea- 

 son advanced and the roots extended towards the, middle of the rows 

 and nearer the surface. This system of cultivation afforded pretty 

 thorough breaking of the land early in the season and prevented the 

 disturbance of the root systems of the plants later. An effort was 

 made to cultivate every ten or twelve days, as far as the weather 

 would permit, and especially immediately after rains, in order to pro- 

 duce a fine dust mulch with the shallow-running plows, to retard the 

 evaporation of the recently-added moisture. 



This corn was harvested and shocked on September 6 at the Edge- 

 combe farm, and August 31 to September 11 at the Iredell farm, as 

 each variety matured, but was not husked until November 27 and 28 

 at the former and ISTovember 13 and 14 at the latter. 



results of variety tests of corn. 

 The results of this test are contained in the following tables : 



*Manure salt is a potash compound, containing about 20 per cent of potash, principally in the 

 form of muriate. 



