362 



STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



not very retentive of water. The yield from the first two crops of a 

 4-year rotation is given in table 11. 



The gross returns from the manure amounted to |30.05 per acre. 



A similar test conducted on the farm of Paul Schnelle near Clarion, 

 Emmet county, gave excellent returns in 1920. Eight tons of manure 

 were applied to a hardwood sand which was later seeded to rye. Tlie 

 increase in yield of rye on the manured plot over the unmanured [)lot 

 amounted to ^18.63 gross per acre the first of a four-year rotation. 



TOP DRESSING WHEAT LAND WITH COMMERCIAL NITROGEN. 



The value of top dressing wheat with commercial nitrogen has been 

 investigated for two years. The applications were made as early in the 

 spring as the land was in suitable condition for it. Two divisions of 

 soils have been worked on, namely, sands and light sandy loams ; and 

 heavy sandy loams and heavier types. All of these lie in the southern 

 half of the lower peninsula. The materials used for top dressing were 

 sodium nitrate and ammonium sulphate. The application consisted of 

 9.18 pounds of nitrogen per acre or 60 pounds of sodium nitrate and 

 41.8 pounds of ammonium sulfate. Twenty-four trials have been made 

 on the light types of soil. An average increase of 5.34 bushels over the 

 untreated was obtained where nitrogen was applied. After having de- 

 ducted the cost of the commercial nitrogen in the form of nitrate of 

 soda the net returns were $7.98 per acre. 



Twenty-eight trials have been made on the heavy types of soil. An 

 average of all tests on the heavy soils shows an increase of .78 bushels 

 per acre. After having considered the cost of the nitrogen a loss of 

 $1.14 per acre resulted. The detailed report of these tests is given 

 in the February issue of the 1921 Experiment Station Quarterly. 



TESTS WITH ROCK PHOSPHATE HEAVY SOILS. 



Three trials have been made using rock phosphate alone and in com- 

 bination with other fertilizing materials. Where used alone at the rate 

 of 2,000 pounds per acre on the farm of W. C Kempster at Coldwater 

 excellent results have been obtained. The soil is a heavy silt loam on 

 a tight subsoil. Two crops, oats and wheat, of a four-year rotation have 

 been harvested and after having deducted the cost of the rock phosphate 

 returns amounting to |23.88 per acre have been derived. 



Experiments have been conducted over a three-year period on the 

 Van Buren county farm near Hartford, the soil of which is a heavy 

 sandy loam. In these tests 2,000 pounds of rock phosphate per acre 



