1882.] EXPERIMENTS WITH FERTILIZERS. 359 



At the same time, in many cases at least, I like some nitrogen 

 also, and tliink a ' complete fertilizer ' is the most profitable for 

 me." 



"... As to the outcome of my experiments with nitrogen, 

 that depends upon soil and crops. ... In my experience thus 

 far, nitrogen in small quantities has generally pi-oved profitable. 

 Bone and potash give a moderate yield of corn and oats on very 

 poor land, but 1 like a good, handsome crop, and twenty-four 

 pounds of nitrogen added, has more than repaid the cost in in- 

 creased yield of corn and oats. That is, mixtures containing ' one- 

 third-ration ' of nitrogen have been uniformly more profitable 

 than ' mixed minerals ' alone, or than mixed minerals with a two- 

 thirds or a full ration of nitrogen; and this is my experience on a 

 larger scale. ..." 



" Yet in a number of cases potash salts with bone, and also 

 with superphosphate, bring excellent crops without nitrogen, and 

 the addition of nitrogen would be unprofitable." 



"My neighbor, Mr. Williams, had a very fine piece of corn this 

 year, with only 200 pounds per acre of bone dust, and 150 pounds 

 of muriate of potash, the two costing seven dollars per acre. I 

 have noted quite a number of similar cases in this district. But 

 my land was very badly run out when I took hold of it, and 

 seemed to demand a little nitrogen. So far as I have observed, 

 soils that have been well manured, r:eeded down, kept in grass 

 awhile, and then plowed again, do well with potash and phosphoric 

 acid, without artificial supply of nitrogen. My corn in last year's 

 nitrogen experiments, rose with the amount of nitrogen added, 

 but the increase was not enough to pay the cost of the 72 pounds, 

 or even of 48 pounds, though it did pay for the 24 pounds. And 

 with the oats on the same plots the past season the yield rose with 

 increase of nitrogen, but the smallest quantity was the most profit- 

 able, as you can see by comparing Plot No. 7 with Nos. 8 and 9, 

 and No. 10 with 11 and 12." 



" But the potatoes gave a better response to the nitrogen than 

 the oats. With them the two-thirds ration, 48 pounds per acre, 

 was the most profitable, and the value of the increase exceeds 

 the cost of the fertilizer. With 48 pounds of nitrogen, the gain 

 was $57 to $65, while with either 72 pounds or 24 pounds it runs 

 from $40 to $59. I notice also, as a result of my experiments, 

 that the potatoes seem to respond to the potash much more readily 

 than either oats or corn." 



