45 



Objects ani> Methods of the Experiments. 



The soils of Alabama dififer widely. Hence they requir<' 

 different fertilizers. For most profitable results the fertil- 

 izer must be suited to the soil. Misfits are frequent and 

 costly, especially in a State spending several millions of 

 dollars for commercial fertilizers. To decrease such losses 

 is the otjject of- the "soil tests," or local fertilizer experi- 

 ments conducted under the direction of the Alabama Ex- 

 periment Station by farmers in different soil belts. 



To map the .State, even roughly, according to the fertili- 

 zer requirements of the prevailing soils, must necessarily 

 be the work of years. In locating these experiments the 

 writer has been guided more by the geological map than 

 by county lines. 



The number of co-operative fertilizer experiments pro- 

 vided for in 1897 was thirty-six, from which ;{0 reports were 

 received. Twenty of these reports give definite indications. 

 and are discussed at length in this bulletin. The others, 

 deemed inconclusive, are more briefly tabulated. 



Small" lots of carefully weighed and mixed fertilizens 

 were supplied to each experimenter. Detailed instructioms 

 as to how to co'nducfthe experiments, and blank forms for 

 reporting results, were also furnished. 



