son, SESSION, 



109 



of soda entered into the composition of the fertiHzer. In 1900 and since, 

 Hme has been applied to one half the land in this experiment as it was 

 being prepared for corn, with the result that the limed land has shown 

 a somewhat greater yield of corn, oats and wheat, followed by a very 

 much larger yield of clover and timothy than the unlimed land. It now 

 appears probable that if all the land had been limed once in each rotation, 

 at the rate of a ton of lime to the acre, not only the unfertilized yields 

 but also the total and net increase from the fertilizers on all the crops 

 would have been considerably greater than it has been. 



Taking the experiment as it stands, we see that acid phosphate has 

 been decidedly the most effective of the three fertilizing materials used 

 in producing increase of crop in the cereals. Ordinarly we assume that 

 the only element of value in acid phosphate is phosphorus, but the ques- 

 tion may be raised whether, in this soil, hungry for lime as it has been 

 shown to be, the lime carried in the acid phosphate may not have con- 

 tributed to the increase of crop. It is true that since the use of lime 

 was begun the limed ends of the unfertilized plots have given an average 

 yield of corn, 10 bushel^ to the acre greater than that given by the un- 

 limed ends, but this yield has been further increased by 11 bushels per 

 the acre on the limed ends, against 12 bushels on the unlimed ends, on 

 the plots receiving acid phosphate only, thus indicating that the lime in 

 the acid phosphate has played but a very small part in the increase pro- 

 duced by this material. 



Muriate of potash and nitrate of soda, whether used separately or 

 in combination, have produced a comparatively small effect and have 

 been used at a pecuniary loss unless combined with the phosphate, yet 

 the addition of these substances to the phosphate produces not only a 

 greater total yield but also a greater net gain than that derived from 

 any partial fertilizer, notwithstanding the fact that the cost of the 

 complete fertilizer is eight times as great as that of the acid phosphate 

 alone. 



The actual total yields, for the two periods, of the land receiving this 

 complete fertilizer are given in table VII. 



Vrr. -AVERAGE TOTAL YIELDS PER ACRE FROM COMPLETE FERTILIZERS. 



5 years— 1894-1898. 



7 years— 1899-1905. 



Corn 



Oats 



Wheat .. 

 Clover . . 

 Timothy 



41.3 bus. grain, 1,821 lbs. stover. 

 43.6 " " 1.809 lbs. straw. 

 20.5 " " 2,356 " 

 2,740 lbs. hay. 

 2.943 " " 



48.3 bus. grain, 2,160 lbs. stover. 

 55.7 " " 2,203 " straw. 

 27.0 " •' 2,788 " 

 3,107 lbs. hay. 

 3,421 " " 



