57 



111 New Eiijj^laiKl, meadow lands have been very often exhausted by a 

 ck)sc rotation ol' mixed grasses and corn (maize) witliout a rational sys- 

 tem of manuring. Both of the crops have taken large quantities of 

 potash and considerable amounts of phosi)horic acid from the soil and 

 allowed other important constituents of plant food to accumulate in rela- 

 tive excess. " As the amount of available plant food contained in the 

 soil represents largely the working capital of the farmer, it can not be 

 otherwise but that the practice of allowing a part of it to lie idle must 

 reduce the interest on the investment." The annual rc[)orts of this 

 station contain detailed descriptions of experiments with fodder corn 

 which show to what extent the supply of potash in tbe soils used had 

 been exhausted. The introduction of new crops, especially the legumes, 

 which utilize the nitrogen of the air and soil, and the growth of a 

 greater variety of ibdder plants — 



Enables us to meet better the differeuoes iu local coiulitious of cliuiate and of soil, 

 as well as tbe speeial wants of ditFereut brancbes of farm industry, » * * and 

 taking this view of tbe question, the great and valuable family of legunaiuons plants, 

 as clovers, vetches, lueern, serradella, peas, beans, luidnes, etc., is, iu a iiarticular 

 degree, well qnalilied for that purpose. They deserve, also, a decided recommenda- 

 tion in tbe interest of a wider range, for tbe introduction of economical systems of 

 rotation, under various conditions of soil, and ditferent requirements of markets. 

 Most of these fodder plants have an extensive root system, and for this reason largely 

 draw their plant food from the lower portion of the soil. The lands are consequently 

 better fitted for the production of shallow-growing crops, as grains, etc. Large pro- 

 ductions of fodder crops assist in the economical raising of general farm crops; 

 although the area devoted to cultivation is reduced, tbe total yield of the land is 

 usually more s.itisfactory. 



Instances are cited of the success of the station iu bringing up old, 

 worn-out grass land by the use of leguminous forage plants. 



A tabular record-is given of the analyses of nineteen kinds of fodder 

 crops raised at the station, some of them on a large scale, and for further 

 details the reader is referred to the report of the station for 1889. 



Economical feeding of live stock. — This insists upon the importance of 

 selecting fodder materials that (1) furnish protein, fats, and carbohy- 

 drates in proportions fitted to the demands of animals; and that (2) are 

 valuable for manure. Tables give estimates of the value of manurial in- 

 gredients of feeding stuffs i)er ton, and the cost of the digestible nitro- 

 genous matter of the same materials per pound. 



Analyses of corn silage, C. A. Goessmann,Ph. D. (pp. 10, 11). — 

 A tabular record of analyses of six samples of silage from as many dif- 

 ferent varieties of corn, with brief notes on the manuring, mode of plant, 

 ing, stage of growth when harvested, yield per acre, mode of eusiliug, 

 and condition of silage wben received at the laboratory. 



Commercial fertilizers, C. A. Goessmann, Ph.D. (pp. 12-16).— 



Tliis contains a table of the "trade values of fertilizing ingredients iu 



raw materials and chemicals, 1890," and explanations of those values 



and of the conditions under which a fertilizer inspection is conducted by 



5.519-^0.2 2 



