352 



in 1888, but owing to unfavorable climatic conditions it was impracti- 

 cable to secure a fair record of the comparative jields of different vari- 

 eties. This experiment has been repeated in 1889 with seed obtained 

 from the crop of the previous year. 



Variety test of corn (pp. 124-126). — A brief general record of the ex- 

 periment and tabulated notes on 10 varieties of pop-corn and 12 of 

 dent corn. The crop was much injured by continued wet weather. 



Soil tests with fertilizers and corn (pp. 126-130). — The laud used for 

 this experiment was nearly level and appareutly uniform. " It was 

 divided into plats 1 rod wide by 10 rods long, making one sixteenth 

 of an acre. The twenty-two plats arranged side by side were sub- 

 divided across their length, making sections of one thirty-second of an 

 acre. One series, or half of the sections, was planted with the variety 

 Piasa Queen, a yellow dent sent out by the United States Department of 

 Agriculture. The other, with Scott's Improved, a fine white dent variety 

 from the eastern shore of Maryland. These two varieties of corn had the 

 same kind and amount of fertilizers on different sections of the same plat. 

 Plats 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 of section II were of a different quality of soil 

 and were not included in the test. The plats were che(;k rowed 3 feet 4 

 inches apart, giving four rows to a plat and leaviug a space of 6 feet 

 between outside rows of contiguous plats." ISitrate of soda, castor 

 l)omace, dried fish. Keystone phosphate, Orchilla guano, Mona Island 

 guano, Thomas slag, cotton-seed-hull ashes, sulphate of potash, marl, 

 lime, land plaster, dried blood, dissolved bone-black, and muriate of 

 l)otash were used singly, and the last four in different combinations. 

 Four plats received no fertilizer. The corn was planted May 30. 

 Germination and growth were uniformly good considering tlie season, 

 and very little difference could be observed between the plats. The 

 wet weather caused late planting and imperfect cultivation and suffi- 

 ciently accounts for a generally poor crop. 



The amounts of the different fertilizers used and the yields of the 

 several plats are given in a table. The best yield was with dried fish, 

 being at the rate of 39 bushels of shelled corn per acre. Nitrogen alone 

 in nitrate of soda or dried blood gave as good yields as when combined 

 with phosphoric acid and potash. 



Rotation plats (pp. 130-132). — A brief account of the first year's re- 

 sults on six plats laid out in 1888, as stated in the First Annual Report 

 of the station, for exiieriments with various crops in rotation. Each 

 plat is divided into four sections, on which will be compared the effect 

 of rotation of crops without fertilizers and with commercial fertilizers 

 and stable manure alone and in combination. 



" Seed Oerminator " tests (p. 132). — A test made at the station with a 

 powder advertised to aid the germination of seeds indicated that it was 

 without value for the purpose. 



Eeport of machinist, E. H. Brinkley (pp. 133-136). — Brief re- 

 ports on trials of a biiuh-r, grain drill, potato digger, transplanter, and 

 three kinds of seed sowers. 



