228 EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 



while the maize meal plat produced 0.2 of a bushel less. After the barley was 

 harvested 2 tons of lime were applied per acre and the land sown to white 

 mustard on June 14, 1906. The heaviest yield was secured on the maize meal 

 plat, but the yields on 3 of the plats did not show very great differences. 



A green manuring experiment was conducted on Lansome field in 190.^ and 

 1906 with tares and mustard, treated with mineral manures and lime. The 

 tares in each case gave the heaviest yield, and when plowed under added more 

 than twice as much nitrogen as the mustard. The following season, however, 

 the best yields of wheat were secured on the mustard plats. Results secured in 

 1905 with different grades of barley seed indicated that the selection of large 

 plump grains, or the rejection of the smaller grains, is not necessarily advisable 

 for seed purposes. 



Comparative tests of native and English wheat were made in 1905 and 1906, 

 with the result that the English wheat. Square Head Master, in each case gave 

 the higher yield of grain and straw. Canadian Red Fife outranked the English 

 variety in quality, but the much higher production of the English wheat made 

 it the more remunerative. Soot used as a top-dressing for wheat was analyzed 

 and found to contain 4.56 per cent of nitrogen. It was applied at the rates of 

 40 and 20 bu. per acre. The use of 20 bu. gave a slightly heavier yield than the 

 use of 1.5 cwt. of nitrate of soda, and even the use of 40 bu. gave a profitable 

 increase. 



Fertilizer experiments with potatoes indicate that on light land 1 cwt. per 

 acre of sulphate of potash is a better dressing than 4 cwt. of kainit. the 2 sup- 

 plying practically equal quantities of potash. The best total yield of tubei's was 

 secured where 3 cwt. of superphosphate, 1 cwt. of sulphate of ammonia, and 1 

 cwt. of sulphate of potash were used. 



The results of fertilizer experiments -with mangels in 1905 and 1906 show con- 

 siderable gains from the use of top-dressings with nitrate of soda and salt over 

 bai-nyard manure alone. The use of 2 cwt. of nitrate of soda per acre gave a 

 smaller crop than the use of 1 cwt. The best return in each year was obtained 

 with t!ie mixture of 1 cwt. of nitrate of soda and 1 cwt. of salt, and the next 

 best from using 1 cwt. of soda alone. It was also found that mangels taken up 

 at the usual time, about October 10, gave a smaller yield than mangels allowe<l 

 to remain in the ground until the first frost, which this season was on November 

 12. The chemical conq)()sition of the 2 lots of roots did not. show very great 

 differences. 



The best fertilizier applications for alfalfa in 1905 and 1906, the fourth and 

 fifth .years of the test, were 4 cwt. each of superphosphate, bone dust, and sul- 

 phate of potash, sui)plemented b.v 2 cwt. of nitrate of soda or sulphate of 

 ammonia. A test of Provence, South American, and Canadian alfalfa seed re- 

 sulted in favor of the Canadian. Of different varieties of clover tested, English 

 late-flowering red gave the largest first cutting, while the second cutting was 

 very small. The highest yield was obtained from the English red. although 

 Chilean, Canadian red, and Canadian mannuoth red gave yields almost as good. 

 Silesian clover gave much the lowest yield. 



Diversified farming under the plantation system, D. A. Bbodie and C. K. 

 McClelland {U. 8. Dept. Agr., Fanners' Bill. 299, pp. 14)- — The need of crop 

 diversification is discussed and an experiment in diversified fai-ming is described. 

 Tenants on the Rosalie plantation at Moreland, La., were induced to set aside 

 for the experiment nearly 2 acres of land, on which were ijlanted potatoes, water- 

 melons, sweet corn, and cabbage. Poor seed and dry weather were most unfa- 

 vorable to the corn and cabbage crops. Excluding one failure the net profits 

 per acre with potatoes varied from $10.58 to $61.49. The yields varied from 

 about 8 to 107 bu. per acre, averaging 61§ bu. The potatoes were dQg May 21 



