35 



(4) Potash (looH iiitliionco tlio comjiosition of potatoes ; and of tln' (liflTcrent coinmcr- 

 cial fi'iiiis, tlit« Miilpliate is tho most valiiablo. 



Tlioii;;h soiuothinj^ has been learned from these experiments, fnrther study Heonis 

 imperative, for there is no one cinestiou so important to the general farmer of thia 

 State as the stndy of soils and crops in regard to the economical use of manures. 



Field experiments wrrir fertilizers on wheat, E. B. Voor- 

 IIEES, I\r. A. (pp. 25-31). — These. exi>erimeiit8, made on the laud of a 

 farmer in the State, were " i>hinned to study tlie otiects of nitrogen as 

 nitrate of soda when used either alone or in connection with either one 

 or both of the elements of potash and phosphoric acid." 



The 5 tenth-acre |)lat8 used for the trial were used for an ex]>eri- 

 nient with oats in 1S,S!», and were fertiliz(Ml for that crop as follows: 

 I'hits 1 and "», unfertilized; i)lat U, !."i(» pounds muriate of potash; plat 

 3, 3(M) i)ounds of "boneblack superphosphate," and plat 4, the two mate- 

 lials combined. 



In the ex[)eriment with wiieat, plat 1 received nitrate of soda IGO 

 pounds per acre; i)lats 2 and 3, the same amount of nitrate with 

 respectively 100 pounds of muriate of potash ami 320 ])ounds of bone- 

 blacU superphosphate; plat 4, tlu' three materials combined; and plat 

 5 reniained uumanured. One fourth of the nitrate of soda was applied 

 at the time of seedinj^ (September 24) and the remainder in the si)rinfj 

 (April 2!», 18!)0). , 



The yields of oood and ])Oor wheat and of straw, the wei<iht of wheat 

 ]>«'i- bushel, the analyses of the wheat and straw, and the amounts of 

 feitilizing ingredients removed from the soil are tabulated for each plat. 

 The following summary is taken from the bulletin : 



Cotnparison of yields per acre. 



UriiiKiiiiircil I a nil 



• Jail! 1 1 Din nil rate nf siKlaalcmc 



( iaiii 1 1 III 11 ml rale of soda Willi imtasli 



Oain tniiii nilralo (ifsnila with |ilins|)li(>iic acid 



Uain iViiin iiili'at<« nf soila with plid.splioric acid and putash 



lucroased ;;uin due to )>liiis|)lioric acid 



Increased >;■*'" "li'o to |ilio.sidioric acid and potasli 



Wlieat. Straw. 



It will he observed that while the nitrate alone incn-a.sed the yield by r>.8 bushels, 

 its best effect, 12.G bushels of wheat and 1,."H.") pounds of straw, or an increase of 100 

 per cent, was .secured only when there was a full supply of the mineral elements. 

 Tlie presence of these iiilliienced the quality of the product, as shown by the weight 

 of measureil biisind and by the amount of poor wheat. 



Allowing $1.10 per bushel for the wheat and $.")per ton for the straw, 

 the profit per acre is calculated to be as follows: 



With nitrate of .soda alone $4.98 



With nitrate of soda and potash 0.45 



With nitrate of soda and jihosphoric acid 6.42 



With nitrati^ of .soda, phosphoric acid, and potash 6.41 



The author gives, in closing, directions as to the use of idtrate of soda 

 on wheat. 



