605 



are given of the superphosphates, nitrate of soda, siilphate of ammonia, 

 dried bh)od, cotton-seed meal, muriate of potash, kainit, and barnyard 

 manure used, and also the yields of shelled corn per acre, as tabulated, 

 for 1890 and 1891 . As ii i the previous year, there was evidence of uneven- 

 ness of the soil, which gave rise to inconsistency in the yields when the 

 same fertilizers were used in increasing amounts on different plats. 

 The largest yield of corn (30.92 bushels) occurred with the use of a 

 double ration of sulphate of ammonia with potash and superphosphate. 

 With a triple ration of ammonium sulphate Avith the same amounts of pot- 

 ash and superphosphate, the yield was about a third less than with the 

 double ration. The next largest yield was with a triple ration of nitrate 

 of soda. Except in the case of ammonium sulphate the yield of corn 

 increased with increase of nitrogenous fertilizers. 



The yield was in all cases larger when potash and surperphosphates 

 were aijplied with the nitrogenous fertilizers than when the latter were 

 used alone. In general the results indicated that "nitrogenous manures 

 increased the yield of corn on the soil covered by the experiments; that 

 nitrogen alone, regardless of the source, was more effective in increasing 

 the yield of corn than either phosphoric acid or potash alone or both 

 combined; but that when a large amount of fertilizers was to be applied 

 to corn it was best to add all three of the elements." A formula is given 

 for a mixture containing cotton-seed meal to be used as a fertilizer for 

 corn. 



General fertilizer experiment on corn (pp. 99-102). — The object of this 

 experiment was to determine the effect of applying varying quantities 

 of each of the three elements. One acre of very poor, gravelly soil 

 which had been in corn the previous year was divided into 35 plats. 

 The basal fertilizer consisted of a mixture of 156 pounds of superphos- 

 phate, 19.1 pounds of muriate of potash, and 32.4 pounds of nitrate of 

 soda per acre. This was applied on 4 plats. In separate cases the 

 single ingredients, two ingredients, and all three were doubled, 4 plats 

 receiving the same fertilizer mixture in each case. Two plats remained 

 unmauured. The amount and cost of fertilizers applied and the yields 

 of shelled corn are tabulated. The yields were small on all the plats, 

 ranging from about 4.5 to 10 bushels of shelled corn per acre. 



It is quite evident that — 



(1) Tbe soil was a very poor soil for corn. 



(2) The. soil was deficieut in all three of the elements — phosphoric acid, potash, 

 and nitrogen. 



(3) It was particularly deficient in nitrogen, because nitrogen invariably produced 

 the most marked increase in the yield. 



(4) Phosphoric acid was next in order of deficiency, since its elfectiveness in 

 increasing the yield was next after that of nitrogen. 



(5) Potash was least eft'ective and was least needed. 



Intercultural fertilizing (pp. 103, 104). — This was a repetition of an 

 experiment reported in Bulletin No. 10 of the station (see Experiment Sta- 

 tion Eecord, vol. ii, p. 551), but was on different plats. The fertilizers 



