578 EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 



''(3) An experiment in the continuous culture of corn on the same land was begun 

 under direction of the station in 1888 in Columbiana County, on a tract of thin clay- 

 lying over porous shales, and is still continued. 



"(•1) A substation for field experiments has been located in Fulton County, near 

 the corners of Lucus and Henry counties, the post-office being Neapolis, Lucas County. 

 The soil of this substation is the barren, yellow sand of the ancient lake beach, and 

 the region in which it is located is celebrated for its sterility, lands being offered for 

 sale as low as $.5 to $10 per acre. It is locally known as the '*Oak Openings," the 

 timber being a scattering growth of oak. Forty acres of new land have been taken 

 Tinder lease and cleared of timber, and about 10 acres divided into plats of one- 

 twentieth acre each, on which a 3-crop rotation of potatoes, wheat, and clover was 

 begun in 1894. 



"In this region one of the main problems seems to be to amend the physical con- 

 dition of the soil, as in its natural condition its fertility leaches rapidly and its loose 

 sands are badly drifted by the wind. When first brought into cultivation the yellow 

 sands of this region produce extremely meager crops, but when farmed in rotation 

 with clover, and especially if sheep are kei>t, they improve in productiveness. 



"This is known as the northwestern substation. 



"(5) A northeastern substation has been established in Strongsville township, 

 Cuyahoga County, this being the southwestern township of the county, and near the 

 boundaries of Medina and Lorain counties. The soil here is the heavy, white clay, 

 which characterizes a large portion of the Western Reserve region — a soil which, in 

 its natural state, is one of the least responsive to culture of any in Ohio. A tract of 

 100 acres, lying a mile west of Strongsville village, has been leased, and work was 

 begun on it in the Spring of 1895. Part of this land is an old field which has not 

 been cultivated for many years, and which was covered with a dense growth of 

 spiked wild oat grass (Danihonia sjyicafa) locally known as 'poverty grass,' and con- 

 sidered almost absolutely worthless, either for pasture' or hay — a grass which has 

 established the reputation of growing on 'hard clay lauds where nothing else will.'' 



" On this section has been commenced a 5-crop rotation of corn, oats, wheat, clover, 

 and timothy, while on another part of the tract, which has been in regular cultiva- 

 tion, has been started a 3 crop rotation of potatoes, wheat, and clover, the first crop 

 on each rotation being grown in 1895. This tract, like those at the central station 

 and on the University farm, is being underdrained with tile drains laid 36 ft. apart 

 and about 30 in. deep. 



"In all this work every third plat has been left continuously unfertilized, begin- 

 ning with the first in each series." 



The yields (during 1894 and 1895) are given for the different crops 

 grown continuously and in rotation. These include oats, corn, wheat, 

 and clover in rotation at Wooster and Columbus ; potatoes and wheat 

 in rotation at Wooster and in Fulton and Cuyahoga counties; wheat, 

 oats, and corn grown continuously on the same land at Columbus and 

 in Columbiana County (E. S. R., G, p. 211). 



The crops were seriously injured in 1894 by drought and other unfa- 

 vorable conditions, and the effect of fertilizers was therefore not appar- 

 ent. In 1895 the crops also suffered some from drought, especially on 

 uplands. 



The results at Wooster during this year show that '^ there was an 

 increase in yield wherever superphosphate was used, the increase being 

 generally small and irregular. Nitrate of soda and muriate of potash, 



'U. S. Dept. Agr. Rpt. 1879, p. 355. 



