FIELD CROPS. 211 



Fertilizer experiments -with -wheat, com, and oats, ( '. E. Thorne 

 and J. F. Hickman {Ohio Sta. Bui. 53, pp. 1-30, 32, 33). 



Synopsis. — Experiments in lertiliziug wlieat, oats, aud corn grown continuously and 

 in rotation witli timothy and clover at Columbus, and in fertilizing corn in Colum- 

 biana, Butler, and Washington counties. At present current prices for grsiins 

 and fertilizers, the use of commercial fertilizers and e\en of barnyard manure 

 (if valued on tlie same basis as commercial fertilizers) on wheat, oats, and corn 

 was not profitable, excei)t when these crops were grown in a systematic rotation 

 with clover or a similar nitrogen-collecting crop. The poorer the soil thesmaller 

 the probability of profitable crop production by means of artificial fertilizers. 



These experiments cover 5 years' continuous culture of wheat and 

 oats at Columbus, ('» years' continuous culture of corn at Columbus and 

 iu Columbiana County, and 3 too years' intermittent culture of corn in 

 Washington and Butler counties; 3 years' culture of wheat and oats 

 and 4 years' culture of corn, iu rotation with clover and timothy. 



Continuous culture of irheat, oats, and corn at Columhu.s (pp. 1-14), — 

 For each of the crops grown continuously on the same land 22 twen- 

 tieth-acre i>lats laid out on tile-drained land of uniform character were 

 used. The fertilizers used i^er acre were 320 lbs. of dissolved boneblack ; 

 320 lbs. of dissolved South Carolina rock; 300 lbs. of basic slag; 80 lbs. 

 of muriate of potash; 100, 320, and 480 lbs. of nitrate of soda; 120 lbs. 

 of sulphate of ammonia; 1,000 lbs. of linseed meal; and 8 tons of barn- 

 yard manure, alone or in combination. 



The greatest increase in the yield of wheat over no fertilizer, 5.0 bu. 

 per acre as the average of o years, resulted from the use of liuseed 

 meal; the average increase for all fertilizers was 3.3 bu. per acre. 

 Phosphoric acid in the presence of potash and nitrogen, especially in 

 the form of dissolved boneblack, largely increased the yield of straw. 



With wheat at 80 cts. per bu., straw at $3 per ton, and barnyard 

 manure at 50 cts. jier ton every fertilizer was used at a loss except 

 barnyard manure, with which the net gain was only $1.35 per acre. 



With oats grown continuously on the same laud the average increased 

 yield dite to fertilizers was 4.4 bu. per acre. The gains in yield where 

 nitrogen, phosphoric acid, or potash was used were apparentlj^ ideiiti 

 cal, and no combination of these proved notably superior to their sep 

 arate use. '' The explanation of this is partly to be found iu the fact 

 that the oat plant does not find iu the climate of southern Ohio the 

 conditions suited to its normal development." 



With corn the average increase due to fertilizers was 3.8 bu. per acre, 

 i^either potash nor phosphoric acid, alone or combined, was beneficial, 

 but nitrogen gave a small increase in the yield of grain and of stover. 



Rotative croppimj at Columbus (pp. 14-21). — The yields of wheat, oats, 

 corn, clover, and timothy grown in a 5-crop rotation on plats differ- 

 ently fertilized are tabulated and i)ublished as a report of ])rogress. 

 Comparing the average yields for 1891, 1892, and 1893 of the rotation 

 plats with those of the plats devoted to continuous culture of one crop, 

 the gain due to rotation was, for wheat, 5.0 bu. per acre. 



