8 



Canebrake Agricultural Experiment Station. 



Department of Agricullural and Mechanical College of Alabama. 

 Location, Uuiontown. Director, J. S. Newman. 



BULLETIN NO. 3, JANUARY, 1889. 



Eeport of Assistant Director, W. H. Newman, M. Sc. (pp. 3-11). 

 Experiments icith corn (pp. 3-7). 



Parallel experiments were conducted upon black slough bottom and tbe prairie 

 land known as "sLell ridge," for the purpose of ascertaining what fertilizers, if any, 

 will pay upon these varieties of iirairie soil. The results give little promise of profit 

 from the uie of fertilizers of any character. The effects of drainage are somewhat 

 more encouraging, but expectations have not been realized. 



Tbe details of the experiments are stated in tables. 



Meteorology (pp. 8-11). — Tables are given showing- the observations 

 with soil thermometers, the temperature of the air, rain-fall, etc., for 

 August-December, 1888. To determine the relation between rain-fall 

 and drainage, measurements of the outflow from a system of tile drains 

 laid 30 feet apart and 3 feet deep, over 3 acres, were made for six con- 

 secutive days in October, 1888. 



The rain-fall was aa follows: October 22, .97 inch ; 23d, .55; 24th, .69, and 2.5th, 

 1.49, making a total precipitation of 3.70 inches in fourdays. The total precipitation 

 upon the 3 acres in the four days was 30.5,148 gallons, and the outflow during six days, 

 from October 24 to 29 inclusive, was 208,353 gallons, or 68 per cent of the precipita- 

 tion. This, of course, does not cover the whole outflow, but simply indicates the 

 promptness with which the tile withdraws the surplus water from the first 3 feet of 

 the surface, even in such tenacious soils as that of the canebrake. No measurements 

 were made on the first two days of the iirecipitation. That much of the surplus oc- 

 casioned by these had already been withdrawn when the measurements commenced 

 is shown by the fact that the first measurement on the 24th showed an outflow of 1 

 gallon to eight seconds. That there was still much surplus water in the soil was in- 

 dicated by the outflow- of 1 gallon to ninety seconds the seventh day. An outflow of 

 7,200 gallons from 3 acres of land in one hour, or 172,800 in one day, indicates the 

 importance of drainage. 



ARKANSAS. 



Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station. 



Department of Arkansas Industrial University. 

 Location, Fayetteville. Director, A. E. Meuke, D. Sc. 



BULLETIN NO. 8, APRIL 19, 1889. 



Spaying of cattle (pp. 3-11). — Experiments were performed on a 

 number of cattle of common stock from six mouths to eight or ten years 

 old. The best results were obtained with those under one year old. 



From our observations on these and other animals, we conclude that spaying 

 should not be undertaken on pregnant cows, nor is it likely to be of much benefit to 

 very old animals, or such as from their general appearance have weak powers of 

 digestion. Spaying will not convert a poor milker into a good milker, nor will it do 

 away with the bad points which characterize the lank, unthrifty animal ; but per- 

 formed upon ordinary stock, selected according to the indications previously given, 

 it will be found profitable both by hastening maturity and by enhancing the market- 

 able value of the flesh. 



