FIELD CK(M' 



The "normal" fertilizer mixture consisted of 1,200 lbs. acid phosphat 

 cotton-seed meal, 200 lbs. nitrate of soda, and 200 lbs. muriate of potasl 

 results from the use of 800, L,200, or 2,000 lbs. of the normal formula p< 

 showed very BlightJy increased profits from the larger quantities of fertilizer, and il 

 is concluded thai for seasons like 1903, 1,200 lbs. peracre ie sufficient. The use ol 

 this norma] formula in 2 applications gave the largesl yield of cane pei 

 pared with other methods, and bore oul the conclusions from tin- experiments ol 

 1902. The analyses of the juices showed no appreciable differences in this connection. 



The 3 ields obtained on the 2 fields proved conclusively thai Bugar cane can nol be 

 grown profitably <>n thai soil withoul fertilizers. The unfertilized plat 

 8.26 per cenl of sucrose againsl an average of 10.2 per cenl on the plats fertilized 

 with tli«' aormal formula, while the purity for the unfertilized and fertilized plats 

 averaged 69.4 and 72.9, respectively. 



<>n practically the same soil the yield in 1902 was 9.12 tons per acre and the 

 sucrose content, 15.72 per cent, or aboul double the tonnage and sugar contenl of 

 L903. The average yield of 16 unfertilized plats was 1.23 tons per acre, and of 30 

 plats fertilized with 800 to 2,000 lbs. of the normal formula per acre, L2.96 tot 

 gain of 8.73 tons and ;i profil of $20.68 per acre from the use of the fertilizer. 



The indications from the special fertilizer experiments were thai 800 to 1,200 lbs. 

 of the normal mixture furnished sufficienl of the individual ingredients. \- in 

 1902, cotton Beed proved too expensive as a fertilizer for cane on this soil at the 

 presenl prices of seed and other fertilizer ingredients. 



The experiment field which had grown plant cane in L902 was used tin- season for 

 a test with stubble cane. The stubble was treated in the usual manner, and in April 

 an application of 40t» lbs. per acre of the normal formula fertilizer was applied 

 aromal the roots and in June another application of 400 lbs. was made. This land 

 was better in quality than that devoted to the experiment described above, and 

 hence the genera] yield was greater. The rattoon crop of L903 apparently derived 

 but little, if any. benefil from the application of ammonia made the year before, bul 

 was largely benefited by the potash and phosphoric acid applied at that time. Cot- 

 ton seed also failed to show any residual effect. 



In L904 the experiments were again conducted on 2 fields. A with 1l' plats and B 

 with 46. Field A. a L r <»>d grade of pine land with a stiff clay subsoil, was seeded to 

 oats in the winter of 1902, followed by cowpeas in the summer of 1903. In these 

 test- the normal formula was revised, as follows: Acid phosphate 1,200 lbs., cotton- 



s 1 meal :;<>(> lbs., nitrate of soda LOO lbs., and muriate of potash 200 lbs., on the 



theory that all the phosphoric acid and potash and a hoi it half of 1 he nitrogen should 

 he applied at the time of planting, and the other half of the nitrogen, in the form of 

 nitrate of soda, in 1 or 2 later applications. 



The results showed a greal difference in the productivity of the 2 fields, which was 

 apparently due to the fact that cowpeas had been grown upon field A. The unfer- 

 tilized plats on tield A gave an average yield of L5.82 tons of hay per acre, w bile the 

 corresponding plats on field B nave only 4.39 tons. The percentage of Bucrose from 

 these same plats on tield A and field B was 14. <>7 and 12.31, respectively. The 

 reducing Bugar was also less and the purity of the juices higher for tield A than for 



tield B, so that in every respect field A showed a greal superiority for cane pro- 

 duction. 



The average yields of '■> plats receiving the normal formula fertilizer were 26.62 and 

 17.22 tons per acre for tield A and tield B, respectively. The average increase per 

 acre on tield A apparent ly due to the fertilizer was L0.8 tons, and on field B, 12.83 

 tons. The percentage of Bugar in the cane grown on the poorer soil and the reduc- 

 ing Bugar and the purity were aboul the same as on the richer land. 



The results at Waycross for 1904 are given in tables withoul comment. The largest 

 yields «.f cane per acre were obtained from the use of 2,000 lbs. of the normal formula. 



