FIELD CROPS. 531 



and use briefly discussed: Marsh mud, swamp muck (19 samples), tannery ashes 

 from the furnace and from the heap, wood ashes, fish pomace, sewage sludge, and 

 poudrette. 



FIELD CROPS. 



Field experiments at the experiment farm at Lauchstadt in 

 1897 and 1898, M. Maercker [Laiidw. Jahrh., 28 {1899), No. 5-6, 

 pp. 617-9Ji.]^ '.)'.)o-10If7 , dgi)i. 1). — A special feature of the experiments 

 has been the different methods of fertilizing adapted to crops grown 

 in succession according to the Norfolk syetem of rotation, /. e.., winter 

 wheat, sugar beets, spring barley, and potatoes. Other special fea- 

 tures have been the utilization of barnyard jnanures from different 

 sources and when preserved by different methods. Earlier work has 

 been noted (PI S. R., 10, p. 533). 



When alfalfa hay was grown on a clay soil at the station its chemi- 

 cal composition was but little affected by fertilizing with Thomas slag 

 alone or combined with kainit and gypsum. Its feeding value was 

 decreased, if anything, by the use of these fertilizers. The use of 600 

 kg. of Thomas slag and 1,000 kg. of kainit combined per hectare 

 greatly increased the yield of an old alfalfa field and had a remarkabl}^ 

 good effect on newly seeded fields. Thomas slag alone gave indiffer- 

 ent results. The addition to the Thomas slag and kainit of 1,000 kg. 

 of gypsum per hectare increased the 3aeld nearl}' 25 per cent. It is 

 thought this same result would have been obtained by a larger use of 

 potash. Fifty per cent of the potash in the kainit applied was utilized 

 by the crop when gypsum was applied at the same time, whereas with- 

 out it 11.3 per cent was utilized. The application of 2,000 kg. per 

 hectare of Thomas slag at one time in combination with 1,000 kg. of 

 kainit, in the expectation that about 500 kg. of the slag would be 

 needed yearly for the crop, nearly doubled the yield the first year, paid 

 the whole cost of the fertilizer, and left a profit of nearly $6 per hec- 

 tare ))psides. 



In the tests with varieties of winter wheat. Square Head sorts 

 have regularly sui-passed all other varieties in the yield of both grain 

 and straw, and the use of Improved Square Head seed gave average 

 results which exceeded by 263 kg. per hectare the yields obtained from 

 seed wheat of the same variety generally grown in the vicinity of the 

 station. In the opinion of the author the profit in growing wheat 

 depends as much upon the use of selected seed as upon the cultural 

 methods followed or the fertilizer employed. The Square Head varie- 

 ties Strube and Beseler No. 3 stood up the best under heavy applica- 

 tions of nitrogenous fertilizers of all the varieties tested. Rimpau 

 Bastard was the earliest variety grown and proved best adapted for 

 poor soils. Fall applications of nitrate of soda have not proven profit- 

 able. Applying one-half of the nitrate of soda at the end of February 



