36 Report of the Acting Director and Chemist of the 



Table Showing Comparison of Different Methods of Apply- 

 ing Fertilizers. 



number of plot. 



2 



5 

 3 



6 

 4 



7 



Pounds of fer- 

 tilizer applied 

 on one acre. 



1,000 

 1 , 000 

 1,500 

 1,500 



2,000 

 2,000 



Method of 

 application. 



Broadcast 

 In row. . . 

 Broadcast 

 In row . . . 

 Broadcast 

 In row. . . 



Bushels of 

 potatoes pro- 

 duced on one 

 acre. 



197.3 

 207.5 

 188.4 

 197.1 

 21G.3 

 199.8 



From a comparison of the foregoing data, it is seen that better 

 resuUs were obtained with the smaller amounts of fertilizer when 

 the fertilizer was applied in the row. On the other hand, when 

 2,000 ponnds of fertilizer were used, better results were obtained 

 from applying it broadcast. This is undoubtedly due to the fact 

 that a large amount of fertilizer applied in the row comes more or 

 less into contact with the seed-potatoes and injures their germinating 

 power. It was apparent on most of the plots where the larger 

 amounts were applied that the potatoes came up more or less uneven 

 and some failed altogether to come up. 



It remains for us to ascertain in the future to what extent the 

 fertilizers used in excess remain available in the soil. It also remains 

 for us to try similar experiments upon lighter soil. There is some 

 reason for believing that there is too much neglect in keeping 

 abundance of humus in the soil, especially where the soils are of the 

 character common on Long Island. It is quite probable that fer- 

 tilizers can be used most economically in smaller quantities than half 

 a ton an acre, provided the soil is kept supplied with humus. These 

 points, however, can be definitely settled only by our future work. 



In, conclusion, it is suggested by way of precaution that these 

 results of our preliminary experiments must not be regarded as con- 

 clusive upon any of the points tested. Different results might have 

 been obtained on a soil differing in character and history from the 

 one used. The present results are rather to be regarded as helpful 

 suggestions for future lines of investigation. 



