GRASSES IN DELAWARE 357 



soil that is not too wet. Red clover thrives best on the richer soil, 

 although occasionally is found doing excellently on wetter soil. 



DELAWARE. Part of Bulletin 81 : The object of an investigation 

 was to determine what combinations and quantities of commercial 

 fertilizers could be most profitably applied to meadow lands. The 

 experiment was planned by Director Harry Hayward. In the spring 

 of 1907 a field which had been in wheat during 1906 and sown to 

 grass, was divided into 18 one-acre plats. The stand of timothy 

 was not heavy, but uniform, since it had been sown with a wheat 

 drill. The fertilizers were applied with a distributor from April 

 26 to May 2. The season was favorable, and the grass made a 

 good growth. Harvesting began July 5. Each plat was cut and 

 weighed separately. The following table shows the treatments, the 

 increase due to treatment, cost of fertilizers, and the profit or loss 

 from each plat. Plats 4 and 12 remained as checks nothing was 

 applied. It will be noted from the table that Plats 1, 2 and 3 re- 

 ceived the same treatment, except in the amount of sodium nitrate 

 app'lied. That is, Plat 2 received twice the quantity of Plat 1, and 

 Plat 3 twice the quantity of Plat 2. The applications of sodium 

 nitrate were thus in the ratio of 1, 2 and 4, while the gain from 

 the treatments is in the ratio of about 1, 2 and 3. The heavier appli- 

 cations 320 pounds of nitrate did not produce a proportional in- 

 crease. From these comparisons we are led to the belief that a 

 considerable quantity of nitrogen may be applied with profit. On 

 Plats 2 and 3 the net profit due to treatment was $8.52 and $12.63 

 respectively, or more than 100 per cent. On Plats 5, 6, 7 and 8 

 the treatments are the same in kind and quantity, except that the 

 quantity of acid phosphate is double on each successive plat. In 

 other words, acid phosphate was applied in the ratio of 1, 2, 4 and 

 8. The yields of these plats do not show a corresponding ratio. 

 The fact is, Plat 5, which had 80 pounds of acid phosphate, pro- 

 duced more hay than Plat 7, which had 320 pounds, or even Plat 

 8, which carried 640 pounds. From this it appears that the quantity 

 of acid phosphate applied had but little effect on the yield. A 

 profit was made on each of the plats except number 8, where the 

 treatment cost $1.68 more than the increased yield was worth. 

 Similarly, the quantity of potash seems to have had but little effect 

 towards increasing the yield. Comparing Plats 10 and 11 as to 

 treatment, the only difference is in the quantity of potash applied, 

 which is four times as much on one plat as the other. Yet the 



