164 



Many specific results as to the relation between climates and crops 

 on a large scale are entirely altered from season to season by the chem- 

 ical influence of the climate on the fertilizer and the soil in general. 

 We have here, therefore, a source of discrepancy that has contributed 

 appreciably to obscure the influence of the climate on the plant. 



PRIZE CROPS. 



Evidently crops of seed or grain depend, primarily, on the amount 

 of nitrogen in the sap, and, secondarily, on the elaboration of those 

 precious nitrates into albuminoids. Hence the recognized need of 

 manures, fertilizers, and leguminous crops. But the study of the 

 remarkable crops of corn raised as so-called prize crops in 1889 dem- 

 onstrates that excellent results may be obtained on some soils without 

 manures, and is otherwise very instructive, since the heavy manuring 

 in many cases must have been largely counteracted by the waste 

 caused by rain. I condense the folloAving from the monthly reports 

 of the department of agriculture of South Carolina for March, 1890, 

 pp. 233-243: 



In 1889 the American Agi-iculturist olfered a prize of $500 for 

 the largest crop of corn that should be groAvn on 1 measured acre of 

 ground during the year 1889. Forty-five leading competitors ap- 

 peared, of whom 10 were from South Carolina. The average of these 

 10 prize crops from that State gave 105 bushels per acre, whereas the 

 n\erage of the 25 crops from other States was 103.5 bushels per acre. 

 The accompanying table gives most of the more appropriate statis- 

 tics for the 7 best results in this list of 45 : 



Data relative to the best 7 of the Jin competing crops. 



Serial 

 No. 



Locality. 



Soil. I Quantity of fertilizer. 



Z. J. Drake, Marlboro County, 



S.C. 

 Alfred Rose, Yates County, 



N.Y. 

 George Gartner , Pawnee 



County, Nebr. 

 J. Snelling, Barnwell County, 



S.C. 

 L. Peck, Rockdale County, Ga.. 



Poor san'^y soil.-| (") 



Sandy loam 8(K) pounds Mapes corn manure. 



Rich black loam.j 90 loads barnyard manure. 



I 

 Sandy loam I SK) bushels stable manure: 'M) bush- 

 els cotton seed. 



lo I 4 loads stable manure: 30 bushels 



heated cotton seed: 1,000 pounds 

 Packard standard fertilizer; 500 

 pounds cotton-seed meal. 



B. Gedney , Westchester Clay loam ' HOO pounds Mapes corn manure. 



County, N. Y. 



E. P. Kellenberger, Madison Sandy loam No fertilizer at all. 



County, Ul. 1 



<'Prise crop No. 1. — The sandy soil had been fertilized in 1887 by Mr. Drake and had 

 yielded in 1888 the great crop of 917 pounds to the acre of lint cotton, and was therefore 

 already profiting by the heavy enrichment that is had received that year. In Feb- 

 ruary, 1889, in preparation for the present contest, Mr. Drake began a new course ot 

 manuring, and from that date until .lime 11 the following material was added to the soil : 

 One thousand bushels stable manure : 867 pounds of German kainit ; 867 pounds ot 

 cotton-seed meal; 200 pounds of acid phosphate; 1.066 pounds of manipulated guano; 

 200 pounds of animal bone; 400 pounds nitrate of soda; 600 bushels of whole cotton 

 seed. The total cost of this manure was .$220 iind (he work in applymg it, together with 

 the frequent culture that was given, made the whole expense of the crop ^(264. Ihe value 

 of the corn that was raised was .$206, and the value of the manure left in the soil for the 

 next year's crop was at least $150. 



