16 EXPERIMENT STATION. [Jan. 



Fertilizer Experiments. — The land selected for the fertilizer 

 experiments lies in the Bedford Street district in the town of 

 Concord. For a number of years previous to 1906 the field 

 had been lying fallow, and was grown up with briers, small 

 birches, weeds, etc. In preparation for the fertilizer experi- 

 ments the field was cleared of brush and trees and plowed in 

 the spring of 1906. It then received an application of ferti- 

 lizers at the following rates per acre : — 



Lime (tons), ......... y 2 



Basic slag meal (tons) ........ y 2 



High grade tankage (pounds) , ...... 600 



Muriate of potash (pounds), ...... 300 



Nitrate of soda (pounds), ...... 100 



These with the exception of the lime, were mixed, evenly 

 spread and harrowed in. The lime was applied by itself. In 

 order to subdue the witch grass and other weeds, the field was 

 harrowed a number of times during the late spring, and on 

 May 15 it was sown to buckwheat. The buckwheat made a 

 heavy growth, and was plowed under when fully grown. The 

 field was then harrowed and sown to winter rye. This was 

 plowed under in the early spring of 1907, and the asparagus 

 set. The field is laid out in forty twentieth-acre plots, sepa- 

 rated by dividing strips 5 feet and 1^2 inches in width. 



The dimensions of the plots are 129 feet by 16 feet 10i/> 

 inches. Each plot contains five rows. Eaeh dividing strip eon- 

 tains one row set in the middle. The distance between plants 

 in the rows is 2 feet 6 inches. The plants were raised by Mr. 

 Frank Wheeler of Concord, and were from seed of the Giant 

 Argenteuil variety, specially selected by Mr. Wheeler on ac- 

 count of apparent vigor and capacity to resist rust. These 

 plants were exceptionally large and strong, and one year old 

 at the time of setting. Practically every plant started, and the 

 growth throughout the season was remarkably strong. Many 

 of the plants attained a height in excess of 6 feet. All the de- 

 tails of the work were superintended or carried out by Mr. 

 Charles W . Prescott, to whose skill and faithful attention, in 

 connection with the thorough preparation which the land had 

 received, the line growth of the plants must be largely attrib- 



