38 



KENTUCKY AGRICULTURAL STATION. 



Dr. G. Smets, of Liege, records as the middle of two experi- 

 ments made by him that without phosphoric acid he had 70.10 gr. ; 

 with J gr. of phosphoric acid in Thomas phosphate, 585.10 gr. ; 

 with gr. of it in superphosphate, 659.75 gr. of maize ; but he adds 

 that the value of a manure cannot be compared immediately after 

 its action the first year, irrespective of the difference in price. Dr. 

 Petermann has, with his careful researches, found that he ob- 

 tained the same increase in crops with both phosphoric acid 

 manures, provided the Thomas phosphate was flour-like fine. In 

 Dr. Smet's latest work on "L'Acide Phosphorique" he mentions that 

 those plants which with difficulty absorb the phosphoric acid in 

 the first stage of the growth like turnips, beets, and maize- 

 are better to be supported with some superphosphate, but to give 

 this and Thomas phosphate not at the same time. 



In the pamphlet by M. Toulouse Camille, written for French 

 teachers of primary schools on commercial manures, he recommends 

 for maize per acre 400 Ib. of Thomas phosphate, 120 Ib. of muriate of 

 potash, and from 80 to 120 Ib. of nitrate of soda. 



At the Hawkesbury Experimental Farm in New South Walog 

 a large number of experiments with maize have been made in 

 1893, 4, and 5. A crop of wheaten hay was in all cases taken 

 off, then ploughed; harrowed, and disced, and brought to a fine 

 tilth. Drills were 4 ft. 6 in. apart, and the seed dropped by 

 hand 16 in. apart. In the first five experiments a mixture of 

 300 Ib. kainit, 200 Ib. superphosphate, and 200 Ib. sulphate of 

 ammonia was spread over the drills at the rate of 580 Ib. per acre. 

 The seeds were soaked into a solution of copper sulphate. Yellow 

 Hogea maize was always used. Eight seeds to a set proved to be 

 too many, as cobs were small. Seeds in the drills 9 in. apart gave 

 a larger yield, with, However, also smaller cobs than where the 

 distance was greater. The importance of clean cultivation wa\ 

 shown by other experiments, the average off two years of uncul- 

 tivated plots having been 38 bushels 31 Ib. ; of one "cultivation, 42 

 bushels 55 Ib. ; of two cultivations, 44 busEels 43 Ib. ; of three cul 

 tivations, 55 bushels 31 Ib. ; and of four cultivations, 56 bushels 37 

 Ib. Cultivation did not require hilling. Seeds from the middle 



