PENNSYLVANIA FIELD EXPERIMENTS 421 



The following statements are made in the Pennsylvania Report 

 for 1901-1902, pages 195-197: 



"It should be stated that this soil has been formed in place on the underly- 

 ing rock. The rock is in some instances but a few feet below the surface of the 

 ground. While the surface soil is fairly uniform in fertility and in depth, the 

 subsoil varies greatly as to depth. This soil has good natural underdrainage, 

 and contains a fair supply of humus. While the soil is a somewhat stiff clay 

 loam, the natural drainage is entirely sufficient to carry off excessive moisture, 

 even in time of heavy rainfall." 



"The cultivation given this series of plots has been similar to that given to 

 ordinary field crops under good cultural conditions." 



"The operations of harvesting have been performed as uniformly as possible 

 for all plots, in order that any variation of the yield might not be due in any way 

 to the difference in the manner of handling the crops when matured. 



"Corn. The corn was cut by hand and placed in medium-sized shocks to 

 cure. From the shocks it was husked in the field, and the ears of corn weighed 

 and the yield of stalks weighed when sufficiently cured to store in the barn with- 

 out danger from heating. 



"Oats and Wheat. The oats and wheat have been cut with a twine binder, 

 and the bundles placed in shocks on the plots, where they remained until suffi- 

 ciently dry for threshing. They were then drawn to the barn, weighed, threshed, 

 and the weight of the grain deducted from the total weight to ascertain the 

 weight of straw and chaff, the difference being the credited weight of straw. 



"Hay. The grass (clover and timothy mixed) has been cut with a mowing 

 machine and given the same treatment as found practical to give grass and hay 

 on the College and Experiment Station farms. When the forage was suffi- 

 ciently cured to store in the barns without danger from fermentation, the hay 

 was drawn to the barn and weighed." 



While the three grain crops were grown in 1882 and all crops in 

 1883, the full fertilizer treatment for the four years was not received 

 by some plots until 1885, and consequently the results for the first 

 three years must be considered as preliminary. The fertilizer 

 applications are made only in alternate years, for corn and wheat 

 (excepting the caustic lime, which is applied but once in four years, 

 for corn). 



The application for nitrogen is at three different rates, 24, 48, 

 and 72 pounds per acre in alternate years, or 48, 96, and 144 for 

 each rotation; and three different forms of nitrogen are used, 

 dried blood, sodium nitrate, and ammonium sulfate. For the four 

 years the potassium applied amounts to 166 pounds (always in 

 potassium chlorid, so-called " muriate " of potash), and the phos- 



