1902.] PUBLIC DOCUMENT— No. 33. 11 



REPORT OF THE AGRICULTURISTS. 



WM. r. BROOKS; ASSISTANT, II. M. THOMSON. 



The work of the agricultural division of the experiment 

 station for the past year has followed the general lines of 

 investigation already undertaken. The problems chiefly 

 engaging attention are those connected with the nutrition of 

 plants and the selection and use of manures and fertilizers. 

 These problems are of fundamental importance in the agricul- 

 ture of the State ; and, as our lines of inquiry are followed 

 up from year to year, it is believed that little by little the 

 results must contribute to the sum of our knowledge per- 

 taining to many vital points. 



It may possibly have been thought by some that, as com- 

 paratively few of our farmers yet use unmixed fertilizers, 

 it can scarcely benefit them greatly to know the relative 

 values of many of the materials dealt with in our experi- 

 ments. This view is superficial, for, even though farmers 

 may not } r et largely employ chemicals, the manufacturers of 

 mixed materials, always on the lookout for new light as to 

 the needs of the various crops, are gradually modifying 

 their goods in accordance with well-established results of 

 experiments. 



To cite one or two examples : one of the best-known 

 brands of potato fertilizers, as made twelve years ago, had 

 the following percentage composition: nitrogen, 4.12; 

 soluble and available phosphoric acid, 7.59 ; total phos- 

 phoric acid, 12.17 ; potash, 5.23. As made last year, the 

 same brand of fertilizer contained : nitrogen, 2.92 ; soluble 

 and available phosphoric acid, 6.45 ; total phosphoric acid, 

 8.27 ; potash, 10. Twelve years ago most potato fertilizers 

 contained potash in the form of muriate ; they now very 



