14 HATCH EXPERIMENT STATION. [Jan. 



Warming a Stable for Cows. 

 The increase in milk and butter due to warming a stable 

 was small, and altogether insufficient to pay the cost. 



Feeding Hens for Eggs. 



1 . Vegetable foods, even though furnishing equal amounts 

 of all nutrients and in the proportions considered suitable, 

 are shown to be much inferior to animal foods furnishing the 

 same amounts of nutrients and in the same proportions. 



2. Dried meat meal, everything being considered, appears 

 to be superior as a feed for laying fowls to cut fresh bone. 



Soil Tests. 



Soil tests upon the plan agreed upon in convention in 

 Washington in 1889 have been continued. During the past 

 season we have carried out five such tests : two upon our 

 own grounds, one with rye and the other with grass and 

 clover as the crops ; and one each in Concord, Hadley and 

 Shelburne, with corn as the crop. The main points indi- 

 cated are as follows : — 



Grass and Clover. 



1. Nitrate of soda, applied at the rate of 100 pounds 

 per acre, is beneficial to the first crop of grass, the average 

 increase amounting to 580 pounds per acre. This result is 

 in line with all results in previous years, both here and 

 elsewhere. 



2. This application does not appreciably increase the 

 rowen crop. 



3. The potash greatly increases the proportion of clover, 

 and thus considerably benefits the first cut of hay, the aver- 

 age increase this year amounting to 569 pounds of hay for 

 an application of 160 pounds of muriate of potash per acre. 



4. The effect of the potash application is most striking 

 upon the rowen crop. This, where timothy, red top and 

 clover are sown, is always chiefly clover. This year there 

 was not rowen enough to weigh except where barn-yard 

 manure or potash had been applied. 



