20 HATCH EXPERIMENT STATION. [Jan. 



Details. 



These experiments were begun in 1892, and have been 

 continued every year. Each year we have had four plats, 

 which we will call numbers 1, 2, 3 and 4. In 1892 and 

 1893 these plats were one-sixth of an acre each; in 1894 

 and 1895, one-fourth of an acre each. The fertilizers have 

 each year been applied broadcast to plats 1 and 2 ; in the 

 open furrow before dropping the seed to plats 3 and 4. 

 Sulphate of potash has been the source of the potash each 

 year on plats 1 and 3, muriate of potash on plats 2 and 4. 

 The quantities of potash salts employed have been such as 

 to supply equal numbers of pounds of actual potash to 

 plats which were to be compared. Fertilizers supplying 

 equal quantities of nitrogen and phosphoric acid to all 

 the plats have each year been applied. 



The experiments of 1892 and 1893 were upon the same 

 land. This land had been in pasture for several years up 

 to 1889. It was ploughed and planted in 1890 and 1891, 

 the crops being white mustard, oats, soja beans and millets. 

 The division into plats in the potato experiments ran across 

 the rows of the two previous years, so that previous cultural 

 conditions had been the same on all the four potato plats. 

 The fertilizers applied in 1890 and 1891 comprised: nitrate 

 of soda, 160 pounds; dissolved bone-black, 320 pounds; 

 and muriate of potash, 160 pounds, per acre in each year. 

 The soil of these plats is a fine medium loam, underlaid 

 by gravel at the depth of about three feet, — an excellent 

 soil, in so far as drainage, warmth and other physical con- 

 ditions go, for the potato. 



The land used in 1894 and 1895 was of the same general 

 character, but with the gravel a little farther from the 

 surface. The same field was used both seasons. This 

 land had, previous to 1890, been used for several years as 

 a pasture. From 1890 to 1893 inclusive it had been used 

 for a variety of hoed crops, all raised on fertilizers. The 

 conditions on all four plats had been alike, but from the 

 nature of our results it is believed that the soil in Plat 4 

 is inferior in fertility to that in the other plats. 



