180 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



The crop with manure, 3^ou see, is best of all. Manure is 

 all right, — I have nothing to say against it; but we don't 

 have manure enough to go around. We want to find out 

 what fertilizer we can use to supplement the manure. And 

 in answer to the question, What shall be used? I would 

 say, use some potash with the manure. You can raise corn 

 with manure alone, but it is not the best way. I have 

 a field where I have used a light dressing of manure for 

 thirteen j^ears with a little potash. If I estimate the manure 

 as worth $5 a cord on the land, the difierence in favor of the 

 light dressing of manure with potash as compared with a 

 heavy dressing of manure alone means the saving of about 

 $7.50 a 3'ear, and the crops of corn are almost equal. 1 will 

 admit the hay crop is heavier on the heavy dressing of ma- 

 nure than on the small amount of manure and potash. But 

 I believe in a few years I am going to get that land where 

 the small amount of manure and potash are used so that it 

 will be equal in productiveness to the other. It is gaining 

 on it from year to year, almost solely on account of the 

 influence of the clover, which alwa3^s does better there than 

 where the manure alone is used. 



How far can you farmers safely follow the hints which I 

 hope I have made clear? I am by no means sure you always 

 will get similar results on your soils. I have made similar 

 experiments in different parts of the State, one or more in 

 ever}' county in the State ; and with one or two exceptions 

 the potash has usually increased the corn crop more than 

 either of the other fertilizers that have been used. So I 

 should say you are quite safe if you use manure, as I sup- 

 pose you do, to use it moderately with a moderate amount 

 of some potash salt. I believe then you will raise corn 

 more cheaply than you are now doing. All the potash we 

 have used has always been spread broadcast after plowing 

 the ground, and then it has been harrowed in. 



I at first used muriate of potash, now we use sulphate. 

 I planned this experiment before as nmeh was known of 

 these two salts as now. If I was beginning over to-day, 

 I should use sulphate instead of muriate. The continued 

 use of muriate of potash and nitrate of soda had the effect 



