1903.] PUBLIC DOCUMENT — No. 33. 147 



signiticance to the results upon this plot. The results upon 

 the others are practically confirmatory of the results of pre- 

 vious years. The differences, however, are considerably 

 less. In 1900, the yield of the winter-manured portion of 

 each plot being considered as 100, the yields of the spring- 

 manured portion of the plots varied from 103 to 125. In 

 1901 the relative yields of the spring-manured plots, on the 

 same basis, varied from 118 to 177. The smaller differences 

 this year are believed to be in part at least a consequence of 

 the fact that the conditions prevailing during the winter of 

 1901 and 1902 were such that there was much less washing- 

 over the surface of the plots, which, it will be remembered, 

 slope lengthwise, than during the two preceding winters. 

 The smaller differences may also be in part due to the un- 

 favorable efl'ects of the season, which prevented entirely 

 normal development on any part of the field. It is believed 

 that our experiments indicate decisively the necessity of 

 greater care than is always taken to avoid spreading ma- 

 nures on slopes during late fall and winter. Our differences 

 in yield this year are not, it is true, sufficiently great to 

 pay for the extra cost of rehandling the manure, which is 

 first piled in the field. During the two past years the dif- 

 ferences in crops have been much more than sufficient to 

 pay this extra cost. The experiment will be continued. 



XII. — Nitrate of Soda for Rowen. 

 The present is the third year during which we have con- 

 ducted experiments for the purpose of determining whether 

 an application of nitrate of soda after the harvest of the 

 first crop of hay will give a profitable increase in the rowen 

 crop. The results for the two preceding years have with 

 one exception on a timothy sod shown an increase more 

 than sufficient to cover the cost of the nitrate and its appli- 

 cation. The experiments of this year were carried out upon 

 a timothy sod which was seeded in 1899. This mowing was 

 top-dressed this spring as follows : — 



Pounds per Acre. 



Nitrate of soda, . . . • • . . 150 



Fine-ground bone, ....... 400 



Muriate of potash, ....... 200 



