50 BOARD OF AGRICULTUEE. [Pub. Doc. 



it was hard work at first, but I find it is not so. I believe 

 that a majority of the New England farmers are able to 

 figure that matter out. 



Mr. H. C. West (of Hadley). I should like to ask the 

 essayist one question. He spoke of using six car-loads of 

 fertilizer. I would like to know what chemicals he bought. 

 "What I want to get is the number of pounds of each kind 

 that he bought for the six car-loads. 



Mr. Parker. There were five car-loads. There were 

 five cars and 60 tons, 12 tons on a car. Each ton contained 

 900 pounds of dissolved bone-black, 600 pounds of blood, 

 ])one and meat, 200 pounds of muriate of potash, 200 pounds 

 of nitrate of soda, and 100 pounds of sulphate of ammonia. 



Dr. LixDSEY. May I ask you what that bone, blood and 

 meat analyzed m nitrogen ; do you know ? 



Mr. Parker. Six to eight of ammonia and ten to twelve 

 of phosphoric acid. 



Mr. Nye (of Barnstable). I agree with the gentleman 

 on my left, that we ought to utilize all our barnyard dress- 

 ing ; but there are some crops which do better on fertilizers 

 than on stable manure. I raise all my potatoes on commer- 

 cial fertilizers, but there are other crops on which I use barn- 

 yard dressing. Last year I took a piece of pasture land 

 which had never been ploughed in the memory of man. I 

 put on twenty horse-loads of barnyard manure and planted 

 corn, and I raised 75 bushels of corn to the acre. This 

 year I ploughed the same piece and put on one ton of fer- 

 tilizer to the acre, and raised 425 bushels of potatoes on an 

 acre and two-thirds. That is on Cape Cod soil. So I think 

 that for potatoes I should use commercial fertilizers — buy 

 them of the manufacturer or mix them myself. I am not 

 satisfied which is the best, but for my corn I should use barn- 

 yard manure. 



Secretary Sessions. Will the essayist give us the amount 

 per acre which he applies for top-dressing of grass land ? 



Mr. Parker. I have put on 455 pounds on my farm per 

 acre, and from 400 to 500 on the gentleman's farm that I 

 had charge of. But on the piece of land on which I made 

 the experiment, that I spoke of in my paper, no one has 

 any recollection Avhen any manure or fertilizer was used. I 



