50 HATCH EXPERIMENT STATION. [Jan. 



bone-black and nitrate of soda it was 13 bushels. On 

 muriate of potash the crop was 10 bushels; on the muriate 

 and nitrate of soda it was 13.6 bushels. On the bone-black 

 and muriate of potash the crop was at the rate of 9.8 bushels 

 per acre ; on these two fertilizers and nitrate of soda it was 

 17.8 bushels. The soil is clearly in need also of both phos- 

 phoric acid and potash for good crops, although the figures 

 of this year afford no certain index to its condition, owing 

 to the damage by water above mentioned. 



4. Soil Test with Oats. Montague. 



The present is also the third season of soil test work 

 upon this soil, the preceding crops having been corn, which, 

 owing to accidental conditions, did not give decisive results. 

 The experiment of the past season is eminently satisfactory. 

 The five nothing plots have given fairly even crops, varying 

 from 18.8 to 24.4 bushels per acre of grain, averaging 21.5 

 bushels ; while the straw yield has varied on these plots from 

 1,470 to 1,830 pounds, averaging 1,554 pounds, per acre. 

 The crop on nitrate of soda alone was 30.3 bushels of grain 

 and 2,210 pounds of straw; on dissolved bone-black, 24.4 

 bushels and 1,550 pounds; on muriate of potash, 21.3 

 bushels and 1,470 pounds. This marked increase on the 

 nitrate of soda, as compared with the almost complete ab- 

 sence of effect of the other fertilizers used alone, is striking. 



The dissolved bone-black and muriate of potash together 

 gave 23.8 bushels of grain and 1,810 pounds of straw. 

 Again we see practically no effect ; but when we use ni- 

 trate of soda with these two fertilizers, we have a crop of 

 31.3 bushels of grain and 2,710 pounds of straw. Nitrate 

 of soda with muriate of potash gives 30.3 bushels and 2,350 

 pounds, and with dissolved bone-black it gives 31.3 bushels 

 and 2,330 pounds. 



It will be seen, then, that in this experiment it was the ni- 

 trate of soda alone which proved effective. Alone and in all 

 its combinations it gave a large increase in crop, and in all 

 cases practically the same. The average increase apparently 

 due to the use of this fertilizer amounted to 8 bushels of 

 grain and 804 pounds of straw. The average increases ap- 



