18»9.] PUBLIC DOCUMENT — No. 33. 59 



sistently bad much of the time until the middle of August, 

 and there was much loss through shelling of the grain. The 

 straw, therefore, perhaps better than the grain, affords an 

 index to the relative value of the several nianurings. The 

 rank of the different sources of aitrogen, taking straw pro- 

 duction as the basis of estimation, is nitrate of soda, sulphate 

 of ammonia, dried blood and farm-yard manure. 



A ft or the oats were harvested the land was ploughed, and 

 without further manuring sown to Mammoth red clover, 

 which at the time winter set in was in excellent condition. 



The reader will naturally, perhaps, conclude that the 

 better condition of the clover this year as compared with 

 last is a consequence of the liming, and I am of opinion that 

 this may be the case; but nevertheless I cannot regard this 

 as certain, for the reason that upon Field B (reported upon 

 below), where clover sown in the summer of 1897 failed, 

 we have now an excellent stand of this crop obtained by 

 sowing seed where it had failed this spring, without liming 

 or reploughing. 



Muriate v. Sulphate of Potash for Clover. 

 (Field B.) 

 Field B is laid off in eleven equal plots, of two-fifteenths 

 of an acre each. The manuring has been uniform since 

 1884. These plots are numbered from 11 to 21. Every 

 year each plot has received an application of ground bone at 

 the rate of 600 pounds per acre. The odd-number plots hare 

 yearly received muriate of potash and the even-number plots 

 the high-grade sulphate, in each case at the uniform rate of 

 400 pounds per acre. This series of plots has produced a 

 great variety of crops, including potatoes, corn, grasses, 

 oats and barley each, with vetches, rye and clovers. The 

 crops have been generally excellent. Full details will be 

 found in the tenth and twelfth annual reports of the State 

 Experiment Station, and the reports of the Hatch Experi- 

 ment Station for the last three years. In the summer of 

 1895 two plots (one muriate the other sulphate) of each of 

 the following clovers were sown : sweet clover ( Melilotus 

 iitti't), mammoth red clover, medium red clover and alsike 



