FIELD EXPERIMENTS. 413 



Composition of Dry Vegetable Matter in Corn Fodder (fertilized). 

 One hundred parts contained : — 



Crude ash, 3.1G parts. 



" cellulose, 24.32 " 



" fat 2.89 " 



" protein, 9.G4 " 



Non-nitrogenous extract matter, 59.9!) " 



3. Experiments with Potatoes. 

 Var. : Beauty of Hebron. 



These experiments were instituted for the purpose of 

 studying the etFects of muriate of potash and of sulphate of 

 potash on the yield of potatoes as far as quantity and quality 

 are concerned. The conclusions drawn in this direction from 

 previous investigations are somewhat contradictory. Some 

 practical observers state that the sulphate of potash produces 

 a more mealy tuber, and thus a more valuable article for family 

 use, than the muriate of potash, while others deny that claim. 



A mealy potato contains usually a liberal percentage of 

 starch and a low one of nitroojenous matter. As the desfree 

 of maturity of a plant or part of a plant controls, to a large 

 extent, the relative proportions of its proximate organic con- 

 stituents, as starch, nitrogenous matter, etc., it seems not 

 without interest to ascertain whether the noted difference of 

 opinion regarding the specific action of sulphate and muriate 

 of potash might not find a more correct explanation in the 

 assumption that a more or less advanced state of maturity of 

 the various croj^s of potatoes tested on previous occasions 

 may account for the contradictory conclusions on record. 



Three plats, each one-fifth of an acre in size, were chosen 

 for the experiment. The land had been years in grass and 

 contained quite a number of old apple trees. The majority 

 of the latter were removed, and the turf thoroughly broken 

 up before manuring. 



Plat one (west end) received one hundred and twenty 

 pounds of ground rendered bones and thirty pounds of 

 muriate of potash (equal to from twenty-six to twenty-seven 

 pounds of phosphoric acid, four to four and one-half pounds of 

 nitrogen, and fifteen to sixteen pounds of potassium oxide). 



Plat two received no manure of any kind. 



Plat three (east end) received one hundred and twenty 

 pounds of ground rendered bones, fifty-eight pounds of double 



