86 AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. [Jan. 



1886. — The same field was used. The land was well pre- 

 pared by plowing and harrowing April 27, and subsequently 

 fertilized the same as in previous years. Plat 1 received 

 broadcast, as before, a mixture of muriate of potash and 

 fine-ground bones. Plat 2 received, as before, no fertilizer of 

 any description. Plat 3 was again manured broadcast, with 

 sulphate of potash and fine-ground bones. The change, regard- 

 ing the character of the fertilizer applied, consisted in using 

 nearly twice the amount of potash salts, muriate of potash and 

 sulphate of potash for the same area in case of Plats 1 and 3. 

 The increase in potash compounds ^as made to test their 

 eflicacy as a preventative of scab. A second important change 

 from our previous practice consisted in securing first quality 

 seed potatoes, — in particular, free from scab. The same 

 variety — Beauty of Hebron — was obtained for that purpose 

 from Vermont ; it was as fair an article as could be desired. 

 The system of planting and cultivating was the same as in 

 previous years. The potatoes were planted upon all plats May 

 5, 1886 ; each plat had fourteen rows, with hills three feet 

 apart in each direction. The young plants appeared evenly ; 

 the vines coming from whole potatoes, however, soon became 

 heavier and taller than those coming from half potatoes, a 

 peculiarity in their growth which remained noticeable during 

 the entire season. All the vines were in full blossom July 6 ; 

 they began to turn yellowish and to dry up July 30. The crop 

 on the entire field was dried up August 8. This change seemed 

 to appear most marked first on the vines from whole-seed 

 potatoes. The entire crop was harvested August 28. 



The experiment of the past season has been a serious failure, 

 as far as the qualiti/ of the potatoes raised on any of the three 

 plats is concerned. The entire crop, with scarcely any excep- 

 tion, was badly disfigured by scab ; the potatoes were unfit for 

 family use, and had to be sold at a low price for stock feedings 



Neither a liberal use of our own mixture of commercial manu- 

 rial substances, rich in potash compounds, nor the selection of 

 a fair quality of seed potatoes from another source, has afiiected 

 our results as compared with those of the previous season. The 

 successful raising of a superior potato from scabby seed pota- 

 toes upon another field of the Experiment Station, which will 

 be described farther on in these pages, shows that the atmos- 



