118 AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. [Jan. 



Amount of Dry 



Corn Fodder 



obtained. 



Fertilizer Applied. 



No. 5, 

 6, 



7, 



9, . 

 10, . 



280 lbs. 



255 " 

 195 " 

 840 " 



895 " 



50 lbs. of ammonium sulphate (rr to 10 



lbs. of niti'ogen). 

 Fallow. 

 100 lbs. of dissolved bone-black (=: to 17 



lbs. available phosphoric acid). 

 Nothing. 

 50 lbs. of muriate of potash (zr to 25 lbs. 



of potassium oxide) . 

 97 lbs. of potash-magnesia sulphate (zrto 



25 lbs. of potassium oxide). 



These results, compared with those of the previous year, 

 show still a falling oif in yield in all plats, notwithstanding 

 a decided increase in the various single manurial substances 

 applied on Plats 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 and 10. The yield of the fer- 

 tilized Plats 1, 3, 5 and 7 during 1886 was less than that of 

 the unfertilized plats in 1885. The good service oi potash 

 compounds as the sole fertilizer was still as striking as in the 

 two preceding years. 



The examination into the condition of "Field A," as for 

 as its store of available plant food is concerned, was con- 

 tinued during the past year, with a view to showing, if pos- 

 sible, still more decidedly, that a serious exhaustion of the 

 soil in available potassa, in particular, was the leading cause 

 of a reduced production of corn fodder. To secure that 

 end the following course has been pursued : — 



The various plats were ploughed and harrowed during 

 the second week of May. Plats 2, 4 and 8, which in pre- 

 vious years had been planted with corn without receiving 

 any fertilizing ingredients, were used again for the raising 

 of corn fodder, and left unfertilized as before. Plats 1,3, 

 5, 7, 9 and 10 were fertilized broadcast before planting the 

 corn. The mode of planting and the subsequent treatment 

 of the crop was the same as in preceding years. No. 1, 

 which for several years in succession had received as a fer- 

 tilizer but from 4 to 8 pounds of nitrogen in form of 

 nitrate of soda, was fertilized with a mixture of 50 pounds 



