128 



HATCH EXPERIMENT STATION. 



[Jan. 



season there is no doubt that nearly all the plants would have 

 produced merchantable heads. Under existing conditions a 

 very large proportion of the heads were regarded as too 

 soft to be included in that class. The yields per acre are 

 shown in the following table ; — 



Muriate v. High-grade Sulfate of Potash {Cabbages'). — Yields per Acre 



(^Pounds') . 



Fertilizers used. 



Hard Heads. 



Soft Heads. 



Muriate of potasli, 

 Sulfate of potasb, 



872 

 2,071 



22,791 

 24,319 



It will be seen that the product on the sulfate of potash is 

 considerably superior to that on the muriate. The yield of 

 hard heads is nearly two and one-half times as great, while 

 the yield of soft heads also somewhat exceeds that on the 

 muriate. As this result is in general agreement with that 

 usually obtained heretofore with the cabbage crop, it tends 

 to still further confirm the conclusion that it is best that the 

 potash used for this crop be in the form of sulfate rather than 

 muriate. 



III. — Comparison of Different Potash Salts for 

 Field. Crops. (Field G.) 



Field G contains 40 plots, of about one-fortieth of an acre 

 each. The experiments in progress have for their object 

 the determination of the relative value for field crops of all 

 the prominent potash salts when each is used continuously 

 upon the same land throughout a long series of years. This 

 experiment was begun in 1898. The plots are arranged in 

 five series of eight each. In each series one plot has re- 

 ceived no potash since the experiment began. The potash 

 salts under trial are as follows : kainit, high-grade sulfate 

 of potash, low-grade sulfate of potash, muriate of potash, 

 nitrate of potash, carbonate of potash and silicate of potash. 

 Each is always applied in such (]uantity as to furnish actual 

 potash at the rate of 165 pounds per acre. All the plots in 

 the field arc yearly fertilized with materials supplying to 

 each ecjual amounts of nitrogen and phosphoric acid. For 



