36 



HATCH EXPERIMENT STATION. 



[Jan. 



give a profitable increase in llie roAven crop. The field where 

 this experiment has been tried was seeded to pure timothy 

 in the fall of 1897. The growth is now considerably mixed 

 with clover, which has been gradually coming in. The 

 whole field is uniformly fertilized for the first crop. The 

 materials applied are usually put on in early spring at the 

 following rates per acre : nitrate of soda, 150 pounds ; muri- 

 ate of potash, 200 pounds ; fine-ground bone, 400 pounds. 

 This application usually gives us a good cro[). The area 

 of the field is a little more than 3 acres. The rate of yield 

 in the first crop this year was 4,471 pounds of w^ell-cured 

 hay per acre. In this field eight equal plots, containing 

 almost exactly 1/3 acre each, have been laid out. Alternate 

 plots in the series of eight receive annually a top-dressing 

 of nitrate of soda. For the past two years, in order that the 

 nitrate may be more uniformly spread, we have mixed the 

 quantity to be applied to each plot with sufficient })asic slag 

 meal to constitute an application at the rate of 400 pounds 

 per acre. To equalize conditions on the alternate plots to 

 which no nitrate is applied, the basic slag meal is a})plied to 

 all of these at the same rate. The rates of application for 

 the fertilizers on the several plots per acre and the yields 

 are shown in the table : — 



Nilr<Ue of Soda for Rowen. 



It will be noticed that the nitrate of soda wherever applied 

 has given an increase in the crop. This increase is relatively 

 small in all the plots except Plot 8, where it is at the rate of 



