26 EXPERIMENT STATION. [Jan. 



XL — A variety test of potatoes, including twenty-five 

 varieties. The most productive varieties, mentioned in order, 

 were: Climax, Chenango White, Hammond's Wonderful and 

 Simmon's Model, all of which gave a yield in excess of 200 

 bushels merchantable potatoes per acre. 



XII. — Comparisons of food combinations furnishing the 

 essential nutrients in varying proportions for laying hens. 

 The results indicate corn to have superior merit among the 

 different grains for the production of eggs wdienever the total 

 fiber content of the ration is low, and the fat content rela- 

 tively high. Rice, which contains less fiber than any other 

 grain, gives a satisfactory egg product, but costs too much 

 to render its use advisable. 



I. — Manures and Fertilizers furnishing Nitrogen 

 COMPARED. (Field A.) 



The materials furnishing nitrogen which are under com- 

 jDarison in this exjjeriment are barnyard manure, nitrate of 

 soda, sulfate of ammonia and dried blood. With few and 

 unimportant exceptions, each plot has been manured in the 

 same w^ay since 1890. The field includes eleven plots, of 

 one-tenth acre each. All the plots annually receive equal and 

 liberal amounts of phosphoric acid and potash. The plios- 

 phoric acid is supplied to all plots in the form of dissolved 

 bone black. The potash is applied to six plots (1, 3, 6, Y, 

 8 and 9) in the form of muriate; it is applied to four plots 

 (2, 4, 5, and 10) in the form of low-grade sulfate. There 

 are three plots in the field which have had no nitrogen ap- 

 plied to them in any form since 1884. The nitrogen ma- 

 terials under comparison are applied in such quantities as 

 to furnish nitrogen at the rate of 45 pounds per acre to each. 

 Barnyard manure is used on one plot, nitrate of soda on two, 

 sulfate of ammonia on three and dried blood on two. 



The plots to which nitrogen has been applied in the form 

 of sulfate of ammonia have shown a tendency to comparative 

 improductiveness, due without doubt to unfavorable chemical 

 or biological conditions. These unfavorable conditions have 

 apparently tended to prevent or to retard the nitrification of 

 the ammonia nitrogen. As a means of correcting the faulty 

 conditions, 50 pounds of unslaked lime were applied to plot 



