1907.] 



PUBLIC DOCUMENT — No. 33. 



53 



duced by the annual application of manure. The latter, 

 however, at $5 per cord on the land costs annually at the 

 rate of $25 per acre; the combination of dissolved bone black 

 and muriate of potash costs annually at the rate of about $6 

 per acre; while the annual application of all three fertilizer 

 elements costs at the rate of about $10 to $11 per acre. 



VIII. — Experiment in Manuring Grass Land. 

 The plan of this experiment, which was begun in 1893, is 

 fully outlined in the sixteenth annual report. From that 

 report I quote : — 



In this experiment, which has continued since 1893, the purpose 

 is to test a system of using manures in rotation for the production 

 of grass. The area used in the experiment is about 9 acres. It is 

 divided into three approximately equal plots. The plan is to apply 

 to each plot one year barnyard manure, the next year wood ashes, 

 and the third year, fine-ground bone and muriate of potash. As we 

 have three plots, the system of manuring has been so arranged that 

 every year we have a plot illustrating the results of each of the ap- 

 plications under trial. The rates at which the several manures are 

 employed are as follows : barnyard manure, S tons ; wood ashes, 1 

 ton; ground bone, 600 pounds; and muriate of potash, 200 pounds, 

 per acre. The manure is always applied in the fall; ashes and the 

 bone and potash in early spring. 



The past season, w^hich showed a considerable deficiency 

 in rainfall during the months when a liberal supply of mois- 

 ture is highly important for the hay crop, was unfavorable 

 to large yields, and the product of the past season falls con- 

 siderably below the average product for the period of the 

 experiment. The yields of hay and rowen and the total 

 yields for each system of manuring were at the following 

 rates per acre : — 



Fertilizees used. 



Barnyard manure, 

 Bone and potash, . 

 Wood ashes, . 



Hay 

 (Pounds). 



2,892 

 2,420 

 2,932 



Rowen 

 (Pounds) . 



1,063 

 1,396 

 1,240 



Total 

 (Pounds). 



3,955 

 3,816 

 4,172 



