10 



The soil tests with fertilizers for corn in twelve localities of 

 the State reported in Bulletin No. 14 confirm in a striking 

 manner the conclusions presented in Bulletin No. 9. Both sets 

 of experiments indicate the necessity of more potash than is 

 usually employed for the growth of this crop, The grand 

 average increase in hard corn and stover per acre in 1890, tak- 

 ing all experiments into account, was as follows : — 



For potash, hard corn, 11.3 bushels ; . stover, 1,308 pounds. 



For phosphoric acid, hard corn, 4.7 bushels ; stover, 389 pounds. 

 For nitrogen, hard coi-n, 3.6 bushels ; . stover, 162 pounds. 



Similar soil tests have been carried out in five localities this 

 year with oats and potatoes. They show that oats, in particu- 

 lar, difler in a marked degree in their requirements from corn, 

 being greatly benefited by an application of nitrogen in the 

 form ot nitrate of soda. 



The soil tests of two years having led to the conclusion that 

 potash should be more largely used both with fertilizers and 

 manures for corn, experiments have been carried out to test 

 the correctness of this conclusion. In two experiments, occu- 

 pying one-half an acre each, manure alone, applied at the rate 

 of $30 worth per acre, gave at the rate of about 57 and 56 

 bushels respectively of corn, and 3,840 and 3,800 pounds of 

 stover per acre; while manure and potash, applied at the rate 

 of $17.50 worth per acre, gave crops of about 54 and 52 

 bushels respectively of corn, and 3,780 and 3,660 pounds of 

 stover per acre. The larger application ( double ) of manure 

 alone gave slightly the larger yields ; but the difference was by 

 no means sufficient to pay for the larger amount of manure 

 used. The difference in cost of manures was $12.50 ; in crops, 

 about three bushels of corn and one hundred pounds of stover. 

 An experiment with fertilizers, to test the conclusion alluded 

 to above, was carried out upon another half acre. Fertilizers 

 containing the average amounts of nitrogen, potash, and phos- 

 phoric acid found in six special corn fertilizers in the market, 

 and costing $13.66, gave a crop at the rate of about 55 bushels 

 of hard corn and 4,100 pounds of stover ; while a fertilizer with 

 less nitrogen and phosphoric acid and much more potash, and 

 costing $10.70, gave at the rate of 56 bushels of corn and 4,300 

 pounds of stover, — a slightly superior crop at considerably less 



