153 



necticut seedsman proves to be utterly worthless. The seed is a 

 mixture of wheat with a grain that has the appearance of being a 

 hybrid between wheat and rye. The growth is very feeble and 

 the yield exceedingly light. 



A feeding experiment, designed to throw light upon the compar- 

 ative value for milk production of silage and mangolds, has been 

 carefully carried out. This experiment was tried with four new- 

 milch cows, and was continued for twelve weeks (four periods of 

 three weeks each) , with every precaution to insure reliable results. 

 The silage was made from Longfellow corn, generally well glazed 

 when cut. Thirty pounds of this, together with suitable amounts 

 of hay, stover and mixed grain feed, were fed against forty pounds 

 of sliced mangolds and equal amounts of hay, etc. The cows gave 

 more milk and more cream when receiving silage, and gained 

 weight, while they lost weight when receiving the beets. The 

 figures for the four cows during eight weeks (the last two weeks 

 only of each of the three-weeks periods being taken into account) 

 are as follows : — 



For beets: milk, 2,787 pounds; cream, 840 spaces. 

 For silage : milk, 2,908 pounds ; cream, 849 spaces. 



It will generally cost from one and one-half to two times as 

 much to produce beets as corn silage, and the former is much the 

 more uncertain crop of the two. The superior economy of corn 

 for the silo over beets as a food for milk production thus becomes 

 sufficiently evident. 



As in previous years, soil tests with fertilizers in different parts 

 of the State have engaged a large share of attention. In Bulletin 

 No. 18 are reported the results of nine such experiments, — two 

 with oats, five with potatoes and two with corn. 



The results with corn are confirmatory of the conclusions of 

 previous years, and indicate the great advantage of a liberal use 

 of potash when sod land of medium fertility is broken for this 

 crop. 



For potatoes, too, the potash exerts the most marked effect upon 

 the crop. The grand average increase for the five experiments 

 reported is as follows : — 



lUishels. 



For nitrogen : merchantable potatoes, . . . . 10.74 

 For phosphoric acid : merchantable potatoes, . . 10.11 

 For potash : merchantable potatoes, . . . . 41.. 5.5 



