12 MASS. EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETIN 327 



Chopped corn stover, mixed deciduous tree leaves, and oat straw were used 

 as the sources of organic material. "Aero" Cyanamid was the nitrogenous 

 supplement used in aiding the decomposition of the organic matter. For com- 

 parison, similar manures were made using sulfate of ammonia. Interesting 

 information was obtained in regard to the rapidity of the decaying process, the 

 heat and moisture relationship, and the volume and appearance of the finished 

 product. It was found that the artificial manure made from leaves took the 

 longest, and the manure made from corn stover the shortest, time to decompose 

 into what was considered a finished product. The chemical analysis of the 

 artificial manures compared favorably with "natural" manure. 



The fertilizing value of the different types of manures was determined in 

 both pot and field experiments. In the pot experiments, barley showed greatest 

 yields with heaviest applications of the artificial manure. In the series where 

 artificial manures were used at the rate of 30 tons per acre, the manure made 

 with cyanamid showed slight signs of toxicity. The best growth of barley was 

 obtained where an equivalent amount of commercial fertilizer was used. 



Corn was grown in the field experiment, and "natural" horse manure was 

 used as a check against the different types of artificial manures. The manures 

 were applied at the rate of 10, 20, and 30 tons per acre. It was found that with 

 the higher applications of the artificial manures the yields of corn were much 

 greater than the yields where horse manure was used. In most cases the yields 

 of corn grown on artificial manures made with cyanamid were at least as good 

 as the yields of corn grown on artificial manure made with sulfate of ammonia. 

 Further chemical analyses will have to be made before the project is com- 

 pleted. 



Hay Seeding Mixtures. (W. S. Eisenmenger, R. W. Donaldson, E. F. 

 Gaskill. ) Thirteen mixtures of alfalfa, red clover, timothy, orchard grass, and 

 red top in varying amounts and combinations, were seeded in August 1935 in 

 three series. In series I, the rate of seedings was 21 pounds per acre with three 

 replications. In series II, seedings were at the rate of 17 pounds, in duplicate. 

 In series III, seedings were at the rate of 13 pounds in duplicate. It is planned 

 to obtain data on botanical composition and yields beginning in 1936. 



Alfalfa Variety Tests. (W. S. Eisenmenger and M. E. Snell.) Twenty-one 

 varieties of alfalfa have been sown during the past year. It is too early to tell 

 which strains are most suitable to this area. 



Testing Varieties of Corn for Grain. (R. W. Donaldson, W. S. Eisen- 

 menger, M. E. Snell, and J. Everson. ) As a result of increased interest on the 

 part of farmers in the State in growing some corn for grain, a test of 66 varieties 

 was made during 1935, in an attempt to obtain information as to varieties to 

 be recommended for this purpose. Yield data of total fodder and of grain were 

 obtained, as well as information on maturity for one season. Additional tests 

 of 17 varieties were conducted at the county agricultural schools in Bristol, 

 Norfolk and Essex Counties. 



Potato Variety Tests. (R. W. Donaldson, W. S. Eisenmenger, A. I. 

 Bourne, and E. F. Gaskill.) Certified seed obtained from Maine, Michigan, 

 and New York and grown on the college farm in 1935, gave the following yields: 

 Chippewa (Maine) 542 bushels per acre, Green Mountain (Maine) 440 

 bushels, Katahdin (Maine) 423 bushels, Russet Rural (New York) 384 

 bushels, Warba (Michigan) 343, Golden (Maine) 280 bushels. The same 

 comparative order in yields was obtained on a farm in Sunderland. 



