16 



MASS. EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETIN 290 



Longfellow flint corn was planted in 1918 and 1919. In the former year, ratios 

 of ears to stover were transposed. The average for the nitrogen plots was 1 : 1.6 

 and for the plots without nitrogen the ratio was 1 : 1.4. Plots 7 and 9 in 1919 

 returned to the usual form. The average ratio of all nitrogen plots was 1 : 1, 

 while the ratio was 1 : 1.2 for those two plots. Plot 4 was quite out of line, 

 with a larger weight of ears than of stover. The weather conditions in 1918 

 were unusually hot and dry in July and August with the latter month slightly 

 hotter than the former. Lack of water lessened growth on plots without nitrogen 

 and produced an abnormal proportion of ears and stover. 



Miscellaneous Crops 



Five different crops are grouped as nuscellaneou.s crops because none of them 

 fitted well into the other groups. 



The only crop of rye grown during these fertilizer experiments was in 1891. 

 Winter rye was sown the fall before, after a crop of oats was harvested and the 

 stubble plowed under. The latter part of the winter was unfavorable to winter 

 crops. Plot 8 was badly injured by insects and was omitted from the records 

 for the year. Nitrate was the outstanding fertilizer for yield of both grain and 

 straw. 



Oats and Canada peas formed the crop in 1905, one of the years in which the 

 entire field was limed. This time there was applied one ton per acre of freshly 

 slaked lime. The growth on all the plots that received nitrogen was very rank, 

 and heavy rains caused lodging of the crop and without doubt decreased their 

 yields. Liming improved the relative standing of the best two ammonia plots, 

 6 and 8, and they were but a little inferior to the nitrate plots. The introduction 

 of the peas as a legume did not raise the standing of the plots without nitrogen. 



Oats grown in 1914 as a nurse cro]) for clover and grasses were cut early for 

 hay, as was the crop of oats and peas just discussed. Nitrate was again the lead- 

 ing nitrogen fertilizer, and ammonia was a little .superior to organic nitrogen. 

 One-half of every plot had been limed the previous year, so that conditions were 

 similar to those of 1905. 



