Food for 

 Plants 



140 



ing tabulations show the yield and gain per acre obtained. 

 It will be observed that in all cases a very marked increase 

 due to the application of Nitrate occurred, ranging from 34.1 

 per cent, for corn to 96.6 per cent, for barley— a profitable 

 return from the use of the Nitrate on all crops except the 

 barley, which, owing to unfavorable weather conditions, did 

 not make a large yield. Applying this percentage increase 

 to what has been shown* to be average yields of these crops 

 without Nitrate, we have the following table, which shows 

 the gain per acre and the value of the increase on all crops 

 at an assumed value of ^3 per ton : 



Yield of Forage Crops Per Acre. 



Rye 



Wheat 



Barnyard Millet. 



Corn 



Oats and Peas. . . 

 Barley 



2 



'>> 



-a 



n 



c 



lbs. 



3,580 

 5,720 



7,185 



6,400 



3,280 

 2,320 



"c5 

 O 



iT 



re 



c 

 1; 

 o 



u 



37-6 

 61.6 

 50.0 

 31-4 



52.5 

 96.6 



1) o 



c ^ 



re — 



K, OJ 



Q 

 10 



9 



7 

 II 



64 



24 

 50 



42 

 88 



59 



It will be observed that the value of the increased crop 

 ranges from ^5.64 to ^11.59 per acre — a profitable increase 

 in every case, as the average cost of the Nitrate did not ex- 

 ceed ^3.60. This profit does not take into consideration 

 the fact that the average increase for all the crops was over 

 50 per cent., thus reducing, in this proportion, the area 

 required for the production of a definite amount of food — 

 a point of vital importance in the matter of growing forage 

 for soiling purposes. In other words, it is shown that, not 

 only is there a profitable gain, but that with these crops the 

 application of Nitrate of Soda made it possible to double the 

 number of cattle or the number of cows that could be kept 

 on a definite area. 



In the case of the wheat and rye the application was 

 made when the plants were well started in the spring. In 



