and also that not over half of the nitrogen applied can ever be- 

 recovered and we still have over 80 pounds more than has been 

 used or if we consider the 34 lbs. applied on the fourth acre suf 

 ficient, as it certainly has been, then we have 147 pounds extra, 

 now while definite figures can be of but little use, on this point 

 we may safely say that farm yard manure is much too rich in 

 nitrogen in proportion to potash or phosphoric acid. 



There is one point which was very clearly demonstrated in 

 this experiment, namely the effect of fertilizer upon the kind oi 

 vegetation. Each acre was seeded with mixed seed, herdsgrass, 

 redtop and alsike clover, the seed was mixed alike, sown alike 

 and at the same time, harrowed the same, and treated in all re- 

 spects in 'the same way, but throughout the growing season the 

 line between the two acres was marked by the abundance of 

 clover on the acre where chemicals were used and the absence 

 of clover where the manure was used, this line was so well mark- 

 ed that when the grass was cut it was possible to divide the two 

 acres by the line where the clover ended. In another field where 

 nothing but chemicals have been used for five years and where 

 a part of the field was dressed with a mixture unusually rich in 

 potash, the same circumstance has been observed for two years, 

 the exact line being plainly indicated by the clover on the potash 

 side and the absence of clover on the other. The plot experi- 

 ments show this more forcibly than the cases already mentioned 

 and in the following table T have given the number of the plot, 

 the per cent, of ni-lrogen phosphoric acid and potash in the fer- 

 tilizer and in the next three columns the relative per cent, of 

 herdsgrass, clovers and redtop in the hay when harvested, these 

 proportions are of course estimated but it was done when the 

 grass was partially dry and must be very close to the true ratio. 

 It will be noticed that the amount of clover follows very closely 

 the per cent, of potash in the fertilizer and as the seed sown was 

 exactly alike on each plot there is no escape from the conclusion 

 that potash promotes the growth of clovers. 



