60 HATCH EXPERIMENT STATION. [Jan. 



clover. Between the crops produced respectively on the 

 muriate and sulphate of potash no marked difference in 

 yield was observed in either 1896 or 1897. It was, how- 

 ever, noticed in 1896 that the clover raised on the sulphate 

 of potash was richer in starch and similar extractive sub- 

 stances, in the case of the mammoth, medium and alsike 

 clovers, than that raised on the muriate, thus making the 

 sulphate clover the more valuable. 



Bad Effect of the Muriate. 



In August of 1897 the plots were ploughed and all again 

 seeded to the same varieties of clover. Germination was 

 excellent, but within a very few weeks after the young plants 

 appeared it was observed that in the case of the mammoth, 

 medium and alsike varieties the plants were doing very 

 poorly upon the muriate plots. As the autumn advanced, 

 these plants for the most part grew more and more feeble, 

 and many died. The winter was favorable to newly seeded 

 land ; but in the spring it was found that a large proportion 

 of the plants upon the muriate plots were dead, in the case 

 of the varieties above named. The sweet clover showed no 

 difference between the two fertilizers. The condition of 

 the clovers upon the sulphate plots was not entirely satis- 

 factory, although far superior to that upon the muriate. 



It was decided to sow additional seed upon all the plots 

 without reploughing. Accordingly, on April 2, 4 pounds of 

 seed of the appropriate Variety were sown upon each of the 

 plots. The conditions were favorable to germination, and 

 a good stand of young clover was obtained upon all the 

 plots. The sulphate plots gave much the larger yields of 

 clover this season, because they contained a far larger pro- 

 portion of the older plants from last summer's sowing. At 

 the present time, however, the condition of the clover upon 

 the muriate and sulphate plots is fairly even, for the spring- 

 sown clover has done equally well upon both the potash 

 salts. 



This record of facts is made without comment, as with- 

 out further investigation it appears to be impossible to 

 explain why the summer-sown clover failed on the muri- 



