lilOl.] 



PUBLIC DOCUMENT— No. 33. 



121 



soda, costing $3, gave an apparent increase of 81(5 pounds 

 of rowen, at a cost for the fertilizer of .37 cents per pound. 



The second set of plots occupied a portion of a field seeded 

 to timothy in 1898. There were eight plots in this series. 

 The first crop of timothy had been cut July 10, and the yield 

 was at the rate of 2.0 tons per acre. The nitrate of soda 

 was applied July IG. The following table shows the nature 

 of the experiment and the results : — 



Nitrate of Soda for Roioen. 



PLOTS. 



Pounds per Acre. 



Nitrate of 

 Soda applied. 



Rowen 

 harvested. 



Plot 1, 

 Plot 2, 

 Plot 3, 

 Plot 4, 

 Plot 5, 

 Plot 6, 

 Plot 7, 

 Plot 8, 



Xothing. 



150 

 Nothing. 



150 

 Nothing. 



200 

 Nothing. 



250 



587 



1,394 



614 



679 



202 



1,137 



440 



1,816 



The average yield of all the nothing plots Avas at the rate 

 of 436 pounds per acre. The average of plots 2 and 4 Avas 

 1,03G pounds per acre, a gain of 600 pounds of rowen fol- 

 lowing the application of 150 pounds of nitrate, costing $3, 

 the cost of the gain per pound being .5 cents. The applica- 

 tion at the rate of 200 pounds produced an apparent gain of 

 701 pounds, at a cost of .57 cents per pound ; the application 

 at the rate of 250 i)ounds produced an apparent gain of 

 1,380 pounds, at a cost of .36 cents per pound ; l)ut we have 

 some evidence indicating that this plot is naturally belter 

 than the average of the nothinas. 



In commenting upon these results, it should be stated at 

 the outset that the season was not favorable for the produc- 

 tion of a maximum effect from the application of the nitrate, 

 as the rainfall was deficient, amounting, for the entire period 

 during which the rowen upon the old mowing was growing, 

 to 7.26 inches;* during the ])eri()d that the timothy was 

 growing, to 6.66 inches. f The application of the niti'ate 

 produced an effect l)oth upon color and growth almost imme- 



* The average for this period for the ton years 1889-98 is 8.59 inches, 

 t The average for this period fur the ten years 1889-98 is 8.39 inches. 



