50 



HATCH EXPERIMENT STATION. 



[Jan. 



Whenever a plot is manured, the loads as hauled are placed 

 alternately one on the north and the other on the south half 

 of the plot. The load for the north half is spread, that for 

 the south half is put into a heap, all the manure for that 

 half being placed in one large, well-shaped heap. The 

 weight of manure for each half is the same. The manure 

 for plot 1 is applied in late fall, plot 2 in early winter, plots 

 3 and 4 in the order named, at dates still later in the winter. 

 The stable manure used on plot 5 has been handled in a 

 similar way, the application to this plot commonly being 

 made rather late in the winter ; and the manure when ap- 

 plied has been partially rotted, and hot and steaming at the 

 time it was hauled. Our practice has been to plough the 

 field in mid-autumn, and then to sow a cover crop, — usu- 

 ally rye. The manm-e which is put into heaps is spread in 

 spring shortly before the ground is to be planted, and the 

 whole area is immediately ploughed, the manure applied 

 during the winter as well as that just spread from the heaps 

 being at that time turned in. The results for the three 

 years, viz., the first, when all plots were treated alike, and 

 the last two, when the manure was applied as just described 

 are concisely shown in the tables : — 



Yield of Corn and Millet, in Pounds per Plot 



