16 EXPERIMENT STATION. [Jan. 



Fertilizer Experiments. — The land selected for the fertilizer 

 exjDeriments lies in the Bedford Street district in the town of 

 Concord. For a number of years previous to 1906 the field 

 had been lying ftillow, and was grown up with briers, small 

 birches, weeds, etc. In preparation for the fertilizer experi- 

 ments the field was cleared of brush and trees and plowed in 

 the spring of 1906. It then received an application of ferti- 

 lizers at the following rates per acre : — 



Lime (tons), 



Fine ground bone (tons), ' " ' ^ I 



Acid phosphate (pounds), ' ' ' ■ ■ h \ 



Muriate of potash (pounds), ' ' ' " • 600 



Nitrate of soda (pounds), ' • " ■ • 350 



These with the exception of the lime, were mixed, evenly 

 spread and harrowed in. The lime was applied by itself. In 

 order to subdue the witch orass and other weeds, the field was 

 harrow^ed a number of times during the late spring, and on 

 May 15 it was sown to buckwheat. The buckwheat made a 

 heavy growth, and was plowed under when fully grown. The 

 field was then harrowed and sown to winter rye. This was 

 plowed under in the early spring of 1907, and the asparagus 

 set. The field is laid out in forty twentieth-acre plots, sepa- 

 rated b}' dividing strips 5 feet and 11^ inches in width. 



The dimensions of the plots are 129 feet by 16 feet 101/^ 

 inches. Each plot contains five rows. Each dividing strip con- 

 tains one row set in the middle. The distance between plants 

 in the rows is 2 feet 6 inches. The plants .were raised b}^ Mr. 

 Frank Wheeler of Concord, and were from seed of the Giant 

 Argenteuil variet}', specially selected by ]\Ir. Wheeler on ac- 

 count of apparent vigor and capacity to resist rust. These 

 plants were exceptionally large and strong, and one year old 

 at the time of setting. Practically ever\' plant started, and the 

 growth throughout the season was remarkably strong. Many 

 of the plants attained a height in excess of 6 feet. All the de- 

 tails of the work -were superintended or carried out hy Mr. 

 Charles W. Prescott, to whose skill and faithful attention, in 

 connection with the thorough preparation which the land had 

 received, the fine growth of the plants must be largely attrib- 



