158 BOAED OF AGRICULTURE. 



bushels of the predicted yield. I do not know whether it was 

 two bushels more or two bushels less, or six bushels more or 

 six bushels less. 



Dr. Sturtevant. We applied the materials for sixty 

 bushels of shelled corn to the acre, and the yield came so 

 near that amount that it scared me ! The variation from your 

 prediction was six-tenths of a bushel. 



Prof. Stockbridge. I thought I was not overstating it. 

 Now for the experiment of this year. They have grown six- 

 teen acres of corn with chemicals, eight of which was the 

 same land treated with chemicals in 1875. They report a 

 yield of seventy-five bushels of corn per acre, grown at a 

 cost of forty-five cents per bushel. On eight acres of this 

 land, where they obtained the largest yield, the cost was 

 twenty-two cents per bushel. 



The next statement which I wish to make, is this : A gen- 

 tleman in a town adjoining Amherst (I do not want to call his 

 name, for I do not think he would be willing to have me) sent 

 to Boston and bought the materials for fifty bushels of corn 

 to the acre for ten acres. Having purchased it, he came to 

 me to know if I thought he had done a foolish or a good thing, 

 telling me on what kind of land he was going to apply it, and 

 asking me how he should apply it. I told him how to apply 

 it, and at the same time told him that if the manufacturers 

 did their duty they would put upon the material (which had 

 not then arrived) full and distinct directions how to use it, 

 and to follow those directions or mine. I saw no more of 

 the man until July, when I met him one day and asked him 

 if he got the material, and how his experiment was proceed- 

 ing. "It is a total failure," said he; "it didn't amount to 

 anything." "What is the matter? Dry weather?" "I don't 

 know. It didn't amount to anything." "Well, what is the 

 matter?" "Well," said he, "perhaps I am a little to blame 

 about it. I got the material, got the land all ready, got it all 

 furrowed out, and, instead of spreading it on broadcast, I 

 thought I would strew it in the furrow. I was called away ; 

 my men went on and planted the corn, and I did not go near 

 the corn-field until I went to see if the corn needed hoeing, 

 and there were not ten spears of corn on the field. I found that 

 the men, instead of strewing the material in the furrow, had 



