Potatoes on fertilizees. 175 



have cost $16. There is a balance of $10, besides the labor 

 of handling. The whole yield of this third of an acre was in 

 proportion of one hundred and fifty bushels to the acre. That 

 bed was sown early ; it had every advantage of cultivation 

 that I can give any crop, and I never saw onions come up 

 better ; but the dry weather struck them down. I have not 

 measured any of these crops, and I do not know how much 

 was grown on this sixth of an acre ; but I have measured the 

 whole field, and I give you my judgment, and the judgment 

 of my farmer, and everybody concerned. In that crop of 

 onions we could see no difference between the part of the bed 

 manured with the chemicals and the part manured with barn- 

 yard manure ; and there was a great advantage in the cost and 

 the labor of applying in favor of the chemical fertilizer. 



Now, I will take potatoes. I had two fields. I took a quarter 

 of an acre and applied $9 worth of fertilizers, and that quarter 

 of an acre produced 55| bushels of " Suowflakes." That was 

 at the rate of 222 bushels per acre. The balance of the field 

 was manured at the rate of eight cords to the acre, "which, at 

 the same price, would be $48. The fertilizer, to have manured 

 an acre, would have cost $36, while this cost $48. I could not 

 see any difference in those crops when they were growing, nor 

 when they were dug. I should say that one was as good as 

 the other. That I consider a fair yield. I do not think that 

 crop suffered for want of water, although we were in just the 

 same condition in regard to rainfall as they were at Amherst. 

 We are only twenty miles from there. We keep a record of 

 the rainfall at our institution just as they- do at Amherst. I 

 have not the figures with me, but I can assure you that we 

 did not have a great quantity of rain, and I know you will 

 agree with me when I say that we had a very hot summer. 

 I have no doubt Prof. Stockbridge's figures were right, and I 

 have no doubt that our figures, if I had them, would be about 

 the same. 



Then there was another lot of potatoes, which I consider a 

 failure. The ordinary land of the farm, as you know, is 

 good, and these potatoes were planted upon as fair a piece of 

 land, I think, as there is on that farm. I applied $15 worth 

 of the fertilizers to three-quarters of an acre, and I got fifty 

 bushels of potatoes, Brigham's seedlings. I will say here, 



