114 MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURE. 



At the present low rates which farm produce is bringing in 

 the markets, the farmer of this vicinity must of necessity 

 avail himself of every opportunity to lessen the cost of the 

 same, if he would compete successfully with the more favored 

 farmers who cultivate the fertile lands of the West. 



Two years ago, in some experiments made to determine the 

 comparative value of the following kinds of manure : muriate of 

 potash, Brighton fertilizer, barn-cellar manure, for cabbages, — 

 I broke up a piece of light loamy soil, on the twenty-sixth day 

 of July, and harrowed and furrowed it on the 27th. On the 

 28th I manured six rows with a tablespoonful of muriate of 

 potash, and six rows with a handful of Brighton blood fer- 

 tilizer to each hill, mixing both kinds well with the soil. On 

 the remaining six rows I put a good shovelful of fine barn- 

 cellar manure to each hill. On the same day I set the whole 

 piece to Fottler's Improved Brunswick cabbage plants, two 

 and one-half by three feet apart. The plants all started 

 finely, but those on the potash soon went ahead, showing 

 very plainly that the potash was better adapted to their wants 

 than either the blood or the barn-cellar manure, although 

 they were doing very well. The piece was cultivated and 

 hoed twice. 



On harvesting the crop, almost every plant grown on the 

 potash had a large solid head, with but very few loose leaves. 

 Those grown on the Brighton blood fertilizer had done well, 

 about three-fourths having made good-sized, solid heads. 

 Those grown on the cellar manure had done very well, but 

 evidently needed longer time to form as solid heads as those 

 grown on the other two kinds of manure. 



On the next season (1875) , I tried the same kind of manure 

 on the same piece of land, but changed the crop to potatoes, 

 using the manures in the same manner as on the previous 

 year. Planted the Late Rose in the second week in May. 

 During the season they were cultivated and hoed twice. The 

 result was somewhat changed ; those on the blood fertilizer 

 taking the lead, followed by the cellar manure, — the potash 

 evidently being too caustic, the vines not looking thrifty. 

 On digging, I found the crop a third larger on the blood 

 manure than on either of the other two ; the potatoes were 

 larger, fairer, and more in a hill. 



