No. 4.] MANURIAL PROBLEMS. 1H5 



For grasses, for rod-top, for corn, I do not find any con- 

 siderable difterence in tlie use, — the nmriate there will jrive 

 me as much yield as the sulfate ; but with clovers or peas or 

 beans or early garden crops sulfate does best, and with 

 potatoes, as I have said. 



Now, some of our fields at Amherst are coming u}), and 

 are of much interest in connection with the demonstration 

 of what you can do on grass land without frecjuently break- 

 ing it up ; and we have some fields there that will pay those 

 of you who keep stock and want to pr(xluce hay to give to 

 your stock to come and see, and listen to the lessons they 

 will teach. We have 8 acres of land, which is now worth, 

 I could convince any of you, $300 an acre to produce hay 

 on, and it has not been plowed for about ten or twelve years. 

 It has given an average crop throughout that time of some- 

 thing like 3|- tons to the acre annually in two cuts without 

 re-seeding, and is not grooving poorer, but growing better, 

 at an annual cost of materials put on it of about $10 an acre. 

 You may figure it yourself. It is $10 for what is put on the 

 field, raising a crop of 3^ tons, situated easil}^, so that it is 

 cut and made and put in the barn. It is returning more than 

 7 per cent rate of interest on $300 valuation per acre to-day. 

 And we have other fields there which you would like to see, 

 and which will show what you can do about producing hay 

 to furnish to your stock. If you want to add nitrate of 

 soda to timothy, it may be done. If you want to produce 

 hay to feed to your cows or sheep, there is a difference of 

 opinion whether it will pay to use so much nitrate of soda. 

 I can show good results w^here nitrate of soda is used, and 

 where the turf is increasing by using the basic slag and a 

 little potash year after year. 



Question. Have you done anything to the land? 



Professor Brooks. Much of the land has not been plowed. 

 Top-dressing has been put on only. It is a peculiar system 

 of top-dressing, which you may not all be able to adopt. 

 One year we put on manure at the rate of 4 cords to the 

 acre. One year that land receives wood ashes, and the 

 next year it has ground bone 400 pounds and muriate of 

 potash 200 pounds. The field is between S and 9 acres, 



