38 



Limed plot : — 



Pounds. 



First cut, 3,600 



Second cut, . 2,575 



The total product of the unlimed plot was at the rate of 1,160 pounds 

 per acre. The total product of the limed plot was at the rate of 6,175 

 pounds per acre, or substantially five and one-half times the product of 

 the unlimed plot. The grasses as well as the clovers made far more 

 vigorous growth on the limed than on the unlimed plot. 



Methods of applyi7ig Fertilizers. — In the relatively small amounts in 

 which the concentrated fertilizer materials recommended are generally 

 used, it is a matter of some difficulty, or rather one which requires an 

 extreme degree of care, to apply evenly by hand sowing. There has 

 been much inquir}' for a machine which will apply fertilizers broadcast 

 in a satisfactory manner. As a result of such experience as we have 

 had here in the use of machines for this purpose, I conclude that our 

 inventors have not as yet produced a machine which is altogether satis- 

 factory. For the application of relatively small amounts of fertilizer 

 we have for the last few years employed the Stevens' fertilizer distrib- 

 utor, and this, if kept in perfect order and all the working parts clean, 

 is capable of doing fairly satisfactory work, The means whereby the 

 amount of fertilizer applied can be gauged are not by any means per- 

 fect. It is difficult to set the machine for a definite amount, as the 

 quantity of fertilizer feeding through it will vary widely with the con- 

 dition of the material. A machine with a more certain and positive feed 

 would be better. For the application of fertilizers such as lime or wood 

 ashes, in amounts approximating a ton to the acre or more, we have used 

 ■Kemp's manure spreader with the slow feed with fairly satisfactory 

 results. It is relatively easy to apply definite amounts to given areas 

 with this machine, but the fertilizer material is likely to drop in large 

 masses occasionally, owing to not being reached and distrilnited by the 

 beater; and, to avoid killing the grass in the spots whei'e this happens, 

 it is necessary to go over the field and scatter such fertilizer by hand. 



The Care of Movtings. 



While great care is commonly taken in smoothing and leveling the 

 Stirface when land is put into mowings, there is a tendency to uneven- 

 ness, as the result of the action of frost and other agencies, and occasional 

 rolling is likely to prove beneficial. In the case of the non-sod-forming 

 grasses the condition of the mowing may be better maintained if some 

 seed is occasionally sown. The reason why timothy in some cases 

 proves much more persistent than in others is undoubtedly because the 

 crop is harvested so late that some of the seed is mature before the crop 

 is cut, and the seed thus accidentally scattei'ed helps to thicken the 

 mowing by producing plants which replace others as they die out. The 

 best time for sowing such seed is either late summer or very early 

 spring. The quantity of seed sown should be varied according as con- 

 ditions seem to require. In case the stand of plants in a mowing is 

 especially thin, and it is desii'ed to reinforce it, it may be wise to go 

 over the mowing either with a harrow or a weighted weeder after 

 sowing the seed. 



The Common Weeds of our Mowings. 



A considerable proportion of the mowings of the State are infested 

 with weeds of different kinds. Among the most common and trouble- 

 some are the common white and the yellow daisy, wild carrot, sorrel, 

 dock, buttercups, the common plantain, dandelions, milkweed, ragged 

 robin and horsetail. The methods which will prove most effective in 

 eradicating these weeds or keeping them in subjection must be quite 



