73 



Now our expei'inifiiit with pliosphatic manure begins. In the 

 fall of '78, the land was j)lowed as shallow as possible, not 

 deeper than four inches, and in the spring of '79, 1600 lbs. 

 per acre of Russell Coe's superphosphate was spread, broad- 

 cast, and harrowed in, — crop, 226 bbls. onions, 1880, treat- 

 ment and crop the same, only the onions were of better quality. 

 We cannot give the exact amount of crop this year, for, owing 

 to a misunderstanding, they were mixed with others, during 

 our absence, but there could not have been less than 226 bbls. 

 Although the result was good, we were not satisfied with the 

 appcarence of Coe's, and changed to the "Standard superphos- 

 phate" which we have used ever since. In 1881, the treat- 

 ment was the same, with the change in phosphates, noted 

 above, the onions came up nicely, grew rapidly, and there was 

 every indication of a very large crop, till the latter part of 

 July, when we were visited by a violent hailstorm — your com- 

 mittee saw the traces of it, on our buildings, in September 

 last — that nearly ruined them, result, 300 bushels. 1882, 

 the treatment was the same, the remarkable drouth of that 

 year, of course affected the crop, which was 400 bushels. 

 The present year we increased the amount of phosphate to 

 2000 lbs. per acre, the other treatment being identical with 

 the former years, and the result is 686 bushels of very nice 

 onions. 



By this statement we don't wish to be understood as advo- 

 cating the use of commercial fertilizers, in preference to l)arn- 

 yard manure ; rather than that we would only use it as a mat- 

 ter of necessity, when the compost heap fails, and then use it 

 separately, and we honestly believe that the result will show 

 the wisdom of such a course. 



