No. 4.] GEASS AND CLOVER. 149 



difference to be accounted for? All the parties concerned 

 are honest men, and are telling the truth as they have seen 

 it. I think it must be due to the dijfference in the soil. 

 There may be soils in Massachusetts where you can use 200 

 or 300 pounds of nitrate in connection with other materials 

 with profit, though as a rule you cannot use so much nitrate. 

 This year we tried some experiments, using different amounts 

 of nitrate, and there Avas but little difference in the crop. 

 It was substantially 3 tons to the acre for the first cut, and 

 a little over 1 ton per acre for the rowen ; about alike, what- 

 ever the amount of nitrate used. Where the 250 pounds 

 were used, the crop was practically the same in amount with 

 the crop where 150 pounds were used per acre ; and on the 

 larger quantity of nitrate the quality was inferior. 



Question. When do you apply the fertilizer? 



Professor Brooks. This mixture of materials we usually 

 apply early in the spring ; not excessively early, but about 

 the time you think the weather is really settled. 



Question. Which is the stronger, 150 pounds of high- 

 grade or 300 pounds of low-grade of sulphate? 



Professor Brooks. They are of equal strength as regards 

 the actual potash. 



I want to comment a little bit on one statement of the 

 speaker in reference to inoculation of the soil. He really 

 (qualified his original statement about as I propose to (qualify 

 it, but he did it so briefly that I think you may not have 

 fully understood. He said the theory was a good one, but 

 the fact is, the method of making the culture has not been 

 perfected. Now, I say the theory is not a good one as re- 

 gards any of the crops of the clover family which we have 

 long cultivated, and I say so because nature has provided for 

 the abundant production and distribution of these bacteria 

 herself. Mr. West will agree to this, I know, for he has 

 gradually had it driven into his mind that it is awfully difli- 

 cult to keep bacteria out of the milk, ■ — I don't think you 

 can, for I believe they are everywhere. I know the claim 

 is made that these bacteria produced in the laboratories of 

 the government are more energetic. They are a sort of 

 thoroughbred bacteria, and therefore much better than the 



