No. 4.] GRASS AND CLOVER. 155 



about fifteen years, and the crop of corn was at the rate of 

 57 bushels of shelled grain per acre. But clover has been 

 grown there on two or three rotations. 



Mr. W. O. Parmenter. I am very glad Brother Bowker 

 brought up this subject of corn and nitrogen. I have been 

 quite* an extensive grower of corn, as most of you know, 

 and I have tested this nitrogen question very nearly to the 

 limit. I know something about corn, and I can tell the dif- 

 ference l)etween an ear of sweet corn and an ear of common 

 ensilage corn, which I understand some members of the 

 Board cannot. I have tested the growing of corn with 

 excessive quantities of nitrogen, with no appreciable effect 

 whatever. Corn doesn't seem to be hurried along like other 

 crops with an excess of nitrogen ; it doesn't seem to boost 

 it alonff. The corn waits the natural action of the climate 

 and the soil to produce its crop. I have put on as nuich as 

 200 pounds to the acre, right on a corn crop, and it didn't 

 make any ditlerence ; for corn that had only 100 pounds or 

 75 pounds to the acre was as large at harvest time as that 

 which had 200 pounds. Any one who is using an excess of 

 nitrogen in growing corn is throwing that much money awa]'. 

 I believe the proper thing to do is to carry out Professor 

 Brooks's idea in growing corn, — grow it where it will grow 

 naturally, and not try to grow it up above the tops of the 

 clouds. Grow your potatoes up where the silver lining is, 

 but grow your corn down where you can see the black spots. 



Evening Session. 

 At 8 o'clock in the evening a reception and banquet was 

 extended by the Springfield Board of Trade. The affair was 

 held at Cooley Hotel, and covers were laid for aljout one 

 hundred persons. In the absence of Governor Guild, who 

 was unavoidably detained, owing to the illness of Mrs. 

 Guild, Lieutenant-Governor Draper was the guest of honor. 

 Prior to the banquet a reception was held by him in the cor- 

 ridor. Ex-Mayor W. W. McClench acted as toast master. 

 After dinner speeches were made by Lieutenant-Governor 

 Draper, First Vice-President Sessions of the Board, Presi- 

 dent Butterfield of the Massachusetts Agricultural College, 



