58 



EXPERIMENT STATION. 



[Jan. 



Nitrate of Soda for Rowen. 



The nitrate of soda has in every instance given a consider- 

 able increase, — more than enough in every instance to cover 

 the cost of the nitrate applied. As was jDointed out last year, 

 however, it is not believed that the large increase on plot 8 

 is altogether due to the nitrate used, for evidently the mois- 

 ture conditions on this j^lot are rather better than on plot 7, 

 wi'th which it is compared. Of the six trials of nitrate of 

 soda for rowen which have been completed, three have shown 

 increases sufficiently large to make the application profitable, 

 while in the other trials the application was made at a loss. 

 As is natural, the result of an application of nitrate for 

 rowen varies widely with the season. \Yhen such an appli- 

 cation is followed by a sufficient and well-distributed rainfall, 

 it gives a very profitable increase in the crop ; but when the 

 weather succeeding the application is dry, the nitrate is 

 relatively non-effective. It is of course impossible to fore- 

 see the nature of the weather which will follow the use of 

 nitrate. It would appear, however, that there is at least an 

 equal chance that a moderate application will give a good 

 margin of j)rofit. Close observation of the field in which 

 this experiment has been tried indicates that where, owing 

 to succeeding relatively dry weather, the nitrate proves in- 

 effective for the immediately succeeding crop of rowen, it 

 will, nevertheless, on this fairly compact loam be retained 

 by the soil in sufficient quantity to favorably influence the 

 hay crop of the following season. We have as yet, however, 

 no figures that can be presented which demonstrate this fact. 



