EXPERIMENTS 



67 



JOHN BROOKS, JR'S. STATEMENT.* 



PO TATO ES. 



The lot on which my experiment potatoes grew, I 

 supposed tQ have contained one acre, but it was found by 

 measurment to contain only 139 rods. The soil is 

 light and gravelly. The crop of 1856-7 was grass 

 without manure. Plowed May 25th, with a double plow, 

 about 8 inches deep, harrowed and furrowed. Cost of 

 plowing and other preparations, $6,00. IManured with 

 15 loads horse manure, spread before plowing, and 300 

 lbs. guano mixed with one load of muck, one handful 

 in each hill, value of manure $15,00, guauo $9,00^ 

 total $24,00. Planted June 8th to 10th,in hills 2i by 3i 

 feet apart. Seed 12 bushels St. Helena potatoes, worth 

 $6,00 ; cost of planting $4,50, hoed twice, cost $8,00 ; 

 harvested Oct. 2d and 4th ; yield 71 1-3 lbs. per square 

 rod. The potatoes raised are very nice ones, and do 

 not rot in the least. I have sold four barrels for $1,0 

 per bushel^ and have an order for from two to ten 

 barrels more. 



ABEL MARSHALL'S STATEMENT. 



POTATOES. 



The acre upon which my crop of potatoes for exper- 

 iment was raised, is a variable soil; part of it a light 

 yellow loam, with a loose subsoil, and part of it a 

 heavy, dark loam, with a clayey bottom. It has been 

 in grass, without manure, - for twenty years previous to 



*The statements concerning cultivated crops are made by ttie Secretary from the- 

 returns of the blank forms sent to the several competitora. 



