100 



BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pul). Doc. 



I leave it for you to judge whether these figures indicate 

 that special fertilizers are correctly proportioned. In forni- 

 ino; a conclusion it is desirable to take into account also the 

 composition of soils, and here I ask your attention to the 

 figures showing partial composition previously given. It 

 will be seen that there is considerable variation. In a num- 

 ber of instances there is much less potash than phosphoric 

 acid, but in some cases the opposite is true. It should be 

 remembered, however, that these figures do not necessarily 

 indicate the requirements of the soil ; and it so happens that 

 experiments with corn, potatoes, oats and grass upon the 

 Amherst soil and with corn upon the same soil as the 

 Agawam " plain" at Westfield have demonstrated that pot- 

 ash is the more essential of these two constituents for these 



two soils. 



Experimental Evidence. 



And this leads me to say that we are not obliged to depend 

 upon theoretical reasoning to prove the greater need of pot- 

 ash on most of our soils and for most crops. Experiments 

 in various parts of New England by many difterent men 

 have shown this to be the case in the majority of instances. 

 Dr. Goessmann's work indicates it, and in his published 

 writings he advocates it. From his last report I quote the 

 followhig in relation to garden crops : "A mixture contain- 

 ing the proportion of twenty-five per cent potassium oxide, 

 tv/elve per cent phosphoric acid and twelve per cent nitro- 

 gen deserves a careful trial." I may be pardoned for calling- 

 particular attention to some of the more important results of 

 the experiments carried out under my direction during the 

 last six years in various parts of this State. They indicate 

 in a striking manner the surpassing importance of potash as 

 a fertilizer for corn, potatoes, beans, oats and clover. The 

 greatest number of experiments relate to corn, and the aver- 

 age results of twenty-six experiments are as follows : 



Increase per Acre produced by Different Elements. 



