Jan., 1924] PROGRESS OF AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENTS 



29 



accordance with the outUne. Work was delaj^ed on these plots a bit in the 

 spring, and barley was substituted for oats as a nurse crop and to plow in. 

 An excellent crop of buckwheat was grown this summer and utilized for green 

 manure in accordance with the original outline. This set of plots is now all 

 seeded to grass for next year's crop. The work is in charge of H. R. Kraybill 

 (Agricultural Chemistry) and M. G. Eastman (Agronomy). 



Potash Tests on Potatoes. 



The series of potash tests on potatoes, begun in 1922 by F. W. Taylor, was 

 continued in a similar manner. Quarter-acre plots were used. The potatoes 

 were planted May 23-24 and were dug October 4-6. They were sorted over 

 a standard grader. Owing to a drier and generally more favorable season, 

 there was a smaller proportion of "Number twos" and "thi-ees." 



The following table shows the total yields per acre for the several treatments 

 for 1922 and 1923 with an average for the two seasons: 



T.^BLE X. 



Fertilizer per acre. 



1200 lbs 

 1200 ■ 

 1200 • 

 1200 ■ 

 1200 ■• 

 None. . 



Kind. 



4-8-0 

 4-8-3 

 4-8-4 

 4-8-6 

 4-8-10 

 Checks 



Bushels. 1922. 



215.1 

 215.7 

 220 4 

 246.6 

 222 2 

 149 !0 



Average 2 years. 



228.5 

 234.1 

 238.6 

 236.0 

 218.3 

 170.5 



One reason why the yields of the last season do not show greater variation 

 is probably due to the fact that the plots were on ground which had been well • 

 manured for corn in 1922 and again at the rate of 16 spreader loads per acre 

 in the spring of 1923. While the results are not entirely consistent, they 

 indicate that one season with another where manure is used for the potato 

 crop the larger applications of potash are not desirable or profitable. 



The seed used in the above tests was certified Green Mountain from New 

 Brunswick. Certified seed from four different growers in New Hampshire 

 was compared with this as well as with a good strain of non-certified home- 

 grown seed: 



T.^BLE XI. > 



It wUl be noted from the above figures that the certified seed produced 

 approximately 25 bushels per acre more than the home-grown non-certified 

 seed. On a ten-acre field this increase meant a net profit of about $125. 



