AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. 



141 



especially fitted to precede the cereals as collectors of nitrogen 

 for the latter crop. This view of the case is probably correct, 

 when a considerable portion of the leguminous plant is left upon 

 the ground, as with clover. The theory may well be questioned, 

 however, so far as such crops as peas and beans are concerned, 

 they having no large roots to leave in the soil, and with which the 

 entire aerial portion of the plant is removed. 



In connection with the experimental work described above a 

 little data bearing on this point has incidentally been obtained. 



It has already been noted that the north half of each of the 

 plots on Experimental Field No. 2 was last year cropped with 

 peas and the south half with barley, and that the entire field was 

 cropped with oats this year. 



Table L shows the yield of oats and straw per plot and per 

 acre as divided between the north and south half of each plot. 



TABLE L. 



Number of plot. 



No 



1 



N 

 S. 



half.... 

 half. . . . 



No. 



2, 



N 

 S. 



half.... 

 half.... 



No. 



3, 



N. 

 S. 



half.... 

 half.... 



No. 4, N. half. 

 S. half. 



Yield of grain 



per plot in 



1891. 



1952 11)8. oats. 

 1888 lbs. oats. 



1590 lbs. oats. 

 '2029 lbs. oats. 



T8S9Tbs7oatsT 

 1918 lbs. oats. 



Yield of straw 



per plot in 



1891. 



3148 lbs. oat 

 2557 lbs. oat 



straw 

 straw 



2150 lbs. oat 

 1680 lbs. oat 

 1921 lbs. oat" 

 1702 lbs. oat 



straw 

 straw 



1594 lbs. oats. 

 1667 lbs. oats. 



straw, 

 straw. 



1450 lbs. oat 

 1484 lbs. oat 



straw, 

 straw. 



Yield of grain 



per acre in 



1891. 



1562 lbs. oats. 

 1510 lbs. oats. 



1272 lbs. oats. 

 1623 lbs. oats. 



1513 lbs. oats. 

 1534 lbs. oats. 



1275 lbs. oats. 

 1334 lbs. oats. 



Yield of straw 



per acre in 



1891. 



25 IS 

 2040 

 1720 

 1349 



lbs. oat 

 lbs. oat 



straw, 

 straw. 



lbs. oat 

 lbs. oat 



straw, 

 straw. 



1537 

 1302 



lbs. oat 

 lbs. oat 



straw, 

 straw. 



1165 



1187 



lbs. oat 

 lbs. oat 



straw, 

 straw. 



An examination of this table shows that, with the exception of 

 plot No. 1, to which stable manure was applied, that portion 

 devoted to peas last year gave a smaller yield of oats this year 

 than the portion on which barley was produced last year. 



The large difference in the yield between the north and south 

 halves of plot No. 2 can, in part, be explained by the fact that 

 witch grass gained a footing on the north half while the 

 south half was free from it. The yield on the north half 

 was doubtless depressed somewhat on that account. But plots 

 3 and 4 contained no witch grass and the results obtained 

 from them show nothing favorable to the theory that peas are a 

 better crop to precede a cereal than a cereal. 



