146 



MAINE STATE COLLEGE 



TRIALS OF SPRING AND FALL MANURING-. 



On a section of a field, lying west of Experiment Field No. 2, 

 two plots were laid off, one of which was manured in the fall at 

 the rate of five cords of stable manure per acre, and the other 

 manured at the same rate in the Spring. The plots, owing to 

 the shape of the field, are of unequal size but quite uniform in 

 character of soil. On account of the variation in size the yields 

 per plot do not show the relative effect of the manure ; but the 

 yields per plot have been calculated per acre and are shown 

 on the following table. 



These plots were sown to oats May 2 and harvested August 24. 



Dimensions 

 ot plots. 



Time of 

 manuring 



Plot 1. 143ft.x84ft. 

 Plot 2. !l61ft.x74ft. 



Fal 



Yield of 



grain per 



plot. 



395.5 lbs. 



iSpring I 411.51b* 



Yield of 



straw per 



plot. 



654-5 lbs. 

 593.5 lbs. 



Yield of 



grain per 



acre. 



13-27 lbs. 

 1507 lbs. 



Yield of 



straw per 



acre. 



2190 lbs. 

 2175 lbs. 



The Spring manuring has given the largest yield of grain, and 

 the Fall manuring the largest yield of straw per acre. At some 

 future time this work will be repeated. 



Farmers' Experiments. 



It has been the policy of the Station to encourage farmers in 

 studying the application of well known facts in connection with 

 plant growth and soils to the business of producing crops. To 

 this end experimental sets of fertilizers have been sent from time 

 to time to farmers who desired to undertake work of this kind. 

 Eight such sets were shipped to farmers last Spring. Reports 

 have been received from five of them which are of local inter- 

 est in the neighborhoods where the experiments were carried out. 



These sets of fertilizers supplied phosphoric acid, potash and 

 nitrogen, separately, and in various combinations, and were 

 designed to test the ability of the soil to supply one or more of 

 these substances to the crop in such quantities as to render their 

 application superfluous or unprofitable. 



