1878 .] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST, 
91 
would hare destroyed the entire crop, Yet it was im¬ 
possible to find them injuring sound fruit. The late Mr. 
Quinby was for years largely interested in both bees and 
grapes, and his experience corroborated this conclusion. 
That it may be an annoyance to grape growers to have 
their vineyards visited by our bees, only for the purposes 
admitted, I am well aware, and I would be very glad if I 
were able to offer any suggestion for mitigating the 
trouble. I can conceive of nothing that would be pow¬ 
erful enough to keep the bees away that would not be 
detrimental to the fruit. Intelligent horticulturists 
agree that the honey bee is exceedingly useful, if not in¬ 
dispensable to plants, by the aid it renders in the fertili¬ 
zation of many flowers. It would he difficult to imagine 
what would he the consequence if bees should become 
extinct. It seems not too much to claim that the benefit 
they are in fertilizing flowers, more than counterbalance 
the occasional depredations of which we complain. 
Weight of Swarms. 
The amount of honey consumed by the four swarms 
of bees reported last month, during Jan., was as follows: 
No. 1, li lbs.; No. 2.11b.; No. 3, 34 lbs. These were in¬ 
doors. No. 4, which was out of deors, consumed 6} lhs. 
-■ i*i i - 
A New Potato—Burbank’s Seedling. 
Mr. J. J. H. Gregory, of Marblehead, Mass., is 
not so exclusively devoted to the introduction of 
excellent squashes that he neglects “ wisdom’s old 
potato,” for he has made known several varieties 
of what people call, when they wish to write 
prettily, that “ esculent tuber.” Mr. Gregory’s 
latest introduction among potatoes is unfortu¬ 
nately named “Burbank’s Seedling,” which he 
knows, as well as we, will, should it attain the 
popularity he hopes for it, be known as the “ Bur¬ 
bank,” and nothing else. That remarkable potato, 
the “ Early Rose,” the introduction of which (even 
at $5 the ib.) was one of the great events of the 
present century, not only in itself resuscitated po¬ 
tato culture, but it has been the parent of a nu¬ 
merous and useful progeny, among the latest of 
which comes the “ Burbank,” and asks for a place 
by the side of our now many valuable kinds. The 
form of the “ Burbank ” is shown in the engrav¬ 
ing ; it is of medium size, running remarkably uni¬ 
form in this respect; medium as to season, excel¬ 
lent as to quality, whether boiled or baked, but its 
most prominent character is its abundant yield. Not 
long ago, it used to be thought that a potato from 
the seed must be cultivated for four or five years 
before its full size was reached, and its qualities 
known. But the excellent Mr. Breese, of “ Early 
Rose ” fame, changed all this. He sowed the seed 
from the seed-ball as he would tomato-seed, and 
transplanted the same, and found that he got good 
potatoes, and good sized ones, at the end of the 
first season ; and if a seedling was not satisfactory 
then and at once, it probably never would be so. 
Mr. Burbank’s experience sustained Mr. Breese’s 
views, for the first year, from the seed-ball, the 
yield was 3 lbs. 3 ozs., of good sized potatoes. Mr. 
Gregory presents us testimony of large succeeding 
yields, and though we have not yet tried the “ Bur¬ 
bank,” we have such confidence in his judgment 
that we 6hall plant it, expecting large returns. If 
any one expects that the “ Burbanlt,” or any other 
variety, will give him large returns from starved 
land, he should not grow potatoes for a living. 
Science Applied to Farming—XXXIX. 
More Scientific Experimenting by Farm¬ 
ers. — Practical Conclusions. — Plans 
for Experiments Next Season. 
In one of the experiments with com, described 
in the last article, on three plots where potash was 
not supplied, the crop failed, while on three other 
plots, in which it was added in different combina¬ 
tions, the yield was good, and was as large with the 
potash in the form of German potash salts alone, as 
where nitrogen and phosphoric acid were supplied 
with it. In another experiment, where sixteen 
plots were tested with as many different fertilizers, 
wherever phosphoric acid was omitted the crop 
failed, and wherever it was supplied the growth was 
good. The vield of corn rose and fell with the amount 
of phosphoric acid, and paid no apparent regard to 
the other materials. The inference then is, that in 
the first case, potash, and in the other, phosphoric 
acid, was the article of plant-food most needed. 
Mr. Sage’s experiment, the results of which are 
given in the table below, tells a still different 
story, and a very instructive one. The most strik¬ 
ing feature is that the crop was a *otal failure in 
every case except the 
two where complete 
fertilizers were used. 
Dried blood, super¬ 
phosphate, potash 
salts, and plaster 
alone, each brought 
crops no larger, and, 
if anything, poorer in 
quality than where no 
fertilizerwas applied. 
The mixture of dried 
blood and superphos¬ 
phate, corresponding 
to a first class “am- 
moniated ” super¬ 
phosphate,did scarce¬ 
ly any better. In each 
case the crop was, as 
Mr. Sage says, “all refuse com and hardly worth sav¬ 
ing.” But with the complete fertilizers, the yields 
were good. Hen manure, which furnished all the in¬ 
gredients of plant food, brought about 40 bushels of 
shelled corti per acre. The mixture of dried blood, 
superphosphate, and potash salt, which cost at the 
rate of §6.40 per acre, and furnished nitrogen, phos¬ 
phoric acid, and potash,in probably larger quantities 
than the hen manure, brought 60 bushels of very 
fine shelled com to the acre. “ This,” Mr. Sage 
says “ was such a crop as I like to have. It grew 
well all summer, and the corn was very fine. The 
stalks were large and green when the corn was 
ripe, and will make excellent fodder.” 
I am very sorry there is not space here to give 
accounts of a number of other experiments, whose 
results are extremely interesting and instructive. 
One, in particular, from Mr. Lufkin, of the “Maine 
State College of Agriculture and the Mechanic Arts, ” 
and one of the very best I have received, by the way, 
is full of instruction. Three crops, potatoes, beans, 
and rutabagas, were grown. To yield these crops, 
the soil evidently needed phosphoric acid most, 
and nitrogen next. Potash seemed to do scarcely 
any good. According to Mr. Lufkin’s figures, the 
gain from the use of nitrogenous superphosphates 
on potatoes and rutabagas was from $50 to $S0 per 
acre. With the other articles there was either a 
much smaller gain or a loss, which, in some cases, 
was very considerable. With beans there was a loss 
in every case except the one with superphosphate 
alone, which brought a small gain. This accords 
with what Mr. Lawes, of England, says, as the re¬ 
sult of 30 years’ experimenting with fertilizers, that 
“it is not advisable to sow artificial manures with 
beans, peas, tares, or other leguminous plants. Corn 
[i. e., grain] androotcrops will take all the artificial 
manure which the farmer can afford to pay for.” 
One of the most sensible and prominent farmers 
in our State, in referring to his experiment last sea¬ 
son, says something very much to the point: 
“ After footing up the gains and losses on the dif¬ 
ferent plots, it occurred to me to strike the balance 
of the experiment as a wdiole. Some of the fer¬ 
tilizers brought a large gain, others a heavy loss. 
Taking the w-hole together, the value of the in¬ 
creased yield w r as more than the cost, but the 
balance on the credit 6ide was small. Now I think 
this is a fair epitome of the success a good many of 
us farmers have with commercial fertilizers. We 
know we must put more manure on our farms 
than they produce. Wc have got to do that, or go 
under. We use the fertilizers we find in the markets 
at random, without understanding how or why. 
Sometimes we gain, sometimes we lose. If we 
know what ones to buy, and when and where and 
how to use them, we may, barring the weather— 
which of course we can not control—be fairly sure 
of a good profit every time. 1 am persuaded that 
the way, and the only way, to learn what are the 
wants of our crops and soils, and the best means to 
meet them, is by studying them with such experi¬ 
ments as these. Mine has cost me a little trouble, 
and has given me a good deal of pleasure in return. 
I feel that 1 have learned what one of my fields, in 
its present condition, stands most in need of, and 
have made up my mind what to give it next season. 
Meanwhile, I propose to go on with this experi¬ 
menting, and see how much more I can learn about 
myfarm and crops.” 
In the next article I shall have something more 
to say about these experiments, and give plans and 
directions for making similar ones the coming sea¬ 
son. Meanwhile I am very glad to say that the 
proprietors of the American Agriculturist have be- 
come.so impressed with the usefulness of these ex¬ 
periments for farmers that, with their wonted public 
spirit, they have undertaken to do for their large 
circle of readers, what the Experiment Station did 
for a limited number of persons last year, to wit, 
supply the materials of attested quality, and with 
full explanations and directions for use. So, I 
presume, the number will be very considerable, and 
the results valuable. W. O. Atwater. 
Wesleyan University , Middletown, Conn. 
EXPERIMENT WITH CORN, BY CHESTER SAGE, MIDDLETOWN, CONN. 
Soil: Heavy loam, very poor, hard pan subsoil. Previous treatment: 1874 manured with blood guano [slaughterhouse refuse], 300 lhs. per acre ; crop,oats, 15 bushels per acre : 
1875, no manure, hay, X ton : 1876, no manure, hay, X (on. Size of each plot, one row (79 hills, 3 ft. 9 in. apart), 18 rods long, making about 4 square rods area. Amounts of 
fertilizers: 800 lhs. per acre, except hen manure handful to each hill. Fertilizers applied in the hill, mixed well with the soil and covered with earth before dropping the corn. 
Plowed May 9. Planted May 16. Cultivated both ways and hoed three times. Harvested Oct. 15. Yield: Corn in the ear, measured in a bushel basket, as below. 
No. 
Fertilizer. 
Valuable 
Ingredients. 
APPEARANCE OF CROP. 
YIELD, CORN IN EAR. 
Stalks. 
Ears. 
Kernels. 
Per Plot. 
Per Acre. 
i 
Dried Blood I. 
Nitrogen. 
Poor. 3 ft. high. 
Small, not filled. 
Small, imperfect, dull color, hitter taste, mouldy. 
y t bushel. 
20 bushels. 
2 
Superphosphate II. 
Phosphoric Acid. 
Small, poor. 
Small, better filled. 
As 1, except less hitter and not mouldy. 
1 bushel. 
40 bushels. 
3 
Potash Salt HI. 
Potash. 
Small, poor. 
Same as 1. 
As 1, hut not mouldy. 
X bushel. 
20 bushels. 
4 
Mixture 1+11. 
Small, poor. 
Same as 1. 
As 1, hut not mouldy. 
X bushel. 
20 bushels. 
5 
Mixture I+II+1II. 
Large, tine, green. 
Large, long, well filled. 
Large, bright, sound, sweet, very fine. 
3 bushels. 
120 bushels. 
6 
Plaster. 
Small, 2 ft. high. 
Small, not filled. 
Poorer than 1. 
1 bushel. 
40 bushels. 
7 
Nothing. 
Very poor, lint better than 1. 2, 3, and 4, 
'A bushel, 
20 bushels. 
8 
Pen Manure, 
Very good, but smaller, ears sliorler, kernels smaller, and yield less than 5, 
8 feliSfcelfh 
89 bimhele. 
BURBANK’S SEEDLING POTATO. 
