884 
fH£ RURAL WEW-YORKEh. 
The following diagrams show at a glance 
the rel tive size of the vines as they appeared 
June i’, while the triangles, by their bights (all 
having the same base) show the relative 
yields, in pounds, of the most important fertil¬ 
izers used; omitting plot No. 2 (sulphate of 
ammonia); plot No. 6 (plaster); No. 7 (lime); 
No. 8 (nitrate of soda and dissolved bone- 
black); No. 9 (no fertilizer); No. 10(nitrateof 
soda and sulphate of potash); No. 11 (dissolved 
bone-black and sul. potash); No. 13 (ground 
bone); Nos. 16, 19, 23, 26, and 28 (no fertiliz¬ 
ers) ; No. 20 (coal ashes); No. 21 and 22 (kainitl; 
No. 24 (unleached wood ashes); No. 25 (hen 
manure). 
POTATO FERTILIZER EXPERIMENTS. 
Showing the comparative yield of the chief plots, and relative size of the vines as they appeared June 16th. Soil a worn-out sandy loam; variety White Star. Rows 33 feet long. 
ROW No. 1. 
Vines June 16th. Rated at 9. 
Marketable potatoes ... 39 
Total number . . . .199 
Fertilizer applied: Nitrate of Soda, supplying 
Nitrogen only. 
Nitrogen Salts in every plot caused a decided 
increase in growth of vines. Yield poor. 
ROW No. 12. 
V ines June 16tb. Rated at 10, 
Marketable potatoes ... 98 
Total number .... 254 
Fertilizer applied; Nitrate of Soda, Dissolved 
Bone-black and Sulphate of Potash. 
Growth of vine very good. Yield fair. 
ROW No. 3. 
Vines June 16th. Rated at 5. 
Marketable potatoes 65 
Total number .... 172 
Fertilizer applied: Dissolved Bone-Black, sup¬ 
plying Phosphoric Acid only. • 
ROW No. 4. 
Vines June 16th. Rated at 5. 
Marketable potatoes ... 55 
Total number .... 157 
Fertilizer applied: none. 
REMARKS: 
ROW No. 5. 
Vines June 16th. Rated at 5.50, 
Marketable potatoes ... 82 
Total number .... 170 
Fertilizer applied: Sulphate of Potash, sup¬ 
plying Potash only. 
Neither Potash alone, Phosphoric Acid alone, nor Phosphoric Acid and Potash, cause auy additional growth over unfertilized plots. Yield poor. 
ROW No. 17. 
Vines June 16th. Rated at 10. 
Marketable potatoes . . . 106 
Total number .... 415 
Fertilizer applied: the Mapes’ Potato Manure. 
Growth of vine and yield very good. 
Row No. 18. 
Vines June 16th. Rated ut 8. 
Marketable potatoes ... 82 
Total number .... 301 
Fertilizer applied: Farm Manure two years 
old. 
Growth of vine poor. Yield fair. 
ROW No. 27. 
Vines June 16th. Rated at 8. 
Marketable potatoes . . . 168 
Total number .... 248 
Fertilizer applied: the Mapes 1 Potato Manure. 
Kainit and Ilay Mulch. 
Growth of vino the thriftiest of any during, 
latter part of season. Yield the largest and 
beat of all. 
As regards the yield per acre, we will give 
the two extremes—1st the mulched plot (No. 
27) which received potato fertilizer and kainit; 
and, 2nd, the average yield of the plots not 
fertilized. It will be remembered that the 
trenches were six feet apart. Very likely 
they would have yielded just as well had they 
been three feet apart, the distance usually 
allowed. At six feet apart the yield of the 
mulched plot (No. 27) was at the rate of 172.33 
bushels to the acre, or 344,00, were we to esti¬ 
mate the yield from trenches three feet apart. 
The average yield of the plots not fertilized, 
at six feet apart,was at the rate at 69.66 bush¬ 
els to the acre—or had the trenches been three 
feet apart, double that amount, or 139.32 
bushels to the acre. If we take the average 
yield of all the plots which did not receive 
“complete 1 ' fertilizers, we find it to be, at six 
feet apart, at the rate of 79.75 bushels to the 
acre—or at three feet apart, 159.50 to the acre. 
The special fertilizer therefore increased the 
yield only 10 bushels to the acre, if we reckon 
at six feet apart; and 20 bushels, if at three 
feet apart, aa compared with the natural soil; 
while the complete fertilizer and hay mulch 
increased the yield.overtlie natural soil.102.69 
bushels to the acre, if planted six feet apart; 
and 205.38 bushels to the acre, if planted three 
feet apart. With the complete fertilizer 
(potash, nitrogen and phosphoric acid) and 
without the hay mulch (Plot No. 17),the yield 
was increased, over the natural soil or unfer 
tilized plots, 58.67 bushels to the acre at six 
feet and at three feet, 117.34 bushels to the 
acre. With the complete fertilizer of plot 
No. 12 the yield was increased 38.50 bushels if 
planted six feet apart,and 77.00 bushels if three 
feet apart. 
We have been particular to give this exper¬ 
iment at considerable length and with a rep¬ 
etition of details and results, because all the 
conditions were seemingly favorable,from the 
beginning to the end, to render the tests as in¬ 
structive as if they bad been conducted,under 
other conditions, for a series of years. Atten¬ 
tion is called in this connection to our edito¬ 
rial page. 
- • «>> ■ ■■ 
JOTTINGS AT KIRBY HOMESTEAD. 
COL. F. D. CURTIS. 
I have sown Clawson Wheat because it 
yields better and seems to be hardier than 
other varieties grown in this section. It lacks 
gluten, or rather has too great a proportion 
of starch; this makes it a soft wheat, and 
causes the bread to dry sooner after being 
baked, and on this account it does not make 
such good bread. The bread tastes well enough, 
and is good if eaten soon after being baked, 
but this is not always possible, nor is it best; 
so Clawson Wheat, by itself, makes poor 
bread, and, on this account, it does not sell as 
well as other varieties; the better and surer 
yield, however, makes up for the lower price. 
The millers get around its softness by mixing 
harder, more glutinous wheat with it. 
There is no certainty in grass seeding, unless 
with winter grain. The annual loss to farmers 
by trying to seed grass with oats is immense; 
witli barley it does well, but the areaof barley 
is small, 1 like to sow Timothy seed in the 
Autumn with the wheat, but this year it was 
too dry to risk it, and the seed will he sown 
the last of March. 
The Swedes are splendid; barnyard manure 
makes them so. The clover was mown and 
taken off the last of June, and the ground 
carefully turned over and covered with barn¬ 
yard manure. .Some of the tnanuro was quite 
coarse, just as it was thrown out of the stables. 
It was cultivated in as much as possible, but 
there was so much of it that some had to be 
raked away to smooth the “marker” rows, so 
that the seed drill could work. Most people 
would have plowed this manure under, and 1 
should have done so too, but for an idea, and 
this is my point: I wanted the smell and bene¬ 
fit of this manure at once, and these could only 
be had by leaving it on the surface. I had a 
notion that these conditions would keep away 
the turnip fly, or, at all events, that the tur¬ 
nips might grow too fast to be permanently 
injured. It was so. There are a few holes 
in the broad, green leaves, but only a few. 
Two years ago my entire crop of Swedes was 
eateu up, and the ground had to be re-plant¬ 
ed with flat turnips. Let Rural readers re¬ 
member that rankness will drive away insects 
and larvm, and rankness will insure big crops. 
One of the lessons of the year, which has 
been most forcibly taught, has been the value 
of sweet corn us a forugo plunt. I do not 
mean the spiudliug, washy, fodder corn most 
farmers are foolish—lazy—enough to grow; 
but fodder corn which tuts an oar in it. There 
cannot be too much of this kind of fool on 
any farm. Next year the area here will be 
four times as great—all sweet corn. The seed 
is now ready to pluck—both early and late 
varieties. There is more food to be obtained 
in an uero of sweet fodder corn than of any 
crop; the work is less, and it pays several 
hundred per cent, profit. Mine was grown as 
follows: the ground was covered with man 
ure—mind, I say “covered,” not sprinkled. 
This was plowed under; the ground harrow¬ 
ed and farrows made three feet apart; the 
seed was then scattered in the furrows by 
hand, and a harrow was run lengthwise over 
the furrows to cover it. The same work may 
be done with a drill. As soon s the com was 
well up, a cultivator was run through once 
in a row, and twice afterwards it was culti¬ 
vated, working close up to the corn. Once it 
was gone over, and the weeds in the rows 
pulled out. There was no hoeing, as it was 
not necessary. It was kept mellow and clean. 
