PRACTICAL PAPERS—LATE FARM EXPERIMENTS. 
375 
value of crop to be the average of market values for five years in this 
market. 
8c?. DriU and Hill Planting .—Try the comparative values of drill and hill 
planting with corn and potatoes. 
Ath. Potatoes .—Let experiments of last year be repeated to verify results, 
and take the same in connection with the amount of rain falling; to be con¬ 
tinued throughout another year at least. 
Mh. Corn as a Forage Crop .—Try a few acres by drilling, and the same 
quantity by broadcast sowing. 
In 'accordance with these instructions, the following experiments have 
been performed: 
Winter Wheat. —Experiments are now in progress with the following 
varieties: 
Treadwell, white, seed from Michigan. 
Mediterranean, red, seed from Michigan. 
White Winter Touzelle, imported from France, seed furnished by the de¬ 
partment of agriculture at Washington. 
Profits of wheat and corn raising was necessarily omitted on account of 
the la;e date of receiving the instructions. 
Drill and Hill Planting Corn. —The result of this experiment was as 
follows: 
Taking the product of drill planting as 100 for a basis of comparison, hill 
planting yielded 94.6, or 6.4 per cent, less than the drilh. That planted in 
drills contained il.4 per cent of soft corn, that in hills 10.9 per cent. The 
general appearance of the corn in hills was much the bes% the ears being 
larger and filled out better at the tips. 
Corn as a Forage Crop. —Equal quantities of land were sown to corn 
broadcast, and planted in drills three and one-half feet apart, in each case 
using seven bushels of seed to the acre. 
That planted in drills gave the largest yield* of the best forage. That 
sown broadcast being much tte coarser. 
Equal quantities of land were sosvn broadcast at the rate of eleven bushels 
of seed to the acre, and planted in drills with seven bushels as before. In 
this case the yield was in favor of broadcast sowing. 
One reason of more seed being required with broadcast sowing is that the 
seed cannot be all covered avith a harrow, so that birds and gophers are 
attracted to the field and carry away much that is uncovered. 
A better method for those having grain drills, is to sow nine bushels of 
seed to the acre, using each third tooth of the drill. 
* I am obliged, in these experiments, and in top dressing grass with ashes, to give 
the estimated results, as we have as yet no facilities for weighing such proaucis. 
