130 REPoRT OF THE BoTANICAL DEPARTMENT OF THE 
FARMERS’ BUSINESS EXPERIMENTS. 
OBJECT OF THE EXPERIMENTS, 
Many farmers question the reliability of the results obtained in , 
experiments like the Station ten-year experiments described in this 
bulletin. They doubt that such results can be obtained in ordinary 
farm practice. The common objections to the experiments are: 
(1) They are on too small a scale (three-tenths of an acre); (2) 
the spraying is done more thoroughly than farmers would do it; 
(3) it is difficult to determine accurately the expense of the spray- 
ing; (4) the idea is prevalent that the Station potatoes are given 
extra good care in order that large yields may be obtained.'° 
To satisfy this demand for experiments of a more practical kind 
the Station decided to conduct a series of farmers’ business experi- 
ments so managed as to show the actual profit in spraying potatoes 
under farm conditions. This work was commenced in 1903 with 
six experiments.!! In 1904, fourteen such experiments were made 
and in 1905 the same number. The results have been of such gen- 
eral interest, that it has been decided to make several of these busi- 
ness expriments each season during the remaining six years in 
which the potato spraying experiments are to be continued. 
METHODS. 
The methods employed have been essentially the same as in pre- 
vious years. In the spring of 1905 the Station arranged with 
fourteen farmers in different parts of the State to keep an account 
of their spraying operations on potatoes. An accurate record was 
kept of all the expense of the spraying including labor, chemicals 
and wear of machinery. In each experiment strips of three to 
seven rows were left unsprayed for comparison. These rows re- 
ceived no bordeaux mixture but were treated with poison to pro- 
tect the plants from bugs. In four of the experiments there was 
but a single unsprayed strip; in nine experiments there were two 
unsprayed strips; and in one experiment there were three of the un- 
sprayed strips. Hence, so far as concerns the increase in yield 
* For a discussion of these objections see Bulletin 221, pages 257-261. 
™ Details of the business experiments in 1903 were published in Bulletin 
241, pp. 267-282; and those of the experiments in 1904 in Bulletin 264, 
pp. 116-152. 
