ee ~— re 

No. 98.] 7 53 
In series A we have apparent evidence against the usefulness of cul- 
tivation. In series B, in favor of cultivation. A kind of contradic- 
tion to which plat experiments are subject, and which throws doubts 
on results obtained by this method. We recapitulate: 
Yield calculated per acre. 
Cultivated. Uncultivated. 
Good.’ Poor. Total. Good. Poor. Total. 
1 A Waushakum corn. ... 51-6 1-2 52-9 56-0 1-8 57-8 
9A Willow Brook corn.... 46-1 3-4 49-5 46-8 4-1 50-9 


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Mean for the two..... 38°8° 2-8 51-2 51-4 2-9 54.3 
Pe anlmnirarcorn s) 2.6. 60, 55-8 ‘9 56-7 41-3 2-4 43-7 
2 B Waushakum corn..... 5328 0 54-4 46-9 1-0 47.9 
Mean for the two..... sAefioo bs SSoBqwdssedio 17 1045.8 
It will be perceived that series A shows a loss of 2-6 bushels of 
merchantable, or 3-1 bushels total corn upon the cultivated portion. 
Series B shows a gain of 10-4 bushels merchantable, or 9-7 bushels 
total corn upon the cultivated portion. The Waushakum seed gave 
4.4 bushels merchantable, or 4-9 bushels total corn less on the culti- 
vated portion of series A, and 6-4 bushels merchantable, or 6-5 bush- 
els total corn more on the cultivated portion of series B. The figures 
show, however, in three cases a diminution of poor corn upon the cul- 
tivated portion, and neither gain or loss in the fourth case. Of the 
twenty separate plats the cultivated ones showed less poor corn in 
thirteen cases, more in six cases and the same as the uncultivated in 
one case. 
Root PRUNING. 
In experimenting with corn cultivation we made two trials of root 
pruning, using a spade, as the plants were coming to bloom, and de- 
stroying the roots by spading the intervals, six or eight inches deep, 
close to the plants. Such was the severity of the process, that the 
corn plants of these plats wilted at once, and did not recover their up- 
right growth for a week or ten days, and during the balance of the 
season appeared yellow and in poor condition. The drawback of 
this trial was the clayey condition of the soil, which caused the earth 
to fall back after the spade in a lumpy condition, and we were unable 
to get the soil into that friable condition which would be considered 
as favorable to the extension of the amputated roots. The first plat 
tried was under a full application of fertilizer and a close planting. 
The second plat was one which was a duplicate of an excessively 
manured plat, yard dung being applied at the rate of 23 cords per 
acre, and fertilizer at the rate of 1,000 pounds per acre. The harvest 
figures are as follows : 
Yield in Bushels. 
Merch. Unmerch. 
Ears. Ears. Total. 
2 C1. Excessively manured, not root pruned..... 40.8 10.9 51.7 
C 2. Excessively manured, excessively pruned... 42.5 9.7 52.2 
