ol 
This difference of 2864 lbs. of total yield is equal to 954 bus. per 
acre; and the difference of 494 lbs. merchantable yield is equal to 
16.4 bus. per acre; sufficient indeed to justify the careless experi- 
menter, in his own opinion at least, to pronounce for or against two 
different treatments, or to give a certificate certifying to the supe- 
riority of one fer tilizer over another, had such been under trial. 
In a trial to watch the effect of excessive fertilizer upon the pota- 
to crop, the following was obtained from four plats, with one ton 
phosphate per acre:— 










Merchantable. Small. Rotten. Total. 
lbs. 0z. lbs. OZ. lbs. oz. lbs. 02. 
Average of 4 plats.._..------ 205 3 15 8 222 10 443 5 
Sreatesy Vicidy sass 224 12 13 12 249 4 487 12 
Least. yielddsusivoss. ioctl 210 4 16 4 187 4 413 12 
erence a... fo po os 14 8 2 8 62 0 ve ey 
In D. 10, where fertilizer at the rate of two tons per acre was ap- 
plied, the yield was 


Merchantable_______- 119 lbs. 0 oz. 
Bmall 2190 oF 144. 1674" qo 
Rotten 92... soiow. bux LEQ <$ Oesé 
A aacarey! Re bho 2 3038 12 
The most heavily fertilized plat, it is thus seen, yielded less than 
the poorest of the moderately fertilized plats. 
We may infer from these carefully guarded facts of trial, that mere 
difference in yield under different applications of fertilizer may have 
not the slightest significance as testifying to the value of the fertil- 
izer used, and that the logic of the crops harvested from adjoining 
plats is sufficient to throw doubts upon conclusions gained from the 
mere fact of crop alone, without attention, and most careful atten- 
tion too, being paid to all other conditions which may have availed. 
We may also infer that mere quantity of fertilizer is not potent to 
secure large crop, and also that a sufficient application may in most 
cases be of as much apparent benefit as a larger application. 
The following trial of the Acme fertilizer, in the manner common 
to experimenters, may serve a purpose in its reporting. The crop 
White Star potatoes, single eyes, hills one foot apart, drills 44 inches. 
Met CURA S: Small. Rotten. Total. 
bs. oz. Ibs. oz. ——Ibs. oz. lbs. OZ. 
G. 2%, 500 lbs. Acme fertilizer per a. _-_- 194 0 712 459 4 660 0 
De RTPCOTRUIZeD .. a. se oe 178 0 912 353 0 540 12 
G. 4. 500 lbs. Acme fertilizer per a.___- 173 12 6 8 509 8 689 12 
Pe PTIO PD TEUIZEr: 28S et Ll. dein ln ops 172 0 10 8 278 0 455 8 
G. 12, 1000 ibs. Acme fertilizer pera.... 91 8 412 364 8 460 12 
G. 13, 1h ya (Vols lal pag A Een 75 0 414 279 4 359 2 
The average of the two ‘no fertilizer’ plats, G. 3 and’5, is 166 
bus. per acre; of the two ‘500 lbs. fertilizer’ plats, G. 2 and 4, is 
225 bushels, a showing ‘‘ by the figures” of 59 bushels of total crop 
to be ascribed to the 500 Ibs. fertilizer used. Where double the fer- 
tilizer was used, on G. 12, the crop was 153 bushels per acre, and 
the ‘no fertilizer’ plat adjoining, G. 13, yielded 120 bushels, ashow- 
ing by the figures of 33 bushels of total crop to be ascribed to the 
1000 lbs. of fertilizer used. The logic of the figures involve a con- 
