New York AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. 471 
Forty-three days after seed planting, when the plants were well 
established and making good growth, the first application of nitrate 
_ of soda was made at the rate of 331-3 pounds per acre. It was 
applied in solution to the soil around each plant. Two other ap- 
plications were made at intervals of 10 days. When the time 
came for the fourth application it was not given because the plants 
were nearly mature. The results as set forth in Table 4, page 166, 
confirm the results which were obtained on the same soils with 
the preceding crop. The length of time required to mature the 
crop was shorter because Crop II matured in midwinter while 
Crop III matured in May and had the advantage of the increasing 
light and heat as the season advanced. 
Considering the results with both crops it is seen that the average 
weight was lightly greater with Soils 5 and 5a than with 4 and 4a. 
On Soils 6 and 6a the lettuce was noticeably larger and heavier 
although the texture was not so good and the heads not so firm as 
they were on Soils 4, 4a, 5 and 5a. On Soils 4 and 4a which 
contained the most loam and which, it will be remembered, were 
much like Soil 2, the lettuce was best in firmness of head, texture 
and general appearance. 
CROP IV. FALL AND WINTER 1897-8. 
The arrangement of the benches was changed for Crop IV by 
taking out the side-benches and having walks next the wall on all 
sides of the house for the reasons set forth on page 462. The rest 
of the floor space was occupied by two wide benches, separated by 
a walk passing lengthwise through the middle of the house. The 
heating pipes were placed next to the outside walls. By this ar- 
rangement the conditions of light, heat and the circulation of 
air were made more uniform throughout the area occupied by the 
benches. The depth of the benches was 11 inches inside. The plats 
were separated from each other by board partitions cemented at the — 
joints and over the bottom to provide for sub-watering and to pre- 
vent the passage of soil water from one plat to another, as illus- 
