126 BULLETIN OF THE BUSSEY INSTITUTION. 
The bean crops, on the contrary, are good, and remarkable for their 
uniformity. Thirteen out of the twenty-two squares to which mixed 
fertilizers were applied yielded at the rate of from 25 to 30 bushels 
of beans to the acre, while three yielded rather more, and six some- 
what less. There was manifestly very little difference in the efficacy 
of the mixtures. The differences, for example, between the crops on 
corresponding squares in the north and south plots of Section EE are 
in general so small that they may fairly be attributed to original dif- 
ferences in the quality of the soil or to the influence of external cir- 
cumstances. The three best crops of all were doubtless influenced 
somewhat by the presence of an admixture of farm-yard manure that 
had been left on the land during the previous years. It has already 
been stated (on page 84) that the land to which the mixed fertilizers 
were applied had been left fallow during the years 1871 and 1872, for 
the express purpose of being devoted to these experiments in due sea- 
son. The intention was, of course, to have the land left absolutely 
unmolested, with the exception of an occasional ploughing. But it 
was found impossible to accomplish this purpose. Thus the teamsters 
who brought the farm-yard manure, employed in the experiments of 
1871 and 1872, would occasionally, in the absence of my assistant or 
myself, deposit a load of the dung along the edge of Section DD, in- 
stead of putting it in the place directed ; and although the heaps of 
manure thus left were immediately removed, some portions of the 
dung necessarily remained upon the soil. Squares EE 9 in the barley 
plot, and EE7 in the south bean plot, had been so clearly vitiated in 
this way, that nothing was planted upon them. Square EE 8, in the 
south bean plot, was known to have received a certain amount of con- 
tamination, and we were in doubt as to the other squares adjoining 
Section DD, namely, EE 9, south, and 7, 8, and 9, north; but from © 
curiosity to see what effect, if any, the old manuring might produce, 
it was decided to plant them all. It is plain that the influence of the 
old manuring was felt somewhat, and the fact is an important one, 
which will be discussed further on. It is to be noted meanwhile that 
the results obtained on the sets of squares numbered 7, 8, and 9 can- 
not fairly be compared with the rest. 
It will be observed that little benefit was derived from the phos- 
phatic and nitrogenous components of the mixed fertilizers. This fact 
is clearly seen by comparing the results tabulated above with some of 
