Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1881-09-14
Experiments at the New Hampshire
College Farm.

Experiments at the New Hampshire
College Farm.
Mr.. Saubon is one of the few managers
Of a college farm that ever thought OF maxi
ing the farm pay. His conclusions will be
received with more confidence by practical
farmers for his efforts in that direction.
Below is valuable summary of the results
of some of his experiments for the past two
years.
PIG FEEDING.
1S79.-Several sets were used. Skim
milk and corn meal were found more effica-
cious when fed together than when fed
alone. Average gain for 100 pounds ears of
corn ground whole, 2S.5 pounds per 100
pounds of cob meal; average gain for 100
pounds clear corn meal for three years to
grow pig to 200 pounds, live weight, 26.1
pounds; to grow pig Of like weight, 100
pounds middlings made 2s4 pounds gain.
The older the pigs, the more food it requires
to make pound of growth.
1SS0-Brau for young pigs proved too
coarse and hard to digest, but for other pigs
it was more valuable than corn meal. As
before, or in 1879, cob meal proved cheaper
food than clear meal. Growth was made
with the pigs cheaper than with shotes.
The giving of bone meal prevented my pigs
from crippling, as was before quite general.
The four years feeding experiments with
pigs show that corn meal does not contain
flesh-makers in suficiency that corn meal
is too compact food, and when mixed with
a more bulky food it is more efiicacious !;
that pigs are more profitable than shotes to
keep; that middlings are more valuable
than corn meal, giving more hesh-makers
and more valuable manure that 100 pounds
of middlings, corn meal, bran, or cob meal
will make pork in quantities to pay for
either of the foods at market rates, and
hence that through the pig we have cheap
and large resources of plant food for our
hungry soil.
CHEMICAL FERTILIZERS.
Fifty-six plots have been laid out for per-
hduChU COnbinudnCC W Ndilouo LhCthOuo VI
fertilization, and to various crops, chiefly
corn and potatoes. Last season was the Sec
ond each plot retaining the same crop and
fed by the same fertilizer. ~ 1t is always
noticed that potash salts everywhere on this
farm measure the crop, showing a marked
deficiency Of potash in this soil. (2) That
phosphoric acid affects the quantity Of the
potato crop some, but barely pays for itself.
(3) That nitrogen used in four proportions
lie pounds, 32 pounds, As pounds, and GA
pounds per acre-paid in neither case, in
creasing the crop for 10 pounds, and de-
creasing the crop in proportion to the larger
amounts used. (4) For this farm chemicals
have proved quite profitable when rightly
used and as efficacious as good manure.
(5) Experiment sets have been put out
among our farmers, and the returns show a
surprisingly large proportion of our farms
that require potash, considering that the trade
has alone considered it necessary to furnish
phosphoric acid This will account for the
frequent failure of fertilizer without pot
ash. Second, the returns indicate for corn
very small needed supply of nitrogen, and
leave it doubtful whether any nitrogen for
corn will pay fair profit. Third, they have
been found to pay, or, if not profitable by
any reason, still as effcacious as twenty
loads of yard manure under the same cir
cumstances.
FERMENTED VERSUS UNFERMENTED.
Results of fermented manure for corn, al.
though not as yet pronounced, are against
fermented manure.
METHOD OF APPLYING MANURE.
Some three years work has been done
upon this question of method of applying
manure. Divided into equal parts, one lot
has been turned under seven inches, and the
other narrowed in at the top. For oats and
corn, the amount plowed under gave the
amount of straw and stalks, but less graf n
than surface applied. For grass, the manure
plowed under gave 1913 pounds, surface ap
piled gave 1896 pounds hay per acre. Soil
heavy clay and moist The result for tn,
fourth crop of hay has been ascertained ant
shows very little wider difference thar
above reported.