Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1890-06-12
THE NORTHWEST
WHEAT FERTILIZERS.
RESULT OF EXPERIMENTS AT
THE OHIO STATION.
Corroborate the Conclusion Reached
on the Great Experiment Farm of
Sir John Lawes in EngIand-What
Wheat Demands.


Wheat Demands.
Prepared Exclusively for The Central
Press association, Of Columbus, o.,
bg the Ohio Agricultural Experiment
Station.
On the great "Rothamsted" expert
ment farm of Sir John b. Lawes, OF
England, q series Of experiments In
applying commercial and other fertili-
zers to wheat has been carried on with
out interruption for thirty-six years.
During this period plot that has re-
ceived no manure whatever has given
an average annual yield of thirteen
bushels per acre. A plot that had re-
ceived every fall about 400 pounds each
of fsuperhosphate and potash salts has
given an average yield of fifteen BUSH
els. When this dressing of superphos-
phate and potash was followed In the
spring by $50 Lounds of nitrate of soda,
the yield rose to thirty-six bushels; but
when the nitrate was used on plot
that had not had the fall dressing of
supler phosphate and potash, the yield
was only twenty-four bushels per acre.
Acting on this hint, the Ohio Ex-
pertinent Station has induced a few
farmers, who had used 200 to 300
pounds of bone or similar phosphate
fertilizers, when sowing their wheat in
the fall, to follow with dressing of
$50 pounds of nitrate of soda in the
spring.
Four such experiments were made,
in different parts Of the State. In one
case, no difference In the growth of the
crop was seen, so the experiment was
not carried out. &c d.
In the other three cases the yields on
the plots receiving the nitrate were 10,
- and 10 bushels per acre greater than
on those which had phospate, but no
nitrate.
The explanation of this result is that
wheat generally requires fertilizer
containing botn phosphoric acid and nj
trogen, and that if one of these ingre-
dients be- withheld the other cannot
have its full effect.
The reason for applying nitrate of
soda in the spring is that it is easily
dissolved in water, and will be largely
washed away, ifapplied in the fall, be-
fore the plant can get the benefit of it.
1t should not be used until growth
starts in the spring, and it will some
times be of advantage to- divide the ap-
plication then making one as late as
May.
SEED POTATOES.
The January bulletin of the Wiscon-
sin Experiment Station says: "The
tests made at our station, taken as a
whole, favor heavy, rather than light
seeding. Cutting off the seed end was
found detrimental to the yield. No
advantage followed sprinkling the cut
tings with plaster before planting.
OATS IN WISCONSIN.
Trials for series of years have pro-
ven the White Schoenen, Swedish,
Improved White Russian and Hubner's
Holland oats to be uniformly produc-
tive, as we'll as meritorious in several
other particulars. The Station there
fore recommends these varieties in the
order named January bulletin, Wis
consin Experiment Station.
CORN IN ILLINOIS.
Experiments with corn, as reported |
in the bulletin of the Experiment sta
tion, at Champaign, have led to the fol- |
lowing conclusions:
The varieties maturing about Sep |
tember 25 gave larger yields of we'll
dried corn than either earlier or later
sorts. The loss after husking ranges
from 10 to 20 per cent, and so pounds
of ear corn were required to weigh a |
bushel of fair-dried corn. Barrenness of |
stock seemed to depend more on thick
ness of planting and season than on
variety. The yields have varied but
little from paintings made at any time
not later than June l. Drill planting
has not been found materially better
than hill planting. Planting at the
rate of one kernel to every nine or
twelve inches gave more grain, and one
kernel to every six inches more fodder
than thicker or thinner planting. Deep
and close cultivation injured the crop.
Frequent cultivation did not pay the
extra cost. Commercial fertilizers did
not increase the yield. Stable manure
increased the yield. but not sufficient to
earn the cost.