Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1891-10-01
FARM AND FARDEN.
RESULTS OF SCIENTIFIC AGRI.
CULTURAL EXPERIMENTS.
As Carried on at the Agricultural ex.
pertinent StatiOn-Effect of Fer
tilizers used upon Wheat
Land In Illinois.

The Illinois experiment station is To-
Gated at Champaign, on black prairie
soil, upon which fertilizers, except
barnyard manure, have failed To pro-
duce any increase in wheat. The fol-
lowing experiments, made on soils of
different character, are reported by
Prof. Morrow in a rec5nt bulletin of
the station:
For three years past experiments
with commercial fertilizers on wheat
have been tried at points further south
than the station grounds. For 1S90-9l
the trials were made on the farms Of
w. w. Bowler, Flora; A. NJ. Wood
ward d Co., Odin; Chas. Stephani,
Nashville, and Fred Helms, Wilder
man, near BellevilIe. These are all not
faor firm latitude 80 degrees, 80 min
uteS, and, except the last named, Oh
the level light colored soils, character
istic of that region. Mr.. Helms soil
is darker colOred and naturally very
fertile.
The land of Mr.. Bowler's had been
in grass from 1883 to 1888. In 1889 it
produced about 40 bushels of corn per
acre. In 1890 it was sown to oats, but
the crop failed. The land at Odin had
been thrown out Of cultivation for sew
eral years until 1889, when it produced
a fair crop of cOtn. In 1890 it was sown
to oats, which failed to produce a crop.
The land at Nashville had been in cul-
tivation about 40 years-in corn in
1858 and 1884 oats in 1885, wheat in
1886, cats in 1887, wheat in 1888 and
] $50, and in oats in 1890. Mr.. Helms
land had been cultivated by him .
Years without manure. 1t WAS III
wheat on clover sod IN 1SS9-90 and
yielded about 80 bushels per acre.
In each case, except at Flora, nine
plats 2X2O rods, containing ne-fOurth
acre each, were used. 70 plat in each
case five wagon loads of barnyard ma
nure were applied, and 100 pounds OF
glue factors superphosphate to plates 3,
4, 81 and 8. The barnyard manure
and superphosphate We're applied he
fore sowing.
In each case the land had the treat
ment usual in the region in preparing
for wheat. The wheat was sOWn with
a drill about September 20, 1890. The
winter was favorable for the crop.
When visited at the last of April, a.
we'll as a. harvest time, the effect OF
the barnyard manure in stimulating
growth was very apparent; that OF the
superphoAphat", less so. The wheat was
carefully harvested and threshed from
the shock, except at Flora, where Mr..
Bowler was compelled to put il in stack
and thresh August 90 Mr. H~ims esti.
tes that his crop was damaged one
fifth or more by plant lice. The wheat
at Nashville was measured; at the
other places, weighed. 1t was all OF
good quality. The average results are
given in the table:
EFFECT OE FERTILIZERS UPON WHEAT,
S90-91-YIELD; BUSHELS PER ACRE.
Location, Flora; 20 loads manure,
25.47; 400 pounds superphosphate, IL
SO; unfertilized, 1871.
Location, Odin; 20 loads manure,25 :
AZ; 400 pounds superphosphate, 1885;
unfertiized 1884.
Location, Nashville; 20 loads man.
ure, $500; 400 pounds superphosphate,
: 1900; unfertiIizad, 1000.
Location, Belleville, 20 loads manure
40 20; 400 pounds superphoSphate, 49,.
S5: unfertiliZed, $685.