Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1906-12-26
'l|||RESI|NG TEST
!. M 6odafsy of Ithaca Expert.
msnts With Fertilizers By
Rsdsss From Washington.
RESULTS GIVEN OUR READERS.
Thorough Cultivation has Killed Milk
Weed. Canada Thistles and
Other Foul Weeds.
EDITOR RECORD:

The Agricultural Department at Wash
ington asked me last spring to try al
experiment with sugar beets and com
mercial fertilizer. With one acre with
out fertilizer, one acre with 200 lbs, one
acre with 800 lbs, one acre with 600 lbs
and one acre with goo lbs.
We will designate the acres as acre No
4, acre No. ? and SO on, with acre No.
having no fertilizer whatever.
Acre No. ? had 100, acre No. !, had 200,
acre No. had 500 and acre No. : had
800 pounds of fertilizer sown broadcast
with drill a week before planting, and
well worked through the soil. The beet
seed was sown May To- and on acres No.
2, 3, I and 5 each, 100 lbs. of fertilizers
were sown in the rows with the seed
The beets, on the eighth day after SOW
ing, seemed to be coming up all over the
field alike, but seemed 10 stop growing
on the unfertilized acre. ! commenced
cultivating on acre No. 5 and cultivated
through to the first row of acre No. !,
when we had to stop for eight days for
them to get large enough to cultivate.
During these eight days the weeds got
such a start that this unfertilized acre
had to have two extra cultivations and
one extra hoeing in order to make it as
clean as the rest. This acre kept away
behind all summer, but after the rest
got their growth, it began to catch up,
aud looked at the finish as if il would do
as well as the rest. OF course II was
fully two weeks behind in ripening.
Work all along the lines all summer
could be done first, and better and easier
on the fertilized acres than il could on
the unfertilized acre.
Acre No. had poor stand right up
to the row where acre No. commenced. |
All the fertilized acres had good stands. |
will now give you the results of each
acre, and let each beet grower figure out
for himself how we'll the fertilizer paid
me. Fertilizer worth $25 per ton.
The figures are made from tons cleaned |
ready for the factory
Acre No. /, no fertilizer, s tons, 1922
lbs. Per cent of sugar 1876; for which I
S5o.75.
Acre No. z. 200 lbs. fertilizer used, IL
tons 4I3 lbs. Per cent of sugar I6 2; for
which received S7I.S5.
Acre No. 3, 200 lbs fertilizer used, II
IONS 1852 lbs. Per cent sugar I6 q; for
which received s7o.52.
Acre No. 4, 600 lbs. fertilizer used, 10
ons 1875 lbs. Per cent of sugar 6.Iz{;
tor which received $64.I7.
Acre No. S, goo lbs. fertilizer used. 10
ons 1921 lbs. Per cent of sugar I6.I I-6;
or which received $64.3 81
Acres I, and ) compared well as to
ertility. Acres 4 and 5 compared with
zach other well, but were not nearly SO
,ood as acres /, and 3, which accounts
or the falling off in profit. You will
lotice that there is not only larger ton.
ge on tie fertilized acres, but an in
rease in per cent of sugar, which alone
5 sufficient to pay for 200 pounds of
ertilizer.
There is no guesswork about this mat
er Each acre contained So rows of
eets, 2I inches apart and 26 rods long.
he scales gave the weight of each acre
eparately and the chemist gave the per
ent, and the sugar company gave me
he money on the very day agreed upon,
nd am we'll pleased.
This is my first experience with be cts.
md for the fact that some old beet grow {
RS told me that would not get beets
norgh off the ground to pay for the
lbor, think l did do very we'll The
round was not good piece for beets,
or was the cultivation the year previous
iitable for the best results for beets. =
he land was very foul-covered in a
atfhes with qusck grass, milk-weed and
anada thistles, but the thorough cult IL
alton given the beets has practically "
Illed all these out. u
]. N. CoUDREy. ii
Ithaca, Mich.