Judsonia weekly advance., 1916-03-29
ROTHAMSTED EXPERIMENT STATION AND FERTILIZERS


 The Rothamsted Experiment Sta tion is in England, and Is noted for the great work is has done along all lines of agricultural work. It has gone into the laws of soil fertility, has been the first to discover many of these laws, and has in all its history been especially interested in working out plan of farm management by which soil fertility could be maintain ed at minimum cost to the farmers.
 The Rothamsted experiments began in the year 1887, when Sir John Ben nett Lawes began experiments on his private estate. He was man who loved the soil and to experiment with it. Strange to say, he was a fertil- izer manufacturer in certain sense, as he early discovered a process for transforming bone into superphos- phate by the use of sulphuric acid, took out a patent for this in 1842, and built an extensive business, which he managed for about thirty years. In 1S43 he associated with him J. H. Gilbert, and these two men for more than fifty years conducted extensive agricultural investigations in regard to soils and fertilizers, and feeds and feeding of domestic animals. In 1889 Sir John turned over his large estate, which had now grown so important, and had become so well known in all parts of the civilized world, to a board of directors, and endowed it with half million dollars.
 Among many other things that were done, experiments were conduct ed with fertilizers, mineral salts, and many forms of ammoniates, also with animal manures, to determine just what the soils needed to grow the most crops. For this work plots of ground were set aside, marked off and carefully measured, and then planted to the crop with which the investigator wished to work. Small plots would be used for the different kinds of mineral and animal manures, and in each series one plot would be left unfertilized throughout the entire experiments, while the others would have applied the different combina- tions of fertilizers, etc. Careful re- ports were taken from each end of these plots, and with interesting re- suits. The same experiments were continued for twenty years and more.
 Many experiments were conducted of JEith hn following results: The plots that had no manure of any kind averaged in twenty years, 2,383 pounds of hay; the plots which had mineral manure alone 3,598 pounds; the plots with mineral manure and 400 pounds of ammonia salts, 5,711 pounds of hay; those with mineral manure and 800 pounds of ammonia salts, 6,726 pounds of hay; the plots which received the mineral manure and nitrate of soda, 6,4O7 pounds of hay. Considering the very low cost of the fertilizers in compar- ison to the increased yields brought about by their use, one could not fail to see the value of the manure salts.
 The Rothamsted station was inter- ested in the permanent improvement of land and the part played in this by the use of fertilizing materials. From the many experiments carried out, there was never doubt of the wisdom of applying plant food to the soil. Larger yields were always ob- tained, other things being equal, and the fertilization of the soils through out England and her possessions rec commended. It was decided to ascer- tain the effects of fertilizers on corn. Seven plots were treated as follows:
 Plot 1. Unmanured.
 Plot 2 Mixed mineral manure, 300 pounds sulphate of potash, 200 pounds sulphate soda, 100 pounds sulphate magnesia, $50 pounds superphosphate lime.
 Plot 3. Ammonia salts, comprising onn I, IyI,o fo apd 00n