Norwich bulletin., 1922-08-25

(Wr1tten specially For The Bulletln-)
 H's a little too late tc talk much about this years strawberries. But it's nSne too early to begin to talk about how to raise next years.
 Prof. Esten's 1922 experience on his famous Independent Fertility Field" is worth studying by anyone who aspires to raise good berries proftably. Even those of us who have only a small bed for home picking may get useful sugges- tons from his comparative tests.
 He had seven separate plats, this 0sason. Each plat was twenty by twen- ty-two feet, and each plat had differ saf manuraal application. With this ex- caption they were, as understand practically identical And dt Is to be as- gumed. also, that all were on soil dn- habited by adequate forces of the help fii bacteria. The best plat yielded 6S b1slSets, which sold for S13.60. The poorest crop gave 13 baskets, which sold for S2.63.
 This poorest crop had nothing put on tl as manure or fertilizer. It was, HSppOse. intended as check to show About what the natural capacity of the EnaIded soil would be.
 The best crop was fertillzed with PsnE phosphate and green manure. This al, lI more than live times as many berries and. brought in more than five times as much money as the plat which received 10 artihdaa fertilization. That ought to afford a mighty interesting sidehght 1n the question of what rock phosphate, supplemented by ample green maturing Ezid the bacterial action will do, without EAs sise of any barn-yard manures.
 ne following table gives the charac- tsr of the fertilization on each plot and kS yield in baskets:
 Book Phos. asad green manure .... 6s Add phos. and gr. manure /. ....... 61 Rock phos.,, lime and gr. manure. :. 62 Anld phos-, lime and gr. manure. GA Hork phoA and lime .............. 38 Cpmrercial fertilizer ........... A 'Hothing' plat ........... 13 The outstanding fact in this table nsems to be the value of green manure In connection with bacteria and phos- plhate4 The first four plats run closely togetser. So close that 1t would be un- wise to draw any dogmatic conclusion As to the relative value of the differing fertilizer schemes. While plain rock phcsphate seems to have done the best In this seasons tests, the difference be-
 
 Bitiler of tho phosphates with lime, is uo EFnan @ to be 4nconclustve. It seem: at1tla queer that the addition of lime hi two of these four tests should have Sl1DWn no advantage. As the soil may be preUmed to have been fully lined 1T past years 1t may be that it is now suf scently 'isweetened''
 A practical lesson is to be found fl Inc fact that raw rock phosphate diC fAther better than acid phosphate. If i hld only done as well, the fact. that | boEns much less than acid phosphat. would seem to establish it's economic Eslue. The difference in yield betwee1 ths four plats given phosphates an. sreSn nnanures and the three plats giveI eO green msnures Is striking.
 Of course, these were small, tria pasta If each one had been an acrt and each ful1 acre had done the sam AS the small plat, in proportion, th' aiTerenceS would have been even nor ntFtking. A plat 22 feet by 20 Is al nnat exactly one-hundredth of an acre The ,frst plat, that given rock phosplhat md green manures, thus yielded at tn rate of $500 baskets per acre and solt at the rate of $1,36O per acre. Tn commercial fertilizer plat grew at tn rate of 4,400 baskets per acre, and sol' A tro rate or S6oZ per acre. In 'nothIng" plat grew at the rate of 1,31 baskets per acre, and sold at the rat Bf S2s7.
 If q correct formula of fertilization ler strawberries will make a differenc n, the yield of almost SLIGO per acre | A worth the while of berry farmer 10 know what the formula is and to tr t out.
 Ous other thing these Tests seem. t show. That is, how absolutely righ Prof. Esten is in his assertion of tn Value of bacteria as nitrogen gatherer md potash releasers. His New Agr sulture" rests on the assumption ths he bacteria will gather for a crop a he nitrogen t needs from the air, an Rni reieaAe to the crop all the potash needs from tine soil Phosphorus wi snn be lacking, and must be supplied Therefore. tn its practical applicatio this New Agricuture'' depends on u losterang of bacteria by the use of lin and green manures .and the applicatio