The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1929-08-29
FERTILIZATION
SHOWING RESULTS


Three of the alfalfa fertilization
plots have been harvested for the
third cutting and yields on these
cuttings are beginning to show def
mite results on plots heretofore
showing negative or results con-
trary to what one would at all ex-
pect. The plot harvested at the Jens
Lande farm this last week showed
the following results on total yield
on lilo acre plots. The plot fertil-
lied with nitrate, 321.5 pounds;
that fertilized with nitrate, phos-
phate, 406.5 pounds; the check plot
or the one not fortified at all,
1905 pounds; the complete fertil-
lied plot, or that fortified with
nitrate, phosphate and potash,
1885 pounds; and the phosphate
potash fertilizer plot, 340.5 pounds.
This plot is on ground which was
taken out Of the sage brush in
1908 and so has had a chance to
run down. Lande states that he has
never put manure back on his al
falfa land, saving it for cash crops
e,le' IS asparagus and potatoes
and feed crops such as corn. The
results of this plot this time are
more in keeping with what one
would expect to get if any fer
tilizer was found to be needed. We
do not yet know how to account
for the upset yields secured on this
plot the first cutting and the yields
which changed somewhat during
the second cutting, and yet were
not quite in line with yields dur
ing the third cutting. We believe
that the fourth cutting will show
stil more marked changes ;as will
also be shown next season. There
! is still some contrast to explain
such as the yield of the check plot
being greater than that OF the nj
trate fortified plot.
1t is worth noting that the crop
ION the nitrate-phosphate plotwould
have amounted to a little better
than two ton per acre on the third
cutting and on the complete fer
tilted plot, almost two tons. The
difference in yield between the
check plot and the nitrate, phos-
plate plot is almost a third of q
ton per acre.
The results on the 16-plot test
LON the Awkward farm at Finley are
also beginning to show, although
| this piece of ground was taken out
Of the sage brush in 1927, thus
not having had an opportunity to
run down. The two strips fortified
with phosphate have a larger yield
from pound to 10 pounds per 2C
foot square plot than the strip fer.
tilted with nitrate. The plots on
the strip running the same way
which was not fortified with any
material however, is little better
plot than either of the phosphate
fortified plots. This must be due
to difference in soils although
the plot was selected to overcome
soil differences as far as possible.
On the strips running in the OPP
posite direction, the plot fertilized
with lime and potash has given thu
best yield with the check plot be-
ing second best and the lime alone
and potash alone being very close
to the check plot, with but two
pounds difference in the four plots.
AS in the plot on Lande's farm,
we believe from results already Sc
cured that the plot at Aylward's
will soon begin to show definite re-
suits.
While we do not have complete
data as yet on the plot on theEn-
yeart place at Hartford, these plots
are running just about as they
have for the first two cuttings,
the nitrate and phosphate appar-
emily showing up as fertilizers
giving best results.