Farm Field And Garden

The cornparative effectiveness of nitrogenous and mineral fertilizers has been the subject of a special experiment at the Storrs' School agrieultural experiment station, concerning which the following statements occur in a recent bulletiu: Few if any of our ordinary farm crops make quicker and more profitable response to commercial fertilizers than grass. Ir is frequently the case ingrowing farm crops tliat the best resulta are obtained by the use of stable manures together with some commercial form of plant food tliat serves to meet the special requirementa of the erop or soil. Grasa responde readily to soluble nitrogen oompounds. A medium heavy applicaiion of .-table manure in the f all or winter, followed by a light application of nitrate of soda or sulphate of ammonia abont the first of May. is often fonnd to give tlie most profitable results on grass. The object of this experiment is to observe the effects of nitrogenous fertilizers upon grass as shown by the yield per acre, the financia! results and the chemical composition of the hay. It is similar to the special nitrogen experiments upon corn that have been conducted by the station in previous years. The field had been in grass for several years, and the soil was considerably reduced in fertility. Mineral fertilizers (phosphoric acid in dissolved boneblack and potash in muriate) was applied to all the plots except two. which were left unmanured. To all the inanured plots except two, nitrogen in the form of nitrate of soda or sulphate of ammonia was applied at the rate of twenty-five, fifty and seventy-five potmda per acre. The experiment has been carried throngh two years, and is to be continued. The addition of mineral fertilizers increased the yield of clover very markedly in 1890 and somewhat so in 1891, but did not seem to increase very decidedly the yield of grass. The yield of hay in 1890 increased with the quantity or' nitrogen supplied, whether it was applied in the form of nitrate of soda or sulphate of ammonia. In 1891 the largest yield was obtained on the plot on which nitrate of soda was applied at the rate of fifty ponnds per acre. The mineral fertilizers in both years, wheil used alone, were applied at a financial loss. The best financial returns, a gain of five dollars per acre, were obtained in both seasons from the nse per acre of 320 pounds of nitrate of soda (fifty ponnds of nitrogen) in addition to the mixed minerals. The drought in the early part of June made the season of 1891 an unfavorable one for fertilizer ! experiments of grasses. ! ï': ion té mfroirenrms fertilizera increased the percentages of protein (nitrogen multiplied (.."i) in the grasses, and somewhat in proportion to the amounts applied. This is in accord with observatione made by the station upon the relation of the protein in corn and stover to the nitrogen applied in the fertilizers. Since protein, which makes blood, bone, muscle and milk. is a most important ingrediënt of food, and is apt to be deficiënt in our feeding stuffs, this increase of protein from the use of nitrogen is an important matter. While clover and other legumes may be called "nitrogen collectors," the grasses, such as timothy, redtop, etc, must be classed with the "nitrogen coiisumers." Fertilizers containing potash or phosphoric acid without available nitrogen are usually much less eiïective for grass than if they have nitrogen in addition. It.would seem desirable that fertilizers for grass lande should, thefefore, contain considerable quantities of nitrogen in a readily available form. Their use has the twofold advantageof increasing the totai yield and tiu; feeding value of the erop.