DESCRIPTION OF EXHIBIT MADE BY THE HATCH EXPERIMENT STATION AT THE WINTER MEETING OF THE STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE, AMHERST, DEC. 6-8, 1898.

BY DR. J. B. LINDSEY, AMHERST.

A. AGRICULTURAL DEPARTMENT.

This department exhibited a considerable variety of fodder stuffs and vegetables, grown for the purpose of studying varieties, and to observe the effects of different methods of fertilization on growth and development.

1. Fertilizer Tests for Ten Years with Corn. This exhibit illustrated the yield from one-twentieth of an acre, when no fertilizer was used, when a one-sided fertilizer such as phosphoric acid or phosphoric acid and potash was applied, when a complete fertilizer containing nitrogen, phosphoric acid and potash was employed, and when barnyard manure served as the exclusive source of plant food. The entire amount of corn from each of the one-twentieth acre plots was placed in barrels, thus illustrating quite forcibly to the observer the noticeable differences in yield resulting from the different fertilizers applied. The yields were as follows: no fertilizer, 10.5 bushels of ears per acre; phosphoric acid alone, 18.5 bushels per acre; phosphoric acid and potash, 41.2 bushels per acre; nitrogen, phosphoric acid and potash, 55.9 bushels per acre; and barn-yard manure, 67.7 bushels per acre. The amount of fertility in the barn-yard manure was considerably greater than that applied in the form of the complete fertilizer, and the manure plot naturally showed a somewhat larger yield. The effects of plant food applied either in the form of fertilizers or as barn-yard manure is strikingly shown when it is observed that where no fertilizer was applied the yield

was 10.5 bushels per acre; with phosphoric acid alone, 18.5 bushels; and with a complete fertilizer or barn-yard manure, 56 to 67 bushels, per acre.

Two standard varieties of corn (stalk and ear), the Pride of the North and Denhen, were shown. The former is considered preferable for Massachusetts. Two new varieties, the Klondike and Prehistoric, were exhibited. They showed no practical utility for this section. Some twentyfive of the most desirable varieties of corn (stalks and ears) were neatly arranged side by side, in order to enable the observer to see at a glance their general appearance and character.

2.

Potatoes.-Eighty new varieties of potatoes were shown, all grown as nearly as possible under similar conditions. Those producing 250 bushels or over per acre were Burr's No. 1, Champion of the World, Ford's No. 31, Early Minnesota and Garfield.

Variety tests with potatoes are very uncertain, depending upon weather conditions, size of plots used for tests, acclimatizing of varieties, etc. So far as tests of this character are concerned, taking the average results for several years, it has been shown that the newer varieties show no improvement in yield over such standard sorts as Early Maine, Early Rose and Beauty of Hebron.

3. Fodder Plants. - Sixteen varieties of millet, both plants and seed, were placed in such a way as to give the observer an excellent opportunity to note the appearance of each distinct kind. The so-called barn-yard millet, a Japanese variety, and the golden millet, proved to be most desirable for fodder purposes.

Among the leguminous forage crops exhibited and deserving mention were four varieties of plants and seeds of the soy bean, as well as the cow pea and horse bean. The medium green soy bean has proved to be decidedly superior to the others.

Three varieties of sorghum, plants and seeds, illustrated the character of this plant. It has no great practical value for our locality.

4.

Sweet Clover for Green Manuring. - The mature plants and seeds of sweet clover attracted attention. This

plant will probably prove quite valuable for green manuring. It produces a rank growth of foliage, grows rapidly, and can be turned under the latter part of June.

Nitragin is a germ fertilizer used to inoculate the roots of leguminous plants to induce them to utilize atmospheric nitrogen. It was used upon sweet clover grown upon light land, and the clover plants as grown with and without its aid were shown. The plants receiving nitragin showed an improvement over those where no nitragin was applied, but were not nearly as luxuriant as those receiving fertilizer nitrogen. It is possible that, if this crop was grown upon the same land for several years with the aid of nitragin, a considerable improvement would be noticed in the growth of the clover. Nitragin has not thus far shown itself to be of any great value upon our soils.

Besides the sweet clover, there were shown the blue, white and yellow lupine and the velvet bean, which have been recommended for green manuring. The most desirable variety of lupine to be used is the white. The velvet (Florida) bean does not seem to be of any great advantage for use in this section.

5. Poultry experiments are carried on by the agricultural department. The experiment this season is an attempt to demonstrate the comparative values of wide v. narrow rations. Two pullets were shown, and the feed was placed before each, showing what each pullet-representing a flock — was receiving for its daily supply. In one case corn represented the chief food, and in the other a mixture of wheat bran middlings and gluten meal. It is assumed, and very properly, that laying hens producing eggs rich in nitrogenous matter need considerable quantities of such material in the food, in order to enable them to produce a maximum egg yield.

6. Pot Experiments. - The department is carrying on a large number of experiments in pots, to control the results obtained in the field, and to endeavor, by being able to better control the conditions, to secure more uniform results than field experiments often give. The pots employed for this work were shown, as well as many of the results obtained.

7. Among the vegetables placed on exhibit by the department were very attractive groups of Giant Pascal celery, White Egg turnip and Brunswick cabbage.

B. HORTICULTURAL DEPARTMENT.

1. This department made a very excellent and attractive display of thirty-eight varieties of apples. They were placed five in a plate, upon a table running lengthwise of the hall. These varieties were: Jacob's Sweet, Mother, Swaar, Beauty of Kent, Leicester Sweet, Hubbardston Nonesuch, Porter, Haas, Carlough, General Lyon, Fall Pippin, Westfield Seek-No-Further, Palmer Greening, Lord's Apple, Wagener, Hurlbut, Baldwin, Indian Scion, Tolman Sweet, Gano, Winesap, Lady Apple, Pound Sweet, Ben Davis, King of Tomkins County, Roxbury Russet, Sutton Beauty, Arabskoe, Brilliant, Scarlet Cranberry, Shiawassee Beauty, Lady Sweet, Walbridge, Gilliflower, Rhode Island Greening, Pewaukee, Fanny and Danvers Sweet.

2. The four varieties of grapes shown were: Herbert (Rogers No. 44), Iona, Oneida and Wilder (Rogers No. 4). 3. Quite a large display of nursery stock was made, mounted on frames, enabling one to see at a glance the objects to be illustrated. In the case of the cherry, plum, apple and peach, the various stages, from the stock to the tree ready to set out, were strikingly shown.

In case of the peach, the following stages were illustrated: (1) seed as planted about May 10; (2) shoot budded in September of same year; (3) stock with live bud; (4) stock cut off just above live bud, allowing only the latter to grow; (5) one-year-old tree; (6) various methods of pruning the peach tree.

The apple was illustrated in much the same way, showing stock with live bud, the one, two and three year old tree, and a two-year-old tree, one year transplanted. Following the apple was the cherry, showing the live buds in both the Mazzard and Mahaleb stock, one and two years old, as well as the two-year-old stock, one year transplanted. The plum closed the series, with live buds, in both the Mariana and Myriobolan stocks, one and two year old trees, as well as a two-year-old tree, one year transplated. Currant and grape

propagation was shown from cuttings, and also from cuttings. that had rooted, and made one and two years' growth. In all cases the entire root system so far as possible was taken up with the stocks.

Several new stocks, to be used in budding the pear and apple, were exhibited, among which was the Pyrus betulafolia, a new pear stock of great promise, it not being affected by blight.

C. DEPARTMENT OF FOODS AND Feeding.

This department showed thirty-five samples of the most prominent concentrated feed stuff's in large glass jars. The feeds were arranged with reference to the amount of protein they contained, the label on each jar stating the protein percentage. The feed stuffs are chiefly the by-products from the cotton and linseed mills, the glucose factories, flour mills, distilleries, and factories employed in the preparation of various breakfast foods.

D. THE COLLEGE FARM.

The college farm made quite an attractive display of vegetables and fodder plants (grown quite extensively upon the farm) in a small room in the rear of the hall. Those deserving of special mention were turnips, carrots, mangolds, celery, potatoes, beans, soy beans and millet.

E. DAIRY MACHINERY, ETC.

In a room in the lower hall the Moseley & Stoddard Manufacturing Company exhibited a very complete line of their DeLaval separators and other dairy machinery; and the Worcester Salt Company displayed samples of its pure salt for dairy use.