Repository: UIHistories Project: Board of Trustees Minutes - 1876 [PAGE 99]

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99

111 addition to these, Mr. Head Farmer Lawrence had made the following experiments: 1st. With Spring wheat. In the preparation of the seed, one-tenth of an acre for each test, the seed being prepared in the following manner: a, soaked in a strong solution of bine vitriol (sulphate of copper); b, seed moistened with water, and then rolled in plaster of Paris ; c, soaked in a solution of,common potash ; d, soaked in a solution of common soda; e, soaked in manure water from barn yard : / , one barrel leached ashes applied to the land ; g, no preparation in any way ; h, onehalf a bushel of salt sown broad cast on the plat; i, seed sown at the rate of one bushel to the acre, the other plats having been sown at the rate of one and one-half bushels. 2d. To try how much corn could be grown on an acre with extra preparation and cultivation. The above embrace the experiment ordered by Mr. Flagg and undertaken by Mr. Lawrence. I have, with the advice and assistance of Mr. Lawrence, put the following experiments in train : 1st. Sowing six varieties of winter wheat; one variety of winter rye, and one of rye and wheat mixed (metis). 2d. Fall planting of potatoes. 3d. Experiments in feeding stock, a, Feeding breeding sows and keeping an account of the food and the weight, both of the original stock and the increase, so as to ascertain the cost in corn from beginning to ending ; b, to test the relative value of the fattening qualities of the different breeds; c, to test the relative value, on young cattle, of ear corn and wheat bran, fed with wheat and oat straw. In addition to these experiments, something has been done in the way of fall plowing, and hauling manure from town to prepare for the coming spring. The results of these different untertakings, so far as ascertained, have been as follows: In regard to the corn experiments of Mr. Flagg, the excessive drought and chinch bugs rendered them almost valueless. Notwithstanding, it is thought best to report in detail, what the results were. For outcome of experimerits with 72 plats, see table marked " A , " attached to this report. As for Experiment No. 2, "Varieties of Corn," from causes stated, no conclusion could be drawn as to value of different varieties. Experiment No. 3. The comparative results of different depths of plowing, 100 being the unit, was found to affect the yield of corn per acre, as follows: Not plowed 100 Plowed 3 inches 160 5 " 177 9 •' ^ 183 " 9 " and subsoiled to 16 inches 170 Experiments Nos. 5 and 6, relating to number of stalks in a hill and to root-pruning, might mislead if reported, on account of the disturbing causes above referred to. The result of Experiment No. 6, as to comparative value of common and extra cultivation of the corn crop were as follows: % half acre cultivated 5 times, gave 715 lbs ; % half acre cultivated 3 times, gave 562 lbs ; the results being 22 per cent, in favor of extra cultivation. The outcome of experiments No. 7 and No. 8 may be classed with Nos. 4 and 5. For result of 9th experiment viz : planting varieties of potatoes, see table B attached to and made a part of this report. Mr. Lawrence's experiments in preparing seed for sowing resulted as follows : At harvest the appearance of the plats were so nearly alike that three only were reserved and threshed specially. Plat F, "ashes applied," yielded at the rate of 10 50-100 bushels per acre. Plat <?, "no preparation," gave 10 33-100 bushels per acre. Plat J "seed sown at rate of 1 bushel per acre," gave yield of 9 33-100 bushels. In regard to experiment No. 2, as to "how much corn can be grown on an acre with extra preparation and cultivation," the following notes were made at the time by Mr. Lawrence. Previously let it be stated, however, that the land was tile drained, and heavily manured from the stable the previous winter : April 30, plowed 6 inches and harrowed ; May 1, planted % bu. of Thomas corn in drills, north and south, four feet apart; May 9, harrowed ; May 21, harrowed again ; May 25, cultivated ; May 27, hoed ; June 5, thinned to from 8 to 12 inches in row, corn stands 1 foot high ; J u n e 17, hoed, corn stands 3 feet high ; June 25, corn 5% feet high, very dry; June 27, rows average 190 stalks to 166 feet; July 1, corn stands from 6% to 7 feet, the uppermost blades and portions of the tassels are wilting and turning white ; July 26, cultivated and laid bye, heat and drought excessive, and prospects discouraging ; September 1, fully ripe and dry; September 20, gathered and found yield to be 41 bushels. Up to J u n e 25, the prospect could not have been better. Though not too thickly seeded for a summer like that of 1872—in such a season as that of 1874, one-half the stand would have yielded considerably more. Coming down to the operation of the undersigned, the experiments in sowing wheat and rye were as follows: Six varieties of winter wheat, consisting of Seneca or Clowsere, Drehl and Sappahannech, (white) and Tread well and Fultz, (red) having been obtained from New York, together with one variety of swamp or Mediterranean, (red) from Indiana, and donated by Mr. James M. Parker, of Champaign, were one-half bushel each, sown on three-tenths of an acre of corn stubble, which had been cleaned off and thoroughly harrowed, but not plowed. It was sown in drills September 21st, immediately thereafter rolled, and notwithstanding attacks from Chinch bugs during dry and warm weather, in October, is looking promisingly at this date. Octobtf 10—Experiments were made to arrest the ravages of this insect, by means of Paris Green,gjjire with the expectation that its effects would show themselves during spring and summer griipth, than that they would be immediately apparant. The one-half bushel of rye sown was that known as White Rye, and obtained from abroad, artly for the purpose of securing a change of seed; and the sowing of the bushel of half and alf, each of rye and white wheat, the gift of Mr. John Busey, of Champaign, was undertaken to show whether or not, as it has been frequently claimed, that under certain circumstances, both wheat and rye do better in each other's company, than either separately. The experiment in "fall planting potatoes," was begun Nov. 17, on a few rods square only, the Early Rose and Peach Blow being the varieties planted. This experiment was undertaken for the purpose of testing, under our climate and on our soils, a method of cultivation much in use i n continental Europe, and from which the best results have been obtained. As to Experiment No. 3, " w i t h breeding sows," no satisfactory result is expected to be obtained within the year.

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