Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1861-06-03

i gave the result OF an "artlnclal manure IN
my last communication. The next and all
important question is will it pay, or will the
ingredients cost more than the manure is
worth. To this question / answer, if it did
not pay, then no one of the concentrated
msnures will, because it gave better returns
than any other of them, with one exception
only, and to that it was fully equal. 1t was
composed of the following ingredients:
Sulphate Of ammonia, lbs, at 6H cents
per 10. .......--.-..............U IL
Nitrate of soda, 2 lbs at 5H cents.... IL
Sulphate of soda, lbs. at \ cents. ...... 03k
Bones, 10 lbs, at y cents. 17H
One peck Of ashes. es....,....-............... 044
OsO
It will be here seen thst this artificial ma
nure for the row to which il was applied, cost
the same as the others per row, that gave in
my last article. But it may be objected that
these articles cannot be purchased at such low
prices. L answer, they can at some If not at
all Of our agricultural seed stores. There is
substitute for bones, and in the place Of ashes
crude potash can be obtained at Al cents per
10. The sulphat6 of ammonia, sulphate of
soda, and nitrate of soda, are also in q crude
state, somewhat resembling coarse salt.
As ammonia is of much value in a manure
We have it here in the sulphate, which is its
cheapest form; we have nitrogen, also in the
nitrate Of soda, we'll as in the ammonia,
(Which is composed Of nitrogen and hydro
gen;) We have also potash and soda, which all
plants and good manures contain; and lastly
we have the phosphoric acid in the bone,
which is of the highest value; it is here com
bined with lime, forming the phosphate of
lime; bones also contain gelatine; this in its
decomposition liberates ammonia, which adds
also to their value But, it may be said that
bones can be had only in limited quantities;
this may be so, but there lately has been dis
covered on one of the West India islands. an
immense deposit of phosphate rock, which
contains about eighty per cent. of phosphate
of lime; this rock when pulverised is known
by the name of SOmbrero guano, which have
spoken Of in my other communications, and
needs only as stated to be rendered soluble
by sulpb uric acid, to yield up this valuable
phosphate TO our growing crops. Thus we see
how wisely future generations have been pro-
vided for with this invaluable material.
1t is well known that large quantities of
bones have been annually exported to Eng
Ia nd to ferti!ise her soil; she has drawn large
Iy on us for potash also, which is flrst used in
her manufactures and then given to her soil
as a fertiliser, and what has been the conse-
quence. Prof Mapes asserts that her wheat
crop has arisen from an average of eleven to
twenty y-eight bushels per acre; but this in
crease is not all due to the bones and potash
from this country. 1t is said that she expends
twelve millions of dollars annually for guanos
one million for nitrate of soda, two millions
for rsuper-phOsphates, seven hundred thousand
for sulphate of ammonia, and one million eight
hundred thousand for coprolites; this latter
article believe contains phosphate of lime,
and is converted into super-phosphate by sui
phuric acid.
And what has been going on in our country,
according to the New York Tribune? The
average OF the staple crop of wheat in Ohio
fell in fifty years ending in 1850, from an
average of thirty bushels to less than fifteen.
Connecticut in 1910 produced 81, 900 bushels,
and in 1850 only 42, 600. Massachusetts, fell
from 153, 900 to 81, 600 bushels; Kentucky from
4S32. l52 TO 2.l42,S22i and Tennesse from A.
569, ,692 to 1913. 1856 bushels in the same ten
years and many of the other old States also
show much falling Cf in this crop, while some
of the newer States show an increase of this
staple, owing to much new soil being brought
under cultivation.
The question now arises, what has caused
this great diminution of the wheat crop? 1t
is certain that every crop of wheat taken from
the soil, carries with 1t a portion of the valu-
able phosphates ammonia, potash, soda, mag
nesis, &c, and but few of these are by some
farmers returned to the soil in any shane: con-
sequently it must become deficient in these in
gradients, and cannot produce a good crop.
The heavy falls of rain that we are subject 10.
carries much Of the soluble salts of our sur
face soil into our creeks and rivers and de-
posit. them in the ocean. These Deficiencies
should be made up by some of our concen-
trated manares in some shape, otherwise Ger.
tain portions Of our beautiful country NAV in
time become barren. This of course will not
take place near our large cities, where there
is much refuse for the farmers to avail them
selves Of.
Let it not be understood that recommend
the concentrated manures, to the neglect of
others that may be collected about a farm.
but let every refuse that may be converted
into manure, be first collected, and incorpo-
rated with the compost or manure heap, and
If that is not sufficient to give the desired fer
tility to our lands, then let us finish out with
the concentrated manures.
It may be said that Peruvian guano will
bring up these lands to their original fertil-
ity, but / have my doubts about its improving
them permanently; it may be used in connec-
ton with other manures to advantage, but to
use il alone for a number of years, it is doubt.
full whether or not it would be good policy.
To substantiate this, have been informed
that in a certain district where they raise
vegetables for the New York market, they
have been applying Peruvian guano exclu-
sively for their nourish ment. When they first
began to use it they found 400 pounds suf-
fcient for an acre, but as they continued it,
they had to increase the amount per acre an
nually to give an equal result, until l,2OO
pounds per acre were required.
How is this to be explained? Peruvian
guano 1t is known contains an excess of am.
monia and according to some authorities the
Office Of this ammonia is to dissolve the phos-
pilates and other inorganic substances in the
soil, rendering them more soluble, and they
are more quickly taken up by the rootlets Of
plants Thus we see that every dressing of
guano enables the plants to extract from the
soil more Of the phosphates, &c, than they
otherwise could have done, consequently every
dressing Of guano may cause the soil to be-
come more deficient in these inorganic sub
stances, without which plants could not -four
ish. This explains why guano, as some per-
sons think, would Of itself in time impoverish
soil.
In looking over the subject at large, we ind
there is a vast field open for experiment for
the scientific and practical farmer, not only
with the concentrated manures that are offered
to the farmers attention, but with every SUBJ
stance that enters into the organization of
plants, included in which are, the phosphstes
l. hi vari0K "a I'M fto