Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1865-05-04
Aqritaltmral.
EXPERIMENTS WITH SALT AS A FERTIL.
IZER.

EDS Co. GENT.-Agreeably to your re-
quest we send you an account of our ex-
periments in the use of salt as manure
Our farm is situated geologically on the
upper measures of the Hamilton group of
shales, probably trife below where the
Tully limestone makes the dividing line be-
tween the Hamilton group and the Genesee
Slate. The Tully limestone is not found in
place on our ridge, and Mr.. Geddes sup
poses that the lime, at the time of its de-
posit was absorbed in the clay state, and
in support of this theory is the fact that all
of the spring water is hard, and some of
the layers in our quarries are very hard,
and of bright blue color.
Our soil is composed principally of this
rock, in thoroughly disintegrated state,
mixed with very little drift deposit, and
forms what is considered in this region a
clayey loam The fields are we'll drained,
but not what is usually termed thorough
drained
Our farming operations are governed
somewhat by the altitude of our situation,
which we suppose to be about 1850 feet
above tide-Pompey Hil about two miles
and half south of us being l,7431 feet.
Great portions of the farm, if indeed not
all of it, were once cultivated by the French
or Spanish from two hundred to three hum
dred years ago Some portion of it was
cleared by the present race as early as
1895, and the last was cleared in 1885.
We first sowed salt as manure in the
spring of 1861 mixed three bushels of
salt with one of plaster, and sowed of the
mixture three bushels to the acre. Sowed
it broadcast, from three to ten days after
the grain was sowed did not harrow or
roll afterwards.
A field of spring wheat of ten acres
yielded twenty bushels to the acre, while
neighbor's field, merely across the road,
of equally as good soil, and as well culti-
waited, did not produce over five bushels to
the acre. The ground was plowed and the
seed sown on the same day.
Another field of our own we partially
sowed in strips of one rod in width, sowing
and skipping alternate strips. The soil in
this field was in better condition than the
first field, it did not yield more than ten
bushels to the acre. The six or eight strips
that were salted were taller, heavier Ion
ger headed, better filed plumper berry,
ripened earlier, and brighter straw. The
salted and unsalted portions were as easily
distinguished as the strips in carpet, and
in binding the grain behind the cradle any
man could have told the difference blind
folded.
In 1862 we tried the mixture on barley,
peas, oats and winter wheat The effect
on barley was astonishing. We left strip
of land rod in width across the field that
we did not cover Here the barley was so
small and thin, and crinkled down, that the
machine could not cut what little there was :;
while the whole field yielded over forty
bushels to the acre.
Another field on another part of the farm
was nearly as good, alth ough in 1856 it alb
solutely refused to give us more than ten
bushels to the acre, and we stopped raising
it.
On the oats we had no opportunity of
testing it with any near us ; we salted the
whole field and had the largest crop we
ever raised On peas we had no opportun-
ity to test it with others, had large crop,
hut the vines grew too long On winter
no chance for a decided test.
In 1868 we sowed two fields of barley /;
upon the side of one we left an acre unsal-
ted, and the crop on this portion was not
half as great as on that portion to which
the SalI was applleu. Inc Helu was
heavy sod the other field was the one on
which barley and peas were sown the year
previous had an excellent crop, but no
particular test.
In 1864 we covered two entire fields of
barley with salt and plaster the great
drouth did not seem to affect one field, the
first one sown, but little but the other one
was greatly injured. We had heavier crops
than our nearest neighbors, but no better
than some within mile of us.
We think that the increase in the value
of the straw more than pays the cost of
salt, as a manure, and its application.
SWEET BROTHERS,