Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1866-12-14
Aarienltnral.
Westminster Farmers Club-Fer
tiliZers.
MONDAY EVE, DEC. 8.


in full numbers and held most interest
ing discussion on the subject of Fertile
ers.
Capt Tiicomb one of our oldest far
mers and most respected citizens took up
the subject of phosphate of lime, manure
made from bones by burning and treating
with sulphuric acid. He had experiment
ed with it several years. He had first
used it in the hill, unmixed with other sub
stances and in close contact with the corn
planted upon it. The csrn crop was not
benefited. The fertilizer was too strong,
or burning, injured the roots. He now
mixed the phosphate with hen-manure,
scrapings from the barn-yard and well pull
verized swamp-muck, so that handful Of
the mixture should contain a table-spo
ful of the phosphate. He applied hand
full to each hill, and planted the corn upon
it, one barrel of phosphate, to two acres.
Good corn resulted. double the crop OBJ
tanned without it. The phosphate unmix-
ed with these dilutents in application to
corn, scorches, the stalk faints as if worm
eaten, but mixed, the heat of the phos-
phate amelorates, is impaired to the whole
mass and surrounding soil and that gentle
heat and chemical action is excited which
conduces TO the rapid growth Of the corn.
The phosphate also protected the corn
from the wire-worm. His rotation of
crops for meadow was first, rye sown up
on the inverted turf. next corn, barn-yard
manure bel G spread in the spring and
ploughed under, and the soil perfectly
mellowed with very much narrowing,
marked in two directions and having phos-
phate in the hill, the third year he sowed
to oats and seeded with clover. He pre-
sented the following experiments.
Two rows of six hills each, were Sc
lected for trial. without phosphate and the
same amount adjoining, with phosphate,
the treatment being otherwise the same.
The manure was spread in the spring, one
third being muck composted. The plough
ing was six inches, the rows three feet two
inches apart. The corn was husked and
weighed in the ear, as follows:
Sept IA, 1865.
Produce of the twelve hills with
out phosphate, 14k lbs
Produce of the twelve hills with
phosphate, 81 20a lbs.
Oct. A, 1866.
Produce of the twelve hills with
out phosphate. % lbs.
| Produce of the twelve hills with
phosphate, 22a lbs.
Mr.. |. N. Farr believed the usual rota-
ton of crops by our farmers to be the
best, viz Corn, oats and clover. Rye
preceding the corn crop would too much
subdue the turf. Great reliance must be
placed upon the clover sod as fertilizer.
The roots of clover contained great
amount of carbon and vegetable matter
enriching the soil. Sward land is one
fourth better for corn the first year than
the second with the same manuring.
He recommended applying the manure
to the surface with light narrowing. Upon
two acres he had raised the past season
with forty five one-horse loads of manure
mainly applied to the surface, 2l9 bask-
cts of sound corn, producing over one-bali
bushel shelled corn to basket, also three
tons of corn-fodder, twelve bushels Of po.
tatoes and six loads of pumpkins. The
value of this crop with the hay of three
adjoining acres seeded the year before
was 5000. The secretary would here
say that land of the above experiment
in applying manure TO the surface is very
moist ami in estimating the barn yard ma
I nure it must be remembered that witt
our river farmers it is mainly composed o
the litter of corn stalks, oat-straw, an(
other chaffy substances. Mr.. Farr dor.
not believe in ploughing in manure with
the turf 10 be turned back the second yea
. and only be of use TO produce rank oats
: Very light soils might have the manure
ploughed strong soils never. He citet
two experiments upon similar lands wher,
upon an acre of each method of apply
ing the manure, the crops stood yer,
much better when the manure was apple,
r to the surface.
j. Mr.. d. c. Wright sustained the usua
!; methods of our farmers of pioughing il
!. the manures. He ploughed for corn fiv
:, inches and for oats about eight inches, sti
!, leaving the manure buried. The cor
4 roots quickly reached the turf rotting b
the aid of the manure, and the use of tn
" cultivator assisted. He believed that ou
Is farmers must depend mainly upon the US
~ of barn-yard manures. The patent ms
nures guano, phosphate, boae-dust, &c
were costly, their force was spent in a sill
r. gle year, and the lard was often injure,