The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1871-09-21
FARM AND HOUSEHOLD.

chemistry of Dr. Nichols seems to be at
fault as applied to tobacco, we ore in |
debted to him for an interesting and val
liable paper, growing out OF series OF
experiments to determine the value OF |
concentrated fertilizers as applied 80 i'm |
provemept of land as distinguished from |
mere production of crops. The expert
ments werc made almost entirely with
out the ordinary manures OF the stable |
and yard, and show, in the language OF
a report made to the Essex County Ag-
ricultural Society, "thst without the
use of animal excrement a worn-out field
may be brought to produce very gener-
GUS crops--crops which pay good re-
turn for the expense incurred; and that
chemical, unorganizsd agents are capa-
BILE not only of supplying nutriment to
plants for single year, plit 1or sustain
ing crops for series OF years.
The following statement is given OF
one experiment on an acre OF land, car
ried through five years. Hhe ground
was q measured acre OF hill land, dry
and exhausted from repeated groupings"
The result shows: $50 expended upon 1T
within the five years, and products ex-
ceeding in value 5000, land the fleid
appears to be in good condition Tor
fine product next year." =.
In the autumn of 1868 this acre OF
land was ploughed and in the succeed
ing spring dressed with five hundred
pounds of pure, fine bone, sown broad
cast, planted with corn, handful OF
homemade superphosphate mixed with
ground nitrate of soda, placed in each
hill. One hundred and tifty-seven bush
els of corn in the ear were taken from
the field in the autumn of 1864 After
the corn was removed the land was
plowed and again dressed with five hun
dred pounds of compost made up of
bone dust, ashes and refuse saltpetre, and
sowed down to winter rye. The crop
was thirty-one bushels nice and plump
grain.
The season Ct 1866 was exceedingly
dry, and the ground became so paIched
that the tender grass roots were greatly
injured The crop of hay WAS twenty
three hundred pounds.
The next season Il top-dressing OF i've
hundred pounds of bone gelatine and
muck was given it in the spring, and "a
crop of hay cut weighing forty-three
: hundred pounds. a heavy aftermath
J was secured this season which was not
weighed.
In 1865 the crop Of hay reached two
| and half tons, leaving the ground, as
I. before said, in good condition Tor future
cropping.
, The account given Of the improve
3 ment of the whole, about twenty acres
in tillage, is as follows: The product at
t the time of purchase consisted entirely
a | hp:rrr
3 duced of inferior quality. The crops OF
the fifth year after purchase were thirty
tons of good hay, one hundred bushels
of potatoes, twenty-five bushels OF good
D wheat, one hundred and fifty bushels OF
/, corn, seventy-fve bushels Of turnips,a and
I one and half tons of grapes, besides
= other fruits in considerable quantities.
o There was Il steady increase in the
}. amount of crops each year, notwith-
d standing series of most unfavorable
), seasons.
: No stable or barn-yard manuIes, ex-
i cepting few loads at the start, have
8 been purchased during the five years
d and the amount made upon the premises
G has been small the stock until within
u y the last year of the experiment consisted
~ of only three cows, pig and horse
u At present the farm sustains eleven cow:
u and heifers, three horses, a pig, and dur
t. ing part of the year, yoke OF oxen,
The fertilizing substances used, o
~ which an accurate account has beer
~ kept, embrace the entire range OF thos
& agents which chemistry suggests, an(
u those which have been brought to motto
~ through the recommendation of farmer
and experimentors- ashes, linn
salt, the nitrates of potassa and soda
sulphate of ammonia, carbonate ammo
+ MIA, plaster, potash, fish pomace shorts
if muck, horn shavings, &c.
- The results of these experiments ar
% very interesting, and give much force {
- - what we have often urged, that thos
n who use these fertilizers should devot
=, them primarily to the improvement {
~ their land. The complaints we so ofte
a. hear of failure to get adequate retur
in for the expenditure incurred, when az
- piled directly to the wheat crop, whic
10 has of late years been more uncertal
w than usual, would cease to be heard
~ they were made the basis of improve
a. ment by securing first an abundant ves
in etable growth TO be returned to tt
~, land, or thicl-sct sward, while the
.r- would bring IA more sure return OF graz
Oh or other crop without exhausting Il
?n land. We need the exercise of more p
81 tience in waiting the return Of our e:
Go penditure in cropping, and it should
ia the leading thought in this as i'll all v
nd do, that we cannot look for permanel
a;,. success unless the condition of land az
, a its constant Improvement be the fiji
ed care.-Erchange.
ch CURE OF RHEUMATISM IN HORSES.
The Scientific american prints this nc
ice from correspondent; give you t
ms following recipe for rheumatism
,ed horses; and will preface it by sayil
'ar that am indebted to an Englishm
d Mr.. R. Jackson) for the same; all
IN, M that I have used the recipe upon L
itn horse (whose age is fifteen years. wi
tea perfect success-driving him, dai
M twelve miles, in all sorts of weatE
us (thermometer from 10 deg. below ze
nus Fhar. in the winter, to l04 deg. in t
,,er' shade, in summer), rain or snow. Abe
ls hls two months ago he was so stiff he cor
gus not walk; now he is as active as C
zen The recipe is:
ere Crude coal oil, pint; strong vineg
1 pue pint; turpentine, pint, mixed, a
Tue well shaken. To be rubbed on mornir
ocH and nights.