Vermont farmer. [volume] (Newport, Orleans County, Vt.) 1870-1877, 1873-02-28


By request, Mr.. Jameson gave some ac-
count Of the Shorthorns in Orleans county,
and of the Dutch or Holstein cattle.
DIR. Hoskins,
of st. Johnsbury, then addressed the meeting
upon Fruit Groicing in Northern Vermont,
speaking chiefly in reference to orcharding.
Hon. j. W, Hartshorn said that years ago
Lunenburgh was great apple town. Had
raised 2000 bushels himself, in one season.
But the orchards were mainly destroyed by
sleety rain in winter a number of years
ago There is no reason why we should not
again succeed, if we plant the proper kinds
and care for them rightly.
TUESDAY EVENING.
Secretary Collier
delivered lecture upon Agricultural Chem
iStry, in which he described the origin of
soils, their constituents, the mineral elements
of plant food; spoke of the necessity of full
supply of them all, in a suitable condition
for being taken up by the roots, and then
gave special attention to those elements
which become soonest exhausted by cultiva-
ton. He stated these to be potash, phos-
phOric acid, and nitrogen; the latter being
capable of absorption by plants only in its
compounds, chiefly ammonia and ammonia
salts, nitric acid and nitric acid compounds.
These latter for practical purposes must be
obtained in their cheapest forms, and in fact
we look for our nitrogen, for fertilizing pur-
poses, to Peruvian Guano, animal matter like
fish pomace and the offal of butchering es-
Establishments, glue factories and other indus
tries producing heterogeneous waste products,
to the sulphate Of ammonia from gasworks,
the nitrate of soda brought from South Amer
lea, and the blowing under of plants like
clover, which are rich in nitrogen. These
are in addition to our stable manure which,
when carefully saved, especially the liquid
parts, furnishes us with large quantities of
this valuable element of plant food.
Potash is obtained from the ashes of
plants, and. of course, also from the plants
themselves, and in the manures produced by
animals fed upon these same plants. 1t ex-
lists abundantly in nearly all New England
soils, but usually in locked-up condition.
The common feldspar of our rocks, which is
mixed with most of our soils, contains some
IL per cent. of potash, but in a very slowly
soluble condition. The weathering of soils,
especially when assisted by tillage, liberates
this potash, and the same effect is produced
in other ways, or by the action of vegetable
matters plowed under, as stable manure, OF
green crops; also by the application of what
are called indirect fertilizers, as lime and
plaster. But with large crops, such as We
desire, and must have for profit the supply
of potash in many of our soils is not suffi
cient for the needs of plants, and it must be
furnished directly, as we do when we apply
ashes with such beneficial results.
The condition Of things in regard to phos
phoric acid is similar, only phosphate min
erals are less abundant in our soils than pot
ash minerals, and consequently the natura
supply sooner becomes deficient Tiilage de
velops them the same as potash, but usually
this is even more insufficient Our neares
resource for phosphoric acid is the bones o
animals, which contain it largely and thes
should all be carefully utilized 1t is in tn
bones of our fat cattle and sheep, and in GU
grain crops that most of our natural suppl,
of this fertilizer is carried off from our farm
and lost to u.s. But the supply Of bones 70
fertiliz;ng use is not equal to the demand
aud fortunately large deposits Of minera
phosphates have been found in South Carroll
ma and Canada, upon which We must rel
for a liberal supply of this fertilizer. 1t
prepared for use, that is, made soluble 5
that the plants can take it up in the waite
absorbed by their roots, by mixing the groun
bone or mineral phosphate with oil Of vitric
(sulphuric acid.) Doing this has become
large business, in which unfortunately ther
has been much ignorance and fraud, whic
has resulted in giving to the farmers ferti
izer often very irregular in quality aud muc
less in value than the price charged for 4
In addition to phosphoric acid most of the S
called phosphates have some ammoniacal sub
stance or substances, such az guano, fish pom
ace, or suphate Of ammonia, added, and of
en- all or nearly all the apparent benefit re
ceived from them is from these things rathe
than from the phosphate itself But if tn
phosphate is well and honestly made it is
most valuable and often an essential fertilil
or, without the ammonia, though for som
crops it is good practice to have them togett
or.
At the conclusion of the lecture DR.. Gu
ting inquired Of the Professor what was tn
value Of ashes as a fertilizer, and what is III
cheapest aud most available source OF nitrc
, gen TO the common farmer.
Prof Collier replied that ashes Of difie
ent trees aud plants differ SO much in the
per oentage of potash that it was impossib
. to name price for them. Ashes oOntai
phosphoric acid as we'll as potash, and eacl
ed ashes is good fertilizer, The best sourc
of nitrogen for the farmer ia addition to car
Il fully preserving all the excretions of his ca
tie and composing all the heterogeneous was
of his household, would doubtless be the Gu
o tivation Of clover, which has the power of al