Northern Ohio journal. [volume] (Painesville, Ohio) 1872-1896, 1873-09-06
FIELD AND GARDEN
EaIted bv M. B. sATEHAM.
I-sr or. rrprIIIIzERs FOE WHEAT.

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USE OF FERT1LIZERS FOR WHEAT.
In England and in the Southern
States of this country the use of Suano,
and other commercial
fertilizers as "a substitute for manure,
has long been quite common among the
best farmers. And within few years
nasI the practice has been introduced
among the wheat growing farmers of
Eastern Pennsylvania and Western New
York. as a substitute for the old d-time |
use of plaster and clover.
In the once famous wheat producing
district, the Genesee Country-sadly de-
teriorated of late years-some expert
ments in the use of ''Rawbone Super
phosphate, have produced such Won
derful results, as greatly to revive the
hopes of the farmers.
We have not heard of any experiments
of this kind as yet among the wheat farm
ers of Ohio. If there have been any we
should like to be informed of the result;
and il there haye not, we suggest that
it is quite time for some OF our pro-
STeSSlNc WucdI SiOhNA9 - So si-~'- -
tention to the subject.
We have tiled the superphosphate for
two or three years past, on a variety OF
garden crops, and on fruit trees and
grape vines, with very satisfactory re-
suits; finding it cheaper and better than
to buy and haul stable manure. good
fertilizer has been manufactured to
limited extent at Chardon, we believe,
and experiments have been made with
it in that township and Clariden, OF
which we should like to receive some
account. 1t appears to be compound
ofguano, bone-dust and other iirgredi-
ents. we tried littlesof it, on potatoes
the past spring, i'll alternating rows,
with Baugh's Superphophate, costing
about the same price, and at this
time we can see but little if any differ
ence III the result-but the early part OF
the season was so dry that many of the po-
totoes failed to sprout, and of course not
q fair test of the value of fertilizers.
We find that in dry season the crops
donots derive near the full benefit of
hese appliances, and that much of the
advantage is seen the year following.
The following account of experiments
near Rochester, N. X, we copy from the,
Rarals Home, and being personally fa-
we have ftf1l confidence in its correct
ness:
''In a recent trip which we took
through parts.of the towns of Brighton
and Henrietta, our principle object was
to verify or contradict what seemed to us
the almost fabulous stories we had heard
of the results of the use of superphos-
phate on field of wheat on the farm
oflGeorge M. Hodges, of the town of
Henrietta, nine miles from Rochester.
We have never been much of a believer
in Commercial fertilizers" never hav-
ing witnessed fesults commensurate
with the expense and trouble, but in
this case seeing was believing, and we
write what we saw, for the benefit of
faLmers and wheat growers generally.
Mr.. Hodges farm has the name ofbc-
ing poor one, having been hard run
for long term of years. The field of
wheat, the best we had seen of any size
in our nine miles ride, contained about
eighteen acres, was remarkably even
and would yield, we should judge about
thirty bushels per- acre, twenty-five
bushels of which no one can doubt who
sees it is due wholly and alone TO the
use of two hundred pounds per acre of
Bangh's Saperphosphate, applied at the
time of sowing by means of a Maeedon
drill, which drops the fertilizer with the
seed as sown. That there might he no
question as to the result, Mr.. Hodges,
when sowing, went four times across
the field in different places, with no
phosphate in the drill. These strips
can be seen as far as the field can be
seen and arrest the attention of all
passers. At distance the field looks as
though -four iswaths had been cut
through it with q cradle, and on close
inspection the difference is even more
striking, the strips not Offering wheat
enough to pay for harvesting and thresh-
ing. SO that nearly the whole crop is
evidently due to the superphosphate,
acre, the cost of the fertilizer, is clear
profit, as it costs just the same for pre-
paration and seed on the -four barren
strips,
This might be looked upon as an ex-
ceptional case leaving room to doubt as
tothe advantage of its general use had not
Mr.. Hodges :;racticed using it forfour
consecutive years with the same, and in
one Instance he informs us with even
more striking results than in this cfse.
Three years ago he applied superphos-
phate to corn, putting it in the hill at
planting. The result was fourty-four
bushels more by measure of sound ears
on the acre thus treated than on any
other acre in the field. This field OF
corn was afterwards plowed and sowed
to wheat without any additional super
phosphate. Now for the result. While
the balance of the field presented no un-
usual appearance the one acre did pre-
sent very singular one, the position.ol
iONO hhO CNCI vi COff1 bttflg
distinctly perceptible, the wheat being
nearly foot higher on the hills than i
was between them.
We visited last year two or three
farms in Cayuga county, in the bes
wheat-growing section of the country
where the proprietors baye used phos
pilates for a series of years, and agitl
perfect satisfaction. We lrave used phos
pilates mainly on vines and vegetables il
the garden, with good results.''
THE FAIMERs' CLUBS AND ORANGES.
We are reminded by J. V. T., that il
our remarks last week on the farmers
movement we failed to note the chie
point of difference between the farmer
clubs of the West, and the Oranges
which is, that the Clubs avow distinctly
their determination to act politically il
the pursuit of their ends, either by th,
formation of a new party or remodelin;
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