The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1873-06-10

year that our home markets may prove
our best ones, for wheat Is not SO largely
grown that we shall be able to spare a
great deal for the supply ofthe deficiencies
of foreign countries Michigan Farmer.
Manuring without Ammonia.
EDS. COUNTRY GEYTLEMAN-I have read
with much interest the report in one of
your late numbers Of the different analy-
ses of fertilizers which are palmed off on
farmers, and not confined to New York
City alone. The writer has for the past
seven years experimental with many Of
the fertilizers found in the Baltimore
market, and found some Of them perfect.
ly worthless as to the effect produced on
his land.
l must find fault with one portion OF
the report, and that is in giving too much
credit to the value Of MISUNDERSTANDING
matter, although in saying so, | know full
well | come in contact with the popular
idea that ammonia is one of the import
ant and necessary kinds Of food for plants
which no one doubts-but the question
is, does not the atmosphere rs per cent
nitrogen) furnish abundant ammonia, as
it does Of carbon with only two per cent?
With this idea, in my main experiments,
the artificial application of ammonia has
been entirely discarded. | will let the
results speak for themselves, on the poor
est of poor lands.
a field of twenty acres, commencing in
the spring of 1865, being the year the
farm was purchased, was planted in corn,
using Il tons of a popular ammoniated
phosphate made in Philadelphia. The
crop was very poor-not more than ten
or twelve bushels to the acre. In 1866,
the field was sowed in oats and clover.
with 200 lbs. Of bone ash to the acre, en-.
tirely free Of ammonia. Tho season was
a bad one for oats, thrcshing a little over
800 bushels, but the clover took very
well, the former owner Of the farm re.
marking that he had never seen such clo-
yer on the place. The following ummer
QS67) it was mown and by estimate
prodnced about 20 tons of good hay, and
soon gave good pasture. In 1868 |
again planted corn, and where the insects
failed to injure, the crop was n good one
surely not less than 10 bushels to the
acre, and in some places may have gone
90. In 1869 | again planted oats, tim
othy and clover, using about 200 lbs. of
comeback from the sugar refinery, in fine
powder. The oats grew finely, and har-
vested G42 bushels, with a fine set of tim.
othy and clover. In 1870 the field was
mown in many places the clover was on
the ground (too high to stand up)-the
machine only cutting the timothy-but it
yielded at least tons to the acre The
crop was fed on the place. In 1871 the
same field was mown, little clover showing
itself, and although the season was ex.
tremely dry, | sold $3.50 worth of hay
from the field, bringing the highest price
in the Baltimore market. The remain.
der with the other provender, wintered 25
head of horses and cattle. and this on a
place which seven years ago did not raise
enough provender to winter six head all
told! The season of 1872, as every one
knows, was very dry, and many of the
best meadows failed to yield anything.
The above field was again mowni in 1872.
Glover entirely disappeared, and although
the crop has not all been sold, it will pro.
badly net between four and five hundred
dollars. Last fall the growing grass
looked beautiful, and never so thick on
the ground-every square inch apparent
ly covered with young timothy and red.
top. In 1869, it was hard to get a
glass OF milk in 1871. over 600 lbs. of
butter was sold, and hundreds of gallons
OF milk fed tho hogs and given away-all
which l consider came from bone ash. en-.
tirely free from ammonia.
This land is in Kent County, Nd,
Eastern Shore, where thousands of far
better land can be had at from $40 to
$40 an acre, with railroads and steam.
boats daily to Philadelphia and Balti.
more. Freight on corn, Sc; wheat, &c;
oats 4c.; hay, So per ton to Baltimore
The county is almost surrounded by water
two rivers on each side and bay on the
other,t the waters which abound with the
finest fish, oysters, crabs, &c, and in
winter wild geese, swan, canvas-back red.
head and. other wild ducks.
have just returned from a visit to the
farm, and the field spoken of, with q
good season, bids fair to produce a much
better crop than any heretofore, and i,
now affording pasture. The wheatfeld,
through the county were looking beauti
ul, and every indication of a large crop
Peaches form the great crop of Ken
County, and with no unforeseen accident
will be abundant. Most of the best land
is being planted in peach orchards the
largest orchards in the world are found
in Kent and the adjoining county, Queer
Anne. The Eastern Shore of Maryland
belong to what the biologists term the
cretaceous and tertiary period, and is en-.
tirely free from rough hills, rocks and
stones of any kind. Kent County had a
population in 1860 of about $1,000
square miles, 300 wheat, 3l2, 900 bush.
els corn, 900 900 ; oats, $50, OOO-bc.
ing about 100 bushels of grain for every
man, woman and child 10 the county, to
say nothing of the immense peach crop.
C0uufru Gent