Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1874-10-23
An sEEREsTING CASE.
what C0npoRen1S are Necessary
in Combination TO Produce Good
Crops. ...

Yesterday three cases Jennings,
Smith & Co, VS.. Smith James, same
VS.. Jesse Burch, and same vs.. c. C.
Burcli-were tried in the County
Court, Judge Claiborne Snead presid-
ing. Ia each case the plaintiff sued
for the value of guano sold to the de-
PENDANTS and for which they refused to
pay, OF the ground that it was worth
less and tended rather to iniure than
improve their crops. One of the ipju-
ries alleged was rust
+. L. Lockhart, Esq, represented
the plaintiffs and Jas. c. G. Black,
Esq, the defendants.
! Among the witnesses examined was
| Col. G. w. Rains, who had analyzed
| the guano. His statement contains
many points of interest to the plant
ing community. He said one great
trouble with the planters, as gen
eral rule, was that they did not I'M
derstand what their lands needed
IN the way of fertilizers, and
therefore treated them improperly.
Some lands needed the presence OF q
larger per centum of ammonia and
others of phosptoric acid These two
were the prime requisites in good
fertilizer, but il was essential to know
which was needed most on certain
kinds Of lands. Too much ammonia
would make large and luxuriant
plant and but little fruit, while too
much phosphoric acid would make
dwarf plant and an excessive yield of
fruit. The two in proper proportion
were necessary TO effect the happy
medium. When an insufficient GUAM
tlty of concentrated fertilizers are
used, and the soil in its ordinary state
contains but little to assist vegetation,
the plant may grow up finely, and up
to q certain period be strong and
healthy, but when the tine arrives
when all the soluble constituents Of
the fertilizers have become absorbed or
e4hauste Il, the plant suddenly ceases to !
grow because 1t has no more of its |
necessary foodsupply. All of it's bolls !
are opened at an early period because no !
new ones were formed, and the surplus |
squares cast off from an inability to !
perfect their development. In such /
cases hod compost been used with the |
fertilizer the plant would have con- |
tinled It's growth. Fertilizers are val
liable II proportion To the amounts of
ammonia and bone earth. Either
can t'e used alone, but by far the
largest yield is by combining the two /;
together. Rust. he said, is deceased
state of the plant which has its
l1icos parity absorbed and the remain
der greatly vitiated by an extremely
minute vegetable parasite; in the case
of cotton, / not only attacks the outer
parts OF the plant, bat becomes absrb-
Cd la the pores of the roots, and
thus finds its way even into the in
terror OF the cotton fibre ITSELF
The diseased condition of the plant
may spring from too small guam
tity of fertilizer having been used,
Or from too much or too little rain.
Where fertilizers are used the roots of
the plant push along the row, and
when the fertilizers fail the nutri-
ment of the plant is gone OF all the
fertilizers, ammonia and its equivalent
nitrog genous compounds are in general
the most valuable not g tissue OF the
plant can he formed without the pre-
senoe of nitrogen. 4 healthy plant
can only come from q healthy seed or
parent it derives its nutsiment in its
Early growth tram the juices of the
seed which are secreted Or formed
from the solid parts of the grain, the
young vegetable being yet too unde-
yeioped to obtain its food from the
earth ana air. .t'he average of am
n0nla should be about three and
half per eeDt.-.fng,tst0 Chronicle and
Sentinel.