The Newberry herald. [volume] (Newberry, S.C.) 1865-1884, 1875-12-22

tests have been made with it by
Captain James F. Johnston, in
Mecklenburg County, N. c., on ex-
hausted clay lands,which we're made
to grow clover luxuriantly two years
after the application was made.
Much has been said and writ
ten about the manufacture and use
of Reduced Phosphates. The wri-
ter of this article who is neither a
scientific man nor a chemist, does
not pretend to understand the SUBJ
ject, but thinks that both scientific
men and agricultural chemists have
something to learn on this subject.
It is known that a highly soluble
dissolved bone acts promptly and
benefcially on crops. Also that
the immediate effects of ground
mineral bone, which is insoluble,
on crops amount to nothing. It is
also known that if we apply Dis
solved Bone to the soil to-day, that
by tomorrow, or as soon as it has
become dampened by the moisture
of the soil, it goes into a secondary
insoluble or more properly reduced
state, and may be technically said
to have ''gons back" in which form
it is plant food and is readily taken
up and assjmilated By plants and
If it aoas not for this 1oise provision
By nature, it a0ould, If 1t remained
in its soluble state, be leached and
taken from the soil, and out Of the
reach Of plants By the first he0vy
rains that fall.
Indeed it would appear that ma
ture has wonderfully provided that
all plant food in the soil is insolu-
BILE in water and that when once
properly mixed with the soil, it is
as it were stored and locked up
there, to be extracted therefrom by
plants and plants only.
It is an open subject whether or
not, we may not reduce Dissolved
Bone before it's application to the
soil. This may be done by the ad-
dition to it of a small quantity Of
carbonate Of lime-(builder's ime)
say 8 to 10 per cent, and the
writer of this article has so reduced
a 29 per cent. dissolved bone with
marked success, running contrary
to the chemists advice. The intel
Igent planter had better use his
own judgment, and experiment in
this line cautiously.
It is. well known to even the ne
gro laborer that tills the ground,
that Dissolved Bone pays better on
lands that have been rested, or out
of cultivation for some years, than
on lands that have been for years
in clean crops Cotton or tobacco).
Hence, the old sedge fields, when
treated with it invariably yield an
extra crop the first year, and this
generally with a limited amount OF
tillage. It is because these lands
are surcharged with vegetable mat
ter. Hence any one can see that
vegetable matter is necessary as an
aid in using Dissolved Bone; and
he who uses it on lands on which
the vegetable matter has been ez-
hausted, should blame himself for
his failure and not the manufactu-
rer.
Vegetable mattsr is cheap, and
may be either obtained from green
crops, from bogs, or the scrapings
Of the woods. Remember always
to have it present in lands before
you make an outlay of money for
Dissolved Bone to apply to the
same.
It has been demonstrated practi-
cally, that Potash added to Dis
solved Bone gives more powerful
results and especially on cotton,
than Dissolved Bone. The Etiwan
Crop Food is an illustration of this
combination. The most available
form of Potash to be used being
high grade muriate. And here it
may be well to caution the farmer
against some Of the cheaper kinds
Of potash, and especially kanitt,
which I regard as worthless. Use
your home source Of supplying pot
ash-the ash pile, and a small sup
ply from hulls of cotton seed.
Experience has shown that the
finest results are obtained by a
combination of cotton seed and
strong stable manure with Dis
solved Bone and Potash. Even
1000 to 1000 pounds stable ma