Vermont farmer. [volume] (Newport, Orleans County, Vt.) 1870-1877, 1875-04-23
Fertilizers.

The report of the department of agricul-
ture for February and March treats the sub
ject of fertilizers at length, and we notice
that the position heretofore taken by the
FARMER that more attention had better be
given to the saving and composing Of fer
tilizing materials at home, and less money
sent to market for commercial fertilizers and
to line the pockets of the manufacturer, is
gaining ground. The report says:
Returns generally concur in reporting an
increasing use of composts mixed on the
farm. They especially indicate, in the cot
ton states, II growing conviction, confirmed
by the results of experiments, that it is far
more safe and economical to buy CONNER
cial ingredients known to be suitable to
combine with manure and other composing
elements on the farm, than to pay the eX-
travagant price demanded for commercial
compounds, which often prove to be adul-
terated and comparatively worthless. In
New England, barn-cellars are the rule with
the best farmers, (but unfortunately this is
not the larger CLASSY and muck, loan, or
other material is hauled in to absorb the liq-
ud manure, while the stock is ut tho barn
The same is true of the hog-pen. In the
Eastern States, whenever wood-ashes are
made hey are utilized, leached or unleached
in experimenting farm manure, somtimes in
coniposts, but perhaps oftener in the hill or
drill. Lime. with scrapings from the road
side, and whatever refuse is available, enter
in composts.
A table is given showing the comparative
amounts of farm-yard manure and other fer
tilizeIs used in the several states. OF all
the Eastern and Atlantic States Vermont
uses the highest per cent of farm yard ma
nure-85 per cent. 10 per cent of the fer.
tilizing material used in Maine is farm yard
manure, "a per cent in New Hampshire, 7 5
in Massachusetts, rs in Rhode Island,
81 in Connecticut, 68 10 New York, and 26
in South Carolina, the latter being the low
est. In Iowa, Kansas, and Nebraska, no fer
tilizer except farm yard manure is reported
as having been used. 1t must be borne in
mind that the subtraction Of these figures
from 100 gives, not the amount of CONNER
cial fertilizers used, but the percentage of
fertilizing material other than that which
comes from the barn. Here is another ex.
tract from the report:
Repeated experiments with commercial
compounds, which have ultimately proved
Improbable, have created IL prevalent an
tipathy to netU experiments. On the other
hand, returns generally indicate that the use
of unmixed organic or mineral fertilizers is
on the increase. Adulteration IN these
is more easily detected, and the effects on
like soils are comparatively uniform and
well established In the Eastern, Middle,
LII & al.
commercial fertilizers nor homemade COM
posts are used, to the neglect of farm-yard
manure, but only rs additions, after that has
been exhausted.
A majority of returns from New England,
including all from. New Hampshire, report
that commercial fertilizers are deemed I'M
profitable. But in Oxford, Me-, superphOs-
pilates are considered almost indispensable,
especially on corn, and in PenObscot and
Cumberland they are used to some extent
with favorable results, particularly gypsum
on grass in the spring; gypsum is also popu-
lar IN Franklin, VT, and phosphates in Cal
edonia, on buckwheat and turnips, but not
for general farming.
The general tenor Of the returns is that
for market gardeners and growers of certain
special crops commercial fertilizers may be
probably employed, but for general farm
ing they do not pay. South Carolina which,
as we have seen, uses the smallest per cent
Of farm yard manure, uses 30 per cent of
commercial fertilizers, the other "a being
homemade composts. Lime, plaster, and
bone'dust are among the most popular COM
mercial fertilizers. The result of the inves-
tigation in regard to the comparative popu.
larity Of different methods of fertilization is
thus given;
This investigation presents prominently
three suggestive points: First, the use of
fertilizers IS becoming more general and
more discriminating; second, few If any
soils In the country are so rich that they can
not be made more productive by iudicious
fertilization; third, flrm-yard manures are
the best for general use; green-manuring is
the cheapest means of soil renovation, and
commercial fertilizers are useful Tor quick
results and for specific purposes.
The testimony of the correspondents Of
the department is almost universally in favor
of green manuring. In very few Instances
it is reported that some other mode of en-.
riching the land is found more profitable and
two counties Juniata, Pa, and Duplin, n,
c., report the practice positively injurious.
Glover is considered the best crop for plow-
ing under, and is more valuable at two years
old than before as the roots are then larger
and they are considered more valuable than
the stalks. Indeed so little comparative
value is placed on the tops that in very
many cases, and some of these where the
the best results are reported, the tops are
fed of on the ground by stock and the sod
then turned under.
So general is the use of clover in prefer
ence to other crops for blowing under that
in those sections where it is not generally