Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1876-02-23

be made 10y collecting and burning all waste
vegetable matter within reach, ought to keep
any land, devoted to ordinary farm crops,
adequately supplied with this necessary sub
stance.
Then of phosphoric acid. There is a vast
amount Of this substance also, in nearly
every soil, still undissolvcd, aud consequently
unavailable. The known methods Of setting
it free are substantially the same as those
practced for potash, and the Importance Of
saving all that is contained in our manure,
as well as collecting every stray bone and re-
ducing It to powder by fire presses upon us.
If still more is needed, a little figuring will
show that IT is often cheaper to buy it in the
form Of mill feed, than to purchase it of the
phosphate maker. Sixty dollars worth of
shorts contains more soluble phosphorc acid,
potash and nitrogen, than we have ever been
able to buy in any other form for the same
money. And the best Of buying cur chem-
cal manure in this form is, that its fertiliz.
ing value is increased rather than diminished
by passing it through the bowels Of the
cows, horses and sheep.
And as TO nitrogen, so long as we can
grow clover we never shall buy sulphate Of
ammonia, orniuate Of soda, except for some
exceptional purpose And we have found
out that these exceptional purposes can usu-
ally be otherwise served. Manure from
clover, or pea and bean straw, is very rich
in nitrogen And for manuring in the hill,
so long as Canada peas can be bought for
one dollar to one dollar and twenty-five cents
per bushel, little figuring will convince any
one who has an analysis Of peas before him,
that pea-meal is cheaper nitrogenous fer
tilizer than either sulphate Of ammonia or
nitrate of soda. And you don't need to have
the analysis guaranteed" either, for nature
always makes peas one way, and never tries
to swindle.
This article is already rather long, but we
wish before closing it to confirm what we
have said in reference to the fertiizing value
Of bran and peas, compared with other com
mercial sources of plant food, by the author
ity of Professor lohnsou's How Crops
Grow" First of wheat bran The table
showing the composition Of wheat bran, in
" How Crops Grow" gives MS the following
constituents in a ton. q estimate the val
ues at rates which will bring the value Of
good commercial superphosphate (ammo-
niated) to from forty to fifty dollars per toni
Potash, 2GG pounds, at cents...-....., 81 So
Phos. acid, 81 6 pounds at iGi cents....... 9 SO
Ammonia, 81 pounds, at 20 cents ...,..... u 70
Total value Of bran, as a fertilizer, ...... S2l n
Or about a dollar ton more than we have
paid for it the present season-talmg no &C
count Of its feeling raiue
The same table shows the same constituents
in peas, as follows, per ton
Potash, 2li pounds, at cents .......,... 81 90
Phos acid, 90 pounds, at 1Gl cents. ....... %
Ammonia, W ., at % cents. ............... % u
Total value Of pea meal as a fertilizer .s25 So
The cost Of ton of peas is now not over
thirty-three dollars and half which they
are fully worth for feeding purposes, giving
their value to the manure pile as clear profit,
if fed. 1t will be seen that ton of peas con
tains nitrogen equal to ninety-two and one
half pounds Of ammonia, or three hundred
and Lightweight and one-half pounds Of sui
phate of ammonia. That amount of sui
phate of ammonia would cost, at the average
price we have paid, with freight, more than
ton of peas so that, by buying our ammo
mia in peas, zee sdre all their teeding raiue.
besides the two dollars and seventy-three
cents worth of potash and pbosphoric acid
they contain. In the light Of these facts,
can Vermont farmers afford to buy largely of
chemical fertilizers for the purpose OF grow
ing corn, or any other crop upon Professor
Stockbridges plan