The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1877-05-25
Essential Fertilizers .-- Phosphoric
Acid.

ash as an essential fertilizer. Its use
as an artificial application is usually
greater on sandy than on clayey soils.
The same Ia sometimes true ofphospho-
ric acid, though there are probably
more heavy soils that are deficient In 1t
than In potash.
Phosphoric acid is the ashes, or con-
densed smoke, which results from the
burning of phosphorus. substance
familiar 10 all, as used for tipping
matches. When we scratch a match
we notice white smoke from the fire
az 1t catches, before the blue blaze of
the sulphur Is seem This white smoke
which under glass vessel may be seen
TO condense and fall as white powder,
is phosphoric acid. United with lime,
it forms the bones of all land animals.
1t Is found In the leaves, stems and
seeds of ali grasses and grains, and, in
deed, In nearly every plant.
The plants extract it from the soil,
and animals take 1t from the plants by
digestion. When successive crops are
taken from the ground and carried
away without the return of any manure
containing phosphoric acid, this SUBJ
stance in the soil is rapidly diminished,
and after time, all that is soluble in
the water of the soil is removed, and
the land Is made unproductive.
In most tlliable soils there is, besides
the soluble phosphoric acid, store of
minerals that contain It, and that by
slow decay will, in time, renew the sup
ply of soluble phosphates. This decay
10 fastened by tillage, and by blowing
In vegetable matter, which, besides con-
tributing the phosphates of its own sub
stance will, by the action of its decay
ing particles, hasten the decay of the
phosphoric minerals and render them
soluble.
Feeding and selling off young stock,
which have to get the phosphates to
make their bones from the plants that
take 1t from the soil, is practice that
most rapidly removes phosphoric acid
from the land. Selling milk has like
effect, for milk contains much phospho-
ric acid. SO also grain and roots sold
away from the farm exhaust the supply
of this essential fertilizer.
On the other hand, crops like cotton,
sugar and butter take away no phos-
phoric acid, or indeed any other essen
tial fertilizer, since pure sugar and but
ter contain not particle of mineral
matter OF any kind, and cotton fibre on
ly a minute quantity. These are there
fore uneXhausting crops, and it is pity
that we cannot make sugar from the
sugar beet, one of the great crops of
New England. Starch is another arti-
Gle that takes away no mineral matter;
but unfortunately, by our ordinary pro-
cesses Of manufacture, the remainder of
the potatoes, or grain, which does con-
tain the potash and phosphoric acid, is
washed away and lost. In beet sugar
making, on the contrary, the pressed
root remains 10 be fed to cattle, and the
minerals are saved in the manure.
The practicable means of replacing
the phosphoric acid taken away in crops
are, In the purchase of feed, such as
grain, bran, shorts, etc, that are rich in
this mineral, to feed to the live stock
The application OF bone manures Ozone
meal, superphosphates and guanoes),
or the burning and pulverizing of all the
bones that can be gathered, and the
mixing of the powdered homes with sta
BILE manure.
The manure of our cattle contains
nearly all the phosphoric acid of the
food we give them, except in the case of
young growing animals. When any
animal has reached maturity the bones
10 not increase much in weight. Some
Of the phosphates in the food are taken
up to repair the wear and waste of the
bones, but as this waste goes of i'm the
urine, the loss and gain balance one an
other. If the urirc, or any portion of
il, Is lost, there is a proportinate waste
Of this essential fertilizer. If we give
food rich in phosphates to our cattle, we
Jpf mn ure rich In nhnenhatae sbo
bran OF grain contains most Of the phos- |
pilates bran is more valuable than any
"ther feed for enriching the manure.
Fifty dollars worth of bran fed to your
took will usually give YOU more phos-
phoric acid In manure than YOU would
receive for the same money spent d.
rectly for a superphosphate.
The great thing, therefore, TO be done
10 keep up the store of phosphoric acid
in our land, Is to avoid as much as pos
,ible selling of the products in which II
- carried away, and using such pur-
biased feed as will make the manure
rich in this substance. This with the
careful saving of the liquid manure
along with the solid will prevent the
exhaustion Of this essential fertilizer.
AS a direct application to crops, on
land where phosphoric acid is lacking,
The superphosphates are useful, and they
VIII frequently pay when the supply of
stable manure is short. But there is no
necessity for the good farmer TO pur-
chase these, except as temporary ex-
pedient In restoring worn-out land. An
Intelligent forethought in the pur-
chase of feeding material, in tho hus-
banding OF every source Of this fertili-
ger on the farm, in the avoidance of
selling crops containing it; and, above
all, in the careful saving of the liquid
manure, will be all that is necessary
lDr. Hoskins.