The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1877-08-08


Written fr The HERALD by 3 farmer, gArdshe
and hzl grower Of great srperienee-
FERTILIZERS.
Ii is q welLeslablished fact tbaI
the essential fertilizers Of all crops
are ammonia, pbospboric acid snd
potash-thst nothing else is required
for anything grown on q farm ! and
the question is, bow can farmers ap.
pig these things to most advantage
A ton of cattle and horse manure, as
it averages on farms, contains only
III lbs. of potash, s do. Of phosphorus
acid, and IL lbs. of nitrogen cannon
ia) according to an analysis made in
England for Mr.. Lswes, the distin-
guisbed sgriculturist Of that country
and be claims thst these 81 lbs. are
the only fertilizers 10 q o of man
ure. Mr.. Lswes has been before the
world as the most noted scientific
farmer for many years, and be is quo
ted as the best authority. He says
that when enough stable manure ID
applied to land to produce 9 good
crop Of grain of any kind, as wheat,
barley, rye and oats, the potash 10
the manure is greatly in xcess Of
the requirements Of the grain, and
consequently it is wasted, as these
grains require principally phosphoric
acid and nitrogen ss fertilizers. He
sums up bic forty years of experience
as follows:
i. That q mineral superphosphste
Of lime has given considerable increase
in each crop of a rotation, although
used without any other manure, for q
period of thirty years.
2. That in consequence Of grain
containing large quantities Of nitro.
gen and phosphonc acid, and small
quantities Of potash. msnures con.
tanning soluble phosphoric acid and
soluble nitrogen, as ammonia or nit
ric ACID, are especially applicable q
these crops.
8. That when crops containing
large quantities of potash, sneh al
roots, potatoes and hay, are sold of
the farm, msnures containing potash
such as purchased dungs, appear to
be more suitable.
4. That although potash. phos
phoric acid and nitrogen are The
chief manure ingredients ia fsrmyard
dung. the manure from artificial food:
and in artificial manures, still the diff
ferences in torn n which these sub
stances are met with greatly afeci
their value ; the present method OF
analysing manures does not properly
recognize these distinctions, and The
valuations founded upon these ansly.
e are altogether false and erroae-
Gus.
SETTING STRAWBERRY PLANTS.
In making new field plantstions o.
straw berries the land should be free
of weeds, and in q high state of fer
tility. II peas or early potatoes were
grown on it, and highly MANFRED in
the spring. it would be in good con
dition for the plants 10 August, the
best time to set them, unless set IN
the spring. immediately before the
plants are Bet, give the land q dress.
ing of well rotted dung, even if il
were MANFRED for a previous crop,
and plow it 10 ; or FIRST pillow the land
as deep as necessary, then spread
on the manure, and cover it lightly
with a one-horse pillow. A great deal
of manure is wasted by being cover
ed too deep, two inches deep being
the depth that many experiments by
the best sgrculturalists of this and
other countries have decided to be
the best for crops generally. If We
harrow in the manure much of it is
left upon the surface of tine ground,
and its virtues eyaporate. So it is in
some degree when it is covered very
lightly with earth, if the weather be
dry after narrowing it in and it is d
question for farmers to decide, wheth-
er it is not better to take 8 little more
time in some cases. and use a me
horse pillow TO cover manure. Good
crops. of course, are grown by cover
Jog manure at the first blowing; bat
for al acre or two of strawberries, or
other small fruits | think it would
pay TO use a one-horse pillow 10 cover
ing the manure, 30 as not to cover it
too deep.
The rows in the field culture of
strawberries may be three to three
and q half feet apart, and the plants
set from IL TO Is inches apart in the
rows. This width is to allow a cul-
tivstor to run between the rows, at.
ter they have become widened with
plants from runners, go that the open
space between them is not over two
or two and q half feet Many straw
berry growers renew their plantations
as follows: As soon as the berries
are all picked the space between the
rows is plowed with one horse, turn
ing the burrows 90 as to leave the
ground level. Then it is smoothed
with q cultivator ; and an iron hand
rake would, fused. be q good finish
ing operation. The plantation ls
thus left till fall, when the space be-
tween the rows is covered with run.
ners then the old plants are plowed
up, and ell the tuaaers but q strip
six or eight Inches vide in the mid.
die of them, which strips are the rows
for the next season ; and in this wsv
6 plantation may be renewed for
many years but il would be necessa.
~ 70 apply manure onc Q ear TO.
the spaces between the rows when
they are plowed. 1t is q rather re.
variable fact that strawberry grow
ers. who cell their fruit in the large
cities, . make more money in "poor
seasons than in good ones, be.
aus 10 6 favorable season, with fire..
quent rsins. the crops is 80 large that
the price is not renumerative. In
New York this season hundreds of
thousands Of baskets of strawberries
were sold ats dead loss to the grow.
ers. the receipts merely covering
freight snd commission.
FRUIT TREES RUNNING our.n
The horticultural editor of the