The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1877-09-12

story about keeping clover green ten
months in an alright cask is not
worthy of credence.
FERTILIZERS FOR TURNIPs.
AS commercial fertilizers are now
being extensively used in the United
States and England, my space will
not be wasted bv giving reports o.
their use occasionally. The reader
will please to bear il mind that all
the fertilizers in the world Of essen
tial value consist Of nitrogen, phos'
phoric acid and potash; and that
stable dung and all the commercial
fertilizers in existence have no i'm
portant value only as regards the
quantities of the above three articles
that they contain. Then, in order
that my readers may the better IN
derstand the application OF said arti'
cles 10 the following report, | will say
that nitrogen and ammonia are the
same substantially, the phosphoriC
acid is chiefly found in the animal
or mineral phosphates-what is call
ed phosphate, or superphospbate o.
lime. made of bones, and the mineral
phosphates, such as are fourd 10
South Carolina and elsewhere. Pot
ash comes in under tie head of pot
ash salts, sulphste of potash, nitrate
of do. (salpetre,) muriate of do. and
the pure article. The following is Q
report of 40 experiment made In
Scotland with turnips, and published
in a London paper: /. That plants
unassisted by phosphstes and nitro
gen. Welded at the rate of only ten
tons per imperial acre. 2. That the
addition of sulphste of ammonia in
creased the yield only slightly. 3,
That the addition of nitrate of soda
alone in most cases gave o worse re.
suit. 4. That a decided improvement
is shown in every case by phosphates;
in some cases the increase was three.
fold. and in others twofold. 3. That
il is immaterial whether the insolu.
BILE phosphates are Of mineral or OF
animal origin. @. That it is inmate.
rial whether the phosphates are solu-
BILE or insoluble. the difference In ia.
yor of the soluble being only irae'
tional. I. That it is immaterial
whether the soluble phosphates are
of mineral or animal origin. 8. That
though nitrcgsnoDs manures alone
are Of little or no mineFe! value for
turnips, they improve the results
when given along with phosphates.
9. That organic nitrogen in bones is
decidedly of less value than nitrogen
in sulphate of ammonia or nitrate OF
soda. 10. That crushed bones,
though containing nitrogen, are not
so beneficial as ~coprolites or bone ash,
either dissolved or pndissolved. ii.
| That fine division gave an Increase
10 every ease. 10. 1t appeared i'm
material whether the sulphate of am
monia was used with soluble or in
soluble phosphates. Is. That nitrate
Of soda suited better with soluble
than insoluble phospbates. IA 1t
appeared immaterial whether nitro
gen when applied with soluble phos-
pilates is in the form Of saiphete of
ammonia or nitrate of soda. IL.
That spring m%snuripg is better than
autumn or winter msn1Fing for turn
FPS or swedes.
The soluble sud insoiubie pbos-
pbates refer to that which is made
soluble by being dissolved in sulphu.
ric acid (oil o. vitriol), or insoluble
by not being thus treated, the latter
giving cot its virtues quite slowly,
as in the case of coarsely ground
bones, which may remain in the soil
two or three years before the whole
becomes soluble
1t appears from the above report
that nitrate of soda, applied alone to
land COR a turnip crop, is a positive in
lury. and the editor Of the paper in
which the report appeared says: Nj
trate Of soda is extensively used on
strong land as a dressing for bay or
wheat: but on many light soils and
late climates in Scotland its applica-
ton to other crops has been attended
by adverse results. Mr.. Mackenzie
last year experimental with nitrate
of soda, added to other manuFes for
turnips. To one part Of a field he
applied one hundred weight of nj
trate per acre along with bone ma
nnres and dung, to another part half
a hundred weight per aere and to a
third part . quarter hundred-weight.
The difference n the weight of the
crop was only a few pounds per acre,
but the part which received no nj
trate of soda prodaced the heaviest
yield. The gist of these statements
is, that the phosphates, as bone dust
or -four, phosphate, or superphos-
phste, are the only commercial fer
t~ilizers that farmers can apply
to turnips probably,
HOW TO KEEP BUTTER.