Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1878-05-31
Farm and Household.


4 correspondent Of the Green Mountain
Freeman contributes an account of how a
Vermont farm has been brought up to high
state of fertility by the use Of chemical fertil-
izers, in connection with the stable manure
made from the crops grown on the farm
The farm under review consisted of some
hundred acres. twenty-five acres Of which
were devoted to tillnge. This land lad been
worn and much neglected. It's best fields had
not been turned over by the plow or cheered
by dressing, for many years. Nearly one
half of these titled fields was a low bOggy
meadow. upon which the water Of wet sea
son was allowed to rest until it evaporatcd.
The remaining acres consisted of n series of
elevations. dry upon the top but full of
springs at the base. The soil differed in
character and composition as our New Eng
land farms usually do. Some portions were
loose and dry others were composed of
moist. dark mould. with a claycy subsoil
and still others contained well-formed, wet
paat bog. As it was before the experiment.
this farm produced only some ten tons of in
different upland hay per year, but no corn or
other grain had grown upon it for ten years.
Almost no stock had been kept upon the
premises, and hence the chief reliance for re-
storing the farm to good condition, was by
the use Of special fertilizers. Five years from
this time the experiment had been so far sue
cessful that eighteen cows, five horses. yoke
of oxen and three hogs were fed from its pro-
ductions. And these animals, after this, sup
piled all the manure needed.
The whole amount of fertilizers used were
fifteen tons of bone, one hundred bushels Of
unleached ashes, four tons of fish pomace.
two tons of Peruvian guano, five hundred
pounds of crude potash one ton of the oil of
Il Of l,tty,
dred pounds of sulphate of magesia, nitrates
of soda and potassa, chloride Of sodium, OK
ide of manganese, sulphate of iron and sui
phate of ammonia OF course, the animal
manure produced upon the farm during these
years was applied to the soil to aid in produc-
ing these results The whole sum spent for
special fertilizers during seven years was
eight hundred dollars. During the same
years stable manure sold for six dollars per
cord. Had this kind of fertilizer been used
entirely, it would have given only about three
cords to each of the twenty-five acres, during
the whole time. This experiment brings into
comparison stable manures and special fertil-
izers. and can any doubt which are the most
profitable To have raised this farm to its
present high state of cultivation by purchased
manures, would have cost double the sum ex-
pended.
One measured acre ploughed in the autumn,
and dressed in the spring with five hundred
pounds of pure, fine bone, sowed broadcast,
was planted with corn. handful of super
phosphate was placed in each hill. From this
acre one hundred and ffty-seven bushels of
corn, in the ear, were gathered. The follow
ing year eight hundred pounds Of mixture of
ashes, bone dust and saltpetre were applied
to the same acre, and thirty-one bushels of
winter rye were raised. A few years later
the hay crop cut from this same acre, was
(after topdressing of five hundred pounds of
compost). t,cO and half TONS During the
entire five years, this acre yielded ten tons of
good hay. This acre is a specimen of yield
on this 'impoved farm. The corn crop was
especially abundant, never falling short OF
seventy bushels of shelled corn, and once
reaching one hundred aud six bushels per
mere