The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1878-01-03
Gxperi1memtal.
DR.. Ledoux's Reply to 8. M. Stone.

DEAR SIR Il was pleased to see in
Your issue If this date the questions
of your correspondent, Mr.. s.. NJ
Stone of Wake Forest. / take pleas
ure in replying and am always graft
fed when / am able to aid our agri-
culturalists in any way.
First-The best material for com
hosting with stable manure and cot
ton seed to make a complete fertilizer
is acid phosphate OF dissolved bone.
If the valuable liquid portion of the
stable has not been saved an
addition of so or 100 pounds of mu-
riate of potash will usually pay.
.Second-I do not happen to know
the ingredients of the National sol
uble bone compost" but it is necessa-
ry that the ingredients in every ferti-
lizer be in proper proportion, as well
as in sufficient quantity, to insure good
results, and many times what is best
for one soil will need varying before
giving the same returns on another.
Frequently too a fertilizer which has
an excellent showing in the laborato-
ry will not give the expected return
on the field because n soil, cultlva-
ton or season may be at fault.
TIird-No general, invariable rules
for applying fertilizers can be given.
The method varies with the crop to be
raised, the nature of the fertilizer and
IL ,a ~ tho yyanr Snnlafln1ao
before planting sometimes after
sometimes broadcast sometimes with
the drill sometimes in the hill some
times across the furrow, ()
The question of (which is the best
guano, asked by Mr.. Stone is one
which has been put to me many times
since / have been Chemist for the De-
partment of Agriculture. One gen.
tleman writes of $500 he will spend for
any fertilizer l will recommend an
other wants advice as to where to buy
chemicals a third has $500 to spend
for guano for himself and few neigh
bors. and wants to be told where to go
with his money, &C., &c
1t is perfectly true that a chemist
Analysing many samples of fertilizers
over and over has a very clear idea in
his own mind which are the best
among them.
On the other hand it would be very
improper to throw the weight of the
influence of the Station or the side of
one or two manufactures. The only
proper way therefore, is to point to
the published analysis of the Station
and show which of the rands
lived by me stand at the head CHEMI-
CALLY and COMMERCIALLY. The far
mer must then choose between them.
guided by the best knowledge he has
OF the needs of his crop and soil and
by what he can learn of the reputa-
ton of the manufacturer and the re-
suits on other farms in his neighbor-
hood.
OF those brands, which l nave ana
lived, the following two OIL three lead
the others somewhat from commercial
and chemical points of view:
Highest percentage Of Ammonia
1. Peruvian Guano." 2. ''Zells To-
bacco Fertilizer"
Highest percentage of POtdSh-1.
'.Zelrs Tobacco Fertilizer" 2. Peru
Wan GuanO."
Aqe of Soluble PhosphOric Acid-1.
sAmmoniated Dissolved Bone 2.
.Pacific Ouano."
Highest percentage of Reverted Phos-
phoric Acid. Peruvian Guano."
'.Navassa Guano.
Greatest ercess Of udlue COMMERCIAL
Ouer selling prices. peruvian Qua
no." 2. Pacific Guano."
In this way the farmer can take all
of the published analyses and com
pare them. The chemist might also
throw some light upon the subject.
by commenting on the relative pro-
portions of the different ingredients,
but in so public a place as the col
umns of a paper it would be unwise
to pursue the subject further.
Fourth-South Carolina Phosphate
i'm its natural state and not until it
has been treated with oil of vitroil
and has become an Acid Phosphate
is it agriculturally valuable. The diff
ference between the ordinary ma
nipulated g%uanos" of the present day
and the Acid Phosphates' is that
while the farmer have usually from
one to four per cent of ammonia and
frequently some potash, the latter
have neither, but owe their value as
fertilizer ingredients to their soluble
phosphoric acid. Hence in compost
ing with cotton seed or barn yard ma
nure. where there is sufficient organic
matter to dispense with the ammonia
of superphosphates, an acid phosphate
will do as well for composing, pro-
vided it has as much available soluble
and reverted phosphoric acid as the
superphosphate.
am glad to see your correspondent