River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1878-07-18

The stlowing directions for conduct
ing experiments with fertilizers are Civ
en- by Wolf, tie leading European auth
GRITTY on this subject;
sit IS Of the greatest importance to the
farmer TO sind out waich of the more i'm
portant ingredients of plant food his soil
in its actual condition fails to supply in
sufficient quantity for the production OF
the largesa possible crops, and which,
when directly added, would therefore ex-
ercise an especially favorable and power
full iEiigaRce. This can be done practi-
caliy oAly by properly conducted fertil-
| izing experiments. With this in view, i.
would be we'll, first, to arrange some
trials iii which the separate elements of
plant food are employed, each by itself
alone, iii Ghc form Of definite salt as
pure as possible Tpropose for this end
trials with the following articles:
1. phGsphoric acid in snpelphosphate
! from Baker Guano or Meiillones guaDo
which contains little nitrogen I'm lack Of
this, good supetphosphate from phos-
phorite or bone black.
2. Nitrogen in Chill ssltpetre nitrate
of soda) Of crude sulphate of ammonia.
2. Putash in iivefold concentrated
potash sals, which is the same as old in
this country as ''mmiate of potash" of
s0-S4 per cent. (or high grade sulphate of
potashl
4. Maenesia, in epson salts Ccrude
sulphate Of magncsia,}
5. Plaster
6. Burnt lime,
The trials need net, by any means, ex-
tend over very large lots. Often small
plots OF eve and q half square rods each
will suffice. BIT the whole ground
under experiment should, by all means
be of Uniform quality, and two or three
plots must always be left unmapured for
comparison.
The arrangement 81 d order of the plots
if the quality of the soil is uniform, can
be planned as is most convenient, just as
the lay of the land and the kind of prep
aratiol make desirable; for instance, as
follows:
p0@apsySd SqpesPhOsPhate EpG% ssIt.
z Plaster O. Quick lime. y. Unmanured,
The separate materials should be ap-
piled in such proportions as about cor
respond to an average manuring. For
instance for each five rods, 10 lbs. each
Of superphosphate, epson salts and plas-
ter; Us. each of potash salt, Chilli salt
peter, OK sulphatc OF ammoniaand % lbs.
of quick lime, The latter may be s9wn
in the fine, powdery condition which re-
suits from careful siackino with water or
gradual cisintearation in the air. The
/ plaster should be applied in finely
ground condition The other materials
should be mixed before spreading with
once or twice their bulk of good earth
rich in vegetable matteror with tolerably
moist sawdust, in order TO insure
more thorough and even distribution.
| The spreading should be done a consid-
cradle time before the planting. II will
| be we'll To even off the ground first with a
| light harrow, spread the fertilizers, and
/ then work them into the soil with strong
harrow in the usual way. 1t is still better
to turn the fertilizers under by shallow
ploughIng, ana then proceed with the
preparation and planting OF the field as
usual. III the seperate plots are once nc
curately stqkcd of, and the fertilizers
carefully distributed in their appropriate
divisions, the plough and harrow may be
passed freely from one plot TO another
without fear of any considerable shifting
of the fertilizers, especially when un-
MANFRED spaces two feet wide are left
between ihe plots, and, after planting,
left as paths. The trials should be made
on land which is exhausted, in the agri-
cultural sense of the word, and would, in
ordinary practice, have been again dressed
with stable manure. They should be re
peated ior at least three to six years in
succession, in the same manner, with the
same quantity of fertilizers on the same
plots, each year, cnly changing the crops
to be raised, as the course of rotation re-
quires.