The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1879-03-20
For the FARMER AND MECHANIC,
Cotton, Culture.
DIR. SALMONS CRITICISMS REVIEW
EDDY MR.. ID. Z. MEACHAM.
(Continued from last ,reek.)

Our object, however, Is not to
discuss this point just here. We re
turn to our friend Salmon, and
take up first, his objection to our
figures as to what 1t costs the soil
in plant food, and the proiucer
in labor to produce 400 lbs. cotton.
He goes on to say hat ANY one
accustomed to buying fertilizers,
can see at a glance, that these fig
urcs are far above the market val
ne.
Now if any one in doubt on this
point will take the trouble to ex-
anime the subject, we think he
will find that the scale of prices
adopted by us, r as low as have
emenatcd from any agricultural
station in the United States, Y e
lower than some in the Northern
States, with the exception Of Chlor-
inc and oxide Of iron. We maintain
the position, that the fertility Of
the soil in an agricultural country,
as ours now is, constitutes the
sap and foundation of its prosperi-
ty. DR.. Salmon objects to my
method Of reasoning on the cost of
supplying phosphoric acid, and
potash in order to produce a full
crop, and proposes to furnish the
% lbs. of the former, with $50 lbs.
disloved bone. Now it be observed,
he assumes that the q lbs. sol. phos.
aciG, 80 lbs. sulphuric acid, and 80
lbs. Of lime all for three dollars,
will remain in the soil in just the
same chemical combination which
it does in cur hands away from
any other alkalics, a position con-
trary to known facts, at least, in SO
far as the law of chemical affinity are
made known to us in the labora-
tory. In the dissolved bone we have
if it is raw bone gypsum (solphate
Of lime) nitrogen from the gelatin
Of the bone, and phosphoric acid,
but 1t is fact known to all chem
its, hat although s%ulphuric acid
renders the phosphoric acid Of
bones soluble, there is still a strong
tendency to reversion, and should
other strong alkalies exist in the
soil or even lime, the power Of the
sulphuric acid in its hold upon the
lime Of the bones is to a greater or
less degree overcome. In uniting
with potash, soda, magnesia or lime;
in any of which events the phos-
phoric acid once soluble reyelts,
goes back to the point from which
the sulphuric acid separated; it 50
that we say, according to the known
laws of chemical affinity, we can
Judge with no degree Of accuracy,
how much sol. phos. acid we can
safely count upon, after it leaves
our hands and goes to the soil. W.
can with as much accuracy deter
mine how much carbonic acid we
we a count upon, by knowing how
much exists in a cubic foot Of at
mospheric air, at a given analysis.
We said IN order to produce 400
lbs. Of cotton, we must have p lbs.
soluable phosphate acid. either in
the soil Or we must put it there, and
we repeat, that reasoning from the
law Of chemical affinity, if there is
now in the soil, $50 lbs. dissolved
bone will never supply it to a crop
the first season.
We urge the same objection to
the limited amount of common
salt from which we understand
him to mean (35 lbs. he would APP
ply in order to supply the necessary
amount of chlorine and soda. He
says: ''In this 80 pounds common
salt we would have the IA pounds
soda, and twice the amount of
chlorine" We readily grant he
would have it, but has he not over
looked the important fact that
chlorine and soda unite to form
common salt in about the proper
ton of 60 per cent of the former,
and 40 Of the latter !? Eight pounds
of chlorine and Ia pounds of soda
are not in the proportion to form
salt ; but he proposes to get IA
pounds OF soda and 8 pounds of
chlorine out of 30 pounds of salt,
by which operation he finds he has
Is pounds chlorine left the Atm
ity of chlorine for soda is so pow
erful that it requires so pounds of
sulphuric acid to convert 100 lbs.
salt into sulphate Of soda.
Yet my friend would hove no 1ooco
sight of this important chemical
law. What is s pounds chlorine !
and Ia mounds soda 2 Is II Golf ?