Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1879-03-14
WV. 1. BARTHOLOMEW, OF PUTNAM, CT.

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fail. The chief source of supply has hereto
fore been from the dung of animals, as thes,
elements of animal and plant food are seldom
wholly assimilated but are in part thrown of
with other refuse portions Of food and waste
matter from the system. But i'll many cases
the larger pant of valuable material is taken
out. and goes of the farm in milk, meat etc
| and the elements of fertility are lost TO the
soil. To keep up or increase the productive
ness implies an addition from some source.
| Many farmers ridicule the idea of making up
this deficiency or increasing the amount
effectually by chemicals and deny their use.
fulness but such farmers yet have something
to learn, and the sooner they go about learn.
ing it the better will be their chances OF
success.
1t is now well proven that the efficacy OF
dung as plant food is not in Its great bulk. or
weight, or disagreeable odor, but in the
nitrogen, phosphoric acid, potash, etc,
which it contains. We can therefore initiate
the important parts of dung and produce its
good effects by making mixture of chemical
substances which shall analyze the same
elements and In like form and quantity This
was the discovery which it took ages to
develop this is the great event of modern
farming. Remember this fact that one
pound of soluble phosphoric acid: one pound
of a given condition of nitrogen, or one
pound of potash salt properly diffused
through our land is efficient as another pound
of like substance without regard to its
source Of supply. We insist it matters not
TO the crop whether this pound has lain in
active for years in the soil, or is applied in
dung, or in chemical fertilizer. provided it is
in u proper condition for the plants TO feed
upon. 1t is claimed by some that dung has
other properties aside from plant food, which
makes its application beneficial, as retaining
moisture. rendering hard soils light, &c. This
may be the case and may not be to any enteat.
think it yet remains to be proven that in
common farming chemicals may not be SUBJ
stituted for dung. But it is far from my
purpose to discourage the use of dung. |
advise the farmers all TO carefully use this
supply, which contains what the plants so
much need. Dung produced on the farm
under the ordinary farm system furnishes
these elements cheaper than they can be pur-
chased, because they are waste product
arising in our use of animals for labor, for
producing milk. meat, &c and to the extent
Of dung supply they cost little. But if the
dung is to be purchased, it is for the farmer
to consider whether he can purchase cheaper
the dung or the constituents of dung. 1t is
for the intelligent farmer TO count the cost of
each, and decide as economy and convenience
the matter. Dung has been termed n COM
plete fertilizer because it furnishes all the
elements of food required by the plant. When
only one or two of these are used they are
called partial or special fertilizers.
Special fertilizers are frequently used with
economy where the elements already exist, or
can be taken up by the crop, and we shall see
the wastefulness of using in greater quantities
than needed these valuable elements when
We consider their cost /; for the amount of
the crop is limited to the amount of the
the element most deficient. If but one-half
potash enough, you will not have more than
half crop, even if q four-fold amount of
phosphoric acid and nitrogen are ready for
use; and the same is true of the other ele-
ments.
Crops often come short when an abundance
OF these elements are in the soil, but some OF
them are iDsoluble Rnd will only become
plant food when after decay they are fitted
for the purpose intended This is often the
Case both with dung and chemicals. But
practically it is found that the quantity of
dung for sale is extremely limited, and it is
therefore impossible Tor the great mass of
farmers to depend on this source to make up
the loss of the elements gone from their
farms. Their attention is therefore turned to
other sources and all the known world has
been hunted for this purpose. As no COM
plete fertilizer other than dung is available.
the articles sought are obtained mostly
single.
Phosphoric acid is most readily obtained
from bones which contain some 20 to % per
cent. of it, 1t is usually found united with
lime when it is called phosphate of lime; but
as the supply Of bore becomes short rocks
were found in different parts of the world
which obtained large percentage of phos-
phate of lime, and by far the greater amount
of the phosBhates of trade are made from
rocks. The amount of South Carolina rock
annually consumed for this purpose is said to
exceed 2UO, 900 tons. Both bones and rock
require to be dissolved to be of any immedi-
ate benefit. Sulphuric acid is commonly
used for this purpose. II the bones are
ground finely decomposition will eventually
take place in the soil. Potash exists in wood
ashes but the soap man is constantly on hand
to watch for these, and as coal has to a great
extent supplied the place of wood for fuel
but little help comes to the farm from this
quarter. The farmers need of potash Ii met
by the great amount furnished by the famous
mines OF Germany. Several forms Of these
are used. such as sulphates, muriates,
nitrates, etc. Nitrogen for chemical fertillz-
ers comes to use by shiploads from several
parts Of South America in nitrate of soda
which sells Tor some SIS per ton. Dried
blood costs some S45 per ton and snlphRte
ammonia some $50 Western butcheries
supply the principal part of the dried blood
Nitrogen rates according TO its form from
10 to % cents per pound; phosphoric acid,
from 80 to l24. and potash from c to . cents
per pound. II the $50 pounds OF potash and
"A pounds of phosphoric acid per ton in the
granite rock Just alluded to were separated
from the other substances in the rock and
made soluble like tho best forms of these
elements at present rates its value would be
some SlJ. When some Yankee invents u
cheap process to do this our rocks will pan
out richer than the Black Hills gold ore and
the supply will continue n long time.
Different plants vary widely in their power
to avail themselves OF the materials contained
in the air and soil Clover will in some way
gather good supply of nigrogen where wheat
would half starve for the lack of IT, and this
in the face of the fact that clover contains u
great deal of nitrogen and wheat but little;
yet the soil where the clover grew will contain
more nitrogen after the crop il removed than
before. On the other hand, the growth of
clover is favored greatly by the
mineral fertilizers, especially potash. while
that usually does little good for wheat. oats,
barley, and the like. unless the quantity of IL
in the soil is very small. Thus it appears to
be poor economy to manure all crops and all
soils alike Special fertilizers in such cases
will add great value to the crops and with
small expense if We only know what to use.
Positive knowledge of the capabilities Of any
crop to obtain the different elements of food
ls much needed, and this must come from the
field and not from tho laboratory of the
chemist. And this applies with equal force
whether we use dung alone or chemicals, for
If folly In talk of the
fitting alike clover and wheat, or grass and
turnips.
Last spring planted with corn upwards of
forty different plots of ground, about half of
them having l-lG of All acre and the others
2-lO each, no two of which were fertiized
with material of the same name and quantity.
Among these we're plots without fertilizers to
ascertain the natural yield of the soil Great
care was taken to have the cultivation of all