Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1880-04-02


tions which they asking. Questions on which fur
Their information IL desired may be addressed to me,
and answer will be made either in future articles or
''''''' NJ. II. BucKHAM President
No. ..
The table herewith gives results of some of
the experiments referred to in the previous
article As there explained, the object of the
experiments has been to get more definite in
formation as to what commercial fertilizers
Vermont farmers can profitably use
The principle upon which they are based is
briefly this. The chief Office of fertilizers is
to supply the plant-food that our crops need
and soils fail to furnish II is not good econ
omy to pay high prices for materials which
the soil may yield in abundance but it is
good economy to supply the lacking ones in
the cheapest way. The most important in
gradients of our common commercial fertil-
izers are phosphoric acid, nitrogen, and pot
ash, because of both their scarcity in the soil
and their high cost
VALUABLE INGREDIENTS OF COMMERCIAL
FERTILIZERS.
Certain kinds of fertilizers sold in the
markets furnish nitrogen and little or moth
ing else of much value for plant food Such
are dried blood meat-scraps, sulphate of
ammonia and nitrate of soda. Others, as
phosphates andtsuperphosphates, owe their
effectiveness mainly to their phosphoric acid.
Still others contain both nitrogen and phos-
phoric acid. Such are Peruvian guano, fish
guano bone, and "ammoniated" superphos-
pilates. Peruvian guano and fish supply con-
siderable of both nitrogen and phosphoric
acid, while bone and 'ammoniated' super
phosphates contain a large proportion of
phosphoric acid and but little nitrogen. Pot
ash is supplied in the German potash salts,
the "muriate of potash" "sulphate of pot
ash" and kainit. The complete fertilizers"
or special fertilizers prepared according to
formulas for special crops, as corn, potatoes,
turnips etc, contain all the above ingredi-
ents Farm manures stable manure, hen
manure, etc, supply NIL the soil-ingredients of
plant food. Wood ashes contain all but nitro.
gen.
There are many cases in which crops fail
because the soil does not supply enough phos-
phoric acid and where an application Of SUI
perphosphate or bone dust brings a bountifu
harvest There are likewise many in which
potash is especially deficient and potash salt
or unleached ashes will supply the need. In
some cases nitrogen in nitrate of soda or 9TH
err form has the desired effect. In others nj
trogen and phosphoric acid are needed and
Peruvian guano or fish may be used with
great profit. Iu still others mixture of STU
perphosphate or bone dust and potash salt,
supplying phosphoric acid and potash, is the
most economical material. Again on some
soils and for some crops nothing short of a
complete" fertilizer will suffice. And final
ly, while most soils respond to the applca-
ton of manures there are many on which all
fertilizers fail.
PLAN OF THE EXPERIMENTS.
Nitrogen, phosphoric acid and potash are
the materials which our soils most frequent
ly fail to supply in abundance to our crops.
But they are expensive. We cannot afford
to use them whore they are not wanted, nor
can we afford to let our crops fail when APP
plication of one or more would bring a good
harvest We must then try to find the needs
of our soils and crops and the materials that
will most probably. supply them.
The experiments were arranged to furnish
nitrogen, phosphoric acid and potash, one by
one two by two and all three together Nit.
rogen was supplied in nitrate of soda; phos
phorc acid with sulphurc acid and lime in
high grade-superphosphat dissolved bone
black and potash in murate of potash
Plaster Containing sulphuric acid and lime
as sulphate of lime) and farm manures were
also employed. The materials were used OF
parallel plots of one-tenth or one-twentiett
acre. in proportions which gave amounts pei
acre az ~ the table
EXPLANATION OF TABLE,
Thus plot A in each experiment had nitrate
of soda at the rate of 200 lbs. with 30 lbs. Of
nitrogen per acre. IlOl ID nhu hupeIpuOS
phate at the rate of 800 lbs. with 4S lbs Of
phosphoric acid. Plot 200 lbs. of muir
ated potash. Plot d $50 lbs. nitrate of sodi
and 300 lbs. of superposphate and SO on
plot G having complete chemical fertiliz
or" which furnished all the Ingredients ordin
arily deficient in our soils and the plot +. NJ
farm manures of such sorts and amounts a
the experimenters chose to use.
Most of the trials were upon worn out gras
nj favorable
but in some cases SO wet or so dry, so warn
or so cold as to materially injure the crop
The examples given are selected from larg'
number of which full details will appear il
the next biennial report of the college. Will
these explanations the table will be clear ant
W. need only note few of the principal
RESULTS OF THE EXPERIMENTS.
Iu Mr.. Landon's experiments, No. x
none of the fertilizers had any very market
effect The reason seems to have been bat
weather, cold and drouth, though the soil,
compact clay loan, was hardly the most ia
vorable for corn. Mr.. Smith, No. 3, ha
scarcely more encouraging success. he re
ports favorable weather, and it looks a
though the soil was at fault.
In Mr.. Toby's experiment, No. f. on tn
other hand, the ingredients separately are o.
eficacious, and together, in q, they bring 4
bushels per acre, while the farm manur
brings no increase at all Doubtless tina
will show its effect hereafter. Mr.. Jameson
No. 4, gets no crop of any amount withou
potash. With it there is in every case,
moderate increase Mr.. Rising, No. I, ha
good results with all the material. Takin
cost into account plaster is far the mos
profitable of all Mr.. Chedel, No. s, find
potash useful in every case but gets the bes
results with the complete fertilizer, G.. MI
Winslow, No. ., like Mr., Chedel, gets goo
l., H.. ,fpt
perphosphate and potash salt the most profit
able.
On the whole the results vary widely wit
the soils But these figures alone are nc
satisfactory, without further consideration
which will appear hereafter. Meanwhile
may be noted that
The most profitable material in eac
case is the one that best fits its special needs
= The largest average results were OF
tanned with the complete" chemical ferti
izer G., which excelled even the farm mf
nures.
B. The most profitable fertilizer on tn
average was the mixture of superphosphat
and potash salt. As we shall see later, thes
two materials rightly applied have prove
extremely profitable for corn. According
the very emphatic testimony Of these exper
nents, Vermont farmers will find it yer
much to their advantage TO raise corn by tn
aid of superphosphate or bone dust and mi
rate of potash
Table No. gives
LIST. Results of several experiments wit
potatoes, turnips, sugars beets and oats
I'd. general summary of results of el
periments, including those made under tn
same general plan in other States
EXPERIMENTS WITH POTATOES.
In Mr.. SHOWS experiment, No. l, ever
plot which had superphosphate gave ia
yield, every one without it failed. The chic
need of that soil seems to have been pho