Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1880-03-31
Professor Atwater on Fertilizers.

The Burlington university, in behalf of its
agricultural department, has employed Pro-
fessor Atwater of Connecticut to furnish a
series of six articles upon artificial fertil-
izers, which it requests the press of the state
to publish. The limited space allotted to
agriculture in this paper makes it impossible,
with due regard to variety, to give up these
columns entirely, or nearly so, to this subject
for six weeks, but we shall be glad to afford
it as much space as we can.
The first of these articles has been re.
ceived, and is chiefly of an Introductory ma
ture. The subject is one which has been
very fully treated in these columns during
the past five years. But Professor Atwater
ing his articles on series of farm expert
ments made in Connecticut, and few also
in Vermont. These experiments were made
by farmers to whom small bags of com
plete" and "iucomplete fertilizers were
sent with instructions so to use them as to
test, in various soils and upon various crops,
Just what was necessary for the production
of satisfactory results. The method in
which questions are thus put to the soil it.
self as to what it requires for the profitable
production of potatoes, of corn, or of any
other CROP has been fully explained by us
several times, but we will briefly restate
it here.
1t is assumed to begin with, that, as a
rule, no soil needs any fertilizing materials
to be artifcially supplied for the growth of
farm crops except one or more of the fol
lowing three, namely,-nitrogen (either as
ammonia or nitrates), potash and phos
phoric acid. 1t is supposed that occasionally
there may be more or less need, beyond the
natural resources of the soil, for magnesia
lime and sulphuric acid, but this is found
to occur so rarely that none of these were
furnished with these test fertilizers, except
as the last two were incidental constituents
of the phosphate material supplied. Com
mercial superphosphates always contain sui
phuric acid and lime in the form of sulphate
of lime, which is produced in the process of
their manufacture)
These small bags contained fertilizing ma
terial in aseries as follows; a. Accomplish"
fertilizer, containing phosphate of lime, a
potash salt and nitrogen salt. (2) A"par-
tial fertilizer containing phosphate of lime
and a potash salt (no nitrogen) 90 A
"partial fertilizer containing phosphate of
lime and nitrogen salt Ono potash). a.
al ipip NIT
and potash salts (no phosphoric acid) These
fertilzing materials were to be scattered
evenly upon small contiguous strips of equal
size and uniform soil, leaving one strip un-
The whole piece was then to be planted, and
at harvest the crops were carefully weighed
with the view of determining what fertil-
izer was most successful. If the complete
fertilizer gave the best results, while the I'M
MANFRED strip produced only poor crop,
the inference was drawn that the soil was
poor or exhausted, and needed, for success.
full results, to be treated with complete
manure If any of the strips upon which
the incomplete fertilizers were strewn gave
good crop, it was inferred that upon that
soil the absent ingredient was not at pres
ent required, and might be omitted, at least
for few crops. These experiments have
been considerably criticised, and are really
open to some objections. In dry year 10
valuable results could be expected. If the
experimenters were ignorant or careless, the
results would be vitiated; and when the soil
lacked uniformity, they would be mislead-
ing. Nevertheless, some information could
be expected, where reasonable care was used
and the averages were often instructive
Having thus sketched the plan upon which
Professor Atwater has worked, and in which
considerable number of intelligent farm
ers have cooperated with him, we shall, in
succeeding issues, give a synopsis or a com
mentary upon the series of articles to which
we have referred The subject of an eco
nomical and scientific feeding of the sol
goes hand and hand with that of the eco
nomical feeding of our live stock. Both de
serve much more study and attention thar
they have yet received. Professor Atwatel
is ably and actively at work upon both.