Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1880-06-09

The idea was to compare the effects of
mineral fertilizers (superphosphate and
potash sal) alone and of the same with
nitrogen in different amounts and forms.
Phosphoric acid was applied in superphos-
phate at the rate of 800 pounds per acre.
potash. in muriate of potash, $50 pounds
per acre, and nitrogen in nitrate of soda.
sulphate of ammonia, dried blood and
Peruvian guano, in varying amounts.
Phosphosic acid and potash were thus
| furnished in about the amounts contained
in a corn crop of so to 60 bushels, and nj
trogen in one-third, two thirds and the
full amount in the same crop. There were,
in all. 16 kinds and mixtures of artificial
fertilizers on as many plots, while ashes,
farm manures and other materials were
lett unmanured for comparison. The in
gradients were applied singly and , by 2,
and then starting with the mixture of SUI
perphosphate and muriate of potash,
mixed minerals" Nitrogen in various
forms and amounts, was added to these on
succeeding plots, after which came a
duplicate plot with mixed minerals" and
then the farm manures. The season was
cold, backward and. on the whole, in Col.
Meads's estimation, "the most unfavorable
for corn in this section for 20 years" The
unmanured plots brought from to 10
bushels of shelled corn per acre. Every
plot with potash gave a fair Weld, every
ing by the ton, freight included, 50 SO,
this and superphosphate, "mixed miner
ais" which would cost in Boston or New
York say So and in Randolph 80 gave in
one case 50 Ia and in the other 45 rs
bushels; unleached ashes, 60 bushels per
acre, gave so "a bushels; stable manure
46 %; hen manure 43 IA; and night
soil 30 5.S bushels. Thr effect of the
nitrogen was unexpected. Comparing
the plots that had nitrogen in various
amounts and forms added 10 the mixed
minerals alone. the nitrogen ("complee"
fertilizer) plots yielded less in cases out
of 9, and in the 2 in which there was an
increase with the nitrogen, this was far
from sufficient to pay the cost.
The potash salt and the mixture of that
and superphosphate brought good yields
in spite of the remarkable cold and back
ward season. The nitrogen was used at a
loss in every case.
RESULTS OF OTHER EXPERIMENTS.
Fortunately Col. Mead's experiment is
not the only one of the sort we have to
| Judge from. Like trials in 1873 and 1879
under the auspices of New Hampshire and
Maine agricultural colleges, and in Con
necticut, also, have brought results which,
though varying in detail, are similar in
subs.ance. The average yield with the
mixed mineral fertilizers in all these
special corn experiments " amounts to
trille over so bushels of shclled corn per
acre.
In the general experiments described in
the previous articles, a mixture of 200
pounds muriate of potash and 800 pounds
superphosphate brought, on the average
of 80 experiments in various states, about
~ bushels of shelled corn per acre. The
especial" experiments, however, seem n
fairer test of what the fertilizers may do
because while made on Vermont soils
and in good seasons and bad, they were
on soils and in ATTITUDES fit for corn
while many of the general experiments
were not.
THE OUTCOME OF TIE EXPERIMENTS WITH
CORN
Taking all the experiments together the
nitrogen increased the crop enough to pay
its cost in 10 trials out of 90. The pecun
larry loss rose and fell with the amount of |
nitrogen used. With the mineral" ferti- |
lizer alone the yield was fair, Il trihe less
on the average than with farm manures,
and the crop gathered from soil and air
some 60 pounds of nitrogen per acre, which
in ordinary fertilizers would cost from Sl2
to So.
AS regards the effects of the fertilizing
materials separately, the superpbosphate
was generally and the muriate of potash
often profitable, while nitrogen rarely paid
its cost. In bad seasons all the materials.
including farm manures, frequently failed
and on some soils, the same was true even
when the season was favorable. The most
effective material depended upon soil and
season.
These experiments imply that corn does
not generally get much help from nitrogen
in fertilizers; that it has somehow or
other the power to gather pretty fair
supply for itself from soil or air, or both,
and that in this respect it comes closer to
the lcgumes than the cereals; that it is
more like clover than wheat-that,in short
corn may be cassed with the "renovating"
crops. So weighty Il question, however,
demands more investigations at the same
time the results already obtained are cap
able OF a very important
PRACTICAL APPLICATIoN-RAISING CORN
TO MAKE MANURE.
The same valuations of digestible food
ingredients that would make II ton of
ordinary hay worth Sll and bushel OF
shelled corn 60 cents-would bring ton |
of well cured corn stalks at 49, Reckon
ing the stalks at only SC per ton, and 4
tons to the so bushels of sheled corn |
which came with the mixture of 3O0i
pounds superphospha,e and $50 pounds |
muriate of potash, the value of the crop
would be $4,000.
Surprising the crop TO be fed out upon
the farm, two-thirds of its nitrogen, phos-
phoric acid and potash reckoned at prices
ordinarily paid for them in equally valua-
Bile forms in commercial fertilizers, would
be worth 80, the cost of the fertilizer.
The fertilized crop probably leaves the
land in about as good condition us it was
before; the manure we'll husbanded, more
than pays for the fertilizer, and we have
the value of the crop for fodder in return
for the rent of an acre of land and the labor
of raising the corn.
IN CONCLUSION.
The dispensation of an all-wise Provi.
dence which has made soils and seasons
to differ, renders formula for corn or any
other crop irrational. We simply tell the
| farmers of Vermont what their fellow
farmers have been doing in co operation
with the college, and add that if these ex-
| periments are 10 be taken as guide:
l, In the large majority of cases where
any manure will bring Il good crop of corn,
a fair yield may be expected with some
such mixture us the one named, 800 pounds
superphosphate and $50 pounds of muriate
of potash.
9. BY the aid of this fertilizer the corn
gathers large quantity of nitrogen, which
is very important in the fodder and great
ly cnriches the manure.
SHALL WE BUY OUR CORN OR RAISE IT OUR
SELVES?
8. Corn produced in this way costs
much less than western corn. Fed to stock
and made into manure, it does much
more to enrich the land, because of the
stalks which we do not get with the west
ern corn.