Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1880-05-07

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! twenty-sevsn dollars for fertilizers for an
acre Of corn. The experiments previous
ly described show that Mr.. Lawes's mix
ture would frequently fail for lack Of
! potash, and the large quantities of super
phosphate and plaster in the Vile
would not do for us In the Stockbridge
formula the chief expense is for the nj
trogen. The mineral ingredients, Sill
perphosphate and potash salt, are COM
parativeiy inexpensive VIII they serve
the purpose without the nitrogen
The first things to be learned are the
power which the plant has to gather its
supplies of food from natural sources,
and the specific effects Of different fey
tilizing materials upon its growth.
THE FEEDING CAPACITIES OF PLANTS.
Leguminous crops, like clover, do,
somehow or other, gather good supply
of nitrogen where cereals. such as wheat,
barley. rye, and oats, would half starve
for lack of it, and this in the face of the
fact that legumincus plants contain
great deal of nitrogen. and cereals re-
latively little. As a matter Of experience
it is found that while wheat usually de
mandS and responds to heterogeneous man
ures, clover does well with mineral fer
tilizers, superphosphates, potash salts,
plaster, ashes, etc, and is very little
helped by nitrogen And, what is still
more remarkable, the best evidence We
have indicates that after crop OF clover
with its large amount Of nitrogen is taken
away, til soil is little or no poorer in hi
trogen than it was before the clover grew
upon it Indeed, taking into account the
roots and stubble, it is richer Hence
clover is known as a ''renovating" crop
while wheat ranks as an 'exhausting''
crop. Often the best way to manure the
land is to grow clover, and turn it under
or feed it out and return the manure to
the land
Is CORN An ENHAUSTING OR REMOVAL
ING CROP.
Can corn gather its nitrogen from soil
and air like clover, or does it, like wheat,
require large quantities in fertilizers? Is
it especially helped by phosphoric acid
like turnips, or is potash more important
to aid its growth? The main question
is the nitrogen supply. If farmers who
have not enough manure advance from
SO to Sl5 cash in the spring for nitrogen
for an acre of corn, run all the risks of
soil and season, and wait until winter for
the return, the future Of corn growing is
not bright But if. on the other hand,
We may omit the nitrogen, apply only the
inexpensive mineral fertilizers, reduce
the yield but little, have the corn gather
the nitrogen itself, feed it to stock and
thus get rich manure for other crops at
low cost, then corn growing with com
mercial fertilizers may become one Of the
most potent agencies for the ameliora-
ton OF agriculture in Vermont
EXPERIMENT BY COL. MEAD Or RANDOLPH.
Our experiments have something to say
nboat this matter. One by Col J. B.
Mead, State Superintendent of AgIicul-
tural Affairs, is especially instructive
The idea was to compare the effects of
mineral fertilizers (superphosphate and
potash salt alone and ofthe same with hi
trogen in different amounts aud forms.
Phosphoric acid was applied in super
phosphate at the rate Of 800 pounds per
acre, potash III muriate Of potash, $50
pounds per acre, and nitrogen in nitrate
of soda, sulphate Of ammonia, dried
blood and Peruvian guano, in varying
amounts. Phosphoric acid and potash
were thus furnished III about the
amounts contained in Al com crop of %
to 60 bushels, and nitrogen in one third,
two-thirds and the full amount in the
same crop. There were, III all, sixteen
kinds and mixtures Of artificial fertilizers
on as many plots, while ashes, farm
manures and other materials were also
used and several plots were left unman-
ured for comparison. The ingredients
were applied singly and two by two, and
then starting with the mixture of super
phosphate and muriate Of potash, INK
cd minerals" Nitrogen, in various forms
and amounts, was added to these on ninc
succeeding plots, after which came du-
plicate plot with "mixed minerals" and
then the farm manurcs. The season was
cold, backward and, on tho whole, in
Col. Mead estimation, 'the most unfavor
able for corn in this section for twenty
years" The unmanured plots brought
from TO 10 bushels of shelled corn pei
, acre. Every plot with potash gave a
fair yield, every one without it failed
The muriate, costing by the ton, freigh
included, S3.3S, brought All bushels
the mixture Of this and superphosphate
"mixed minerals" which would cost il
Boston or New York say $500 and il
Randolph $500, gave in one case 80. ant
in the other 45g bushels; unleached ash
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