Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1880-04-30

| N questions which they are asking. Quesllous VI
which further information il desired may he al
dressed to me, and answer will be made either ii
future articles or by private communication.
NJ IL. BucKHiM. President
WHEN AND WHERE TO Use THESE FERTILt
ZERs.
As our experiments, general experience,
and sound science show, soils, crops and
other conditions differ. and each man
must study his own. Nevertheless there
are some general facts that help in de-
eiding what fertilizers are best.
FERTILIZERS FOR CORN.
In the experiments with corn, nitrogen
was rarely, the potash salt often, and
superphosphate generally profitable,
where soil and season were such as to
permit good growth with any manure.
On the average, the most profitable mix
ture used for corn las been three hun
dred pounds of superphosphate (dissoiv-
/ ed bone black or other mineral super
phosphate) and $50 pounds of muriate
of potash. At S35. 90 per ton for super
phosphate and $40 per ton for tie mu-
riate this would come to SS.25, to which
must be added cost of freight and ap-
plying In the average of number
of special experiments mot described IN
the previous articles) this las brought
50s bushels of shelled corn. Addition
of nitrogen has increased the yield some-
what, but generally not enough to pay
the cost. A mixture of $50 to 200 pounds
of muriate of potash and 800 to 4C1
pounds of fine bone dust has also given
! excellent results with corn.
Unless the unanimous testimony OF the
/ experiments is false, Vermont farmers
can add greatly to the fertility of their
fields and the profits of their farming if
instead OF buying Western corn they
will raise it, with such helps as We shall
hereafter take occasion to explain in
more detail
FERTILIZERS FOR POTATOES AND TUENIPs.
Potatoes have responded well to all the
ingredients, nitrogen, phosphoric acid,
and potash. The complete fertilizers
have been the most profitable IN nearly
all the cases where soil and weather were
not too adverse The mixture of 800
pounds superphosphate, 200 pounds mu-
riate Of potash. and 80 pounds nitrate Of
soda, costing about Sl5.5 30, has brought
an average yield of l60 bushels, and in
some cases over300 bushels, about double
the product without manure. Nitrogen
could be furnished more cheaply in sui
phate of ammonia or dried blood, than
in the nitrate of soda Peruvian guano
would probably be better still to supply
nitrogen and phosphoric acid. Fish
would serve tho same purpose.
The experiments with turnips have
shown the best results with the complete
fertilizer though they responded well to
the snperphosphate i'll every case. But
they are as yet too few, however, for re-
llhble lnltIeHces- otili ilt. U''piu WIN
the common impression that makes phos-
phoric acid, in the form of superphos-
phate and bone-dust, almost n specific
for turnips
FERTILIZERS FOR GRAIN AND GRASS CROPS.
For wheat, oats, rye and barley, gene
raj experience favors nitrogen and phos-
phoric acid, though potash is frequently
profitable. Peruvian guano, fish bone,
superphosphates and sometimes potash
salts are apt to be profitable. For grass
land, bone, superphosphates and often
potash salts are found useful. Clover is
especially benefited by potash and gets
little good from nitrogen. Sometimes
heterogeneous fertilizer like sulphate of
ammonia is excellent as top-dressing IN
spring, to force backward crop Of grass
or grain. The old pastures and meadows
of our dairy farms are very commonly
deficient in phosphates. Bone supplies
this lack cheaply. 1t is slow and lasting
in its action and hence particularly good
for seeding down to grass
QUANTITIES OF COMMERCIAL FERTILIZERS TO
Use.
The amount that can be proftably
used varies, of course, with circumstan-
ces From 100 to $50 pounds of pot
ash salt, $50 to 400 pounds Of superphos-
hot 10, g Iilaf
200 to 800 or 400 pounds of Peruvian
guano, 80 to 200 pounds of dried blood
or nitrate of oda, and 100 to $50
pounds of sulphate of ammonia are mod
crate dressings per acre. Where several
articles are used together, somewhat less
of each would naturally be applied than
where they are employed separately.
When used with farm manures, still
smaller quantities suffice. Two hun
dred pounds of superphosphate. or 100
pounds Of muriate of potash, do very
well to supplement a dressing of stable
manure. Indeed, on farms removed from
the larger markets this is usually the best
way to employ such costly Il sterials.
They furnish plant-food ready for imme-
diate use and thus the crop is apt to get
better start, ripen earlier, and be larger
than with farm manure alone. Amoderate
excess Of the fertilizerabovcth the demands Of
the crop does it no harm unless it is concen-
trated too closely about the roots. The
| absorptive power of most soils suiliccs
to retain most of the phosphorc acid
and potash until they are used by plants,
but nitrogen is exposed to more or less
rapid loss by being leached away by
drainage water. forming inert compounds
in the soil, or escaping into the air. If
the phosphates and potash salts, there
fore, are not taken up by the first crop,
the soil will usually hold them for sue
ceeding ones, while more or less Of the
nitrogen will run to waste
HOW TO APPLY COMMERCIAL FERIILIzERs.
| The safest way is TO apply broadcast,
but they may be put IN the hill or drill,
prooided Utey are tceH diDuscd through
the soil This last point is very import
ant
Farmers are apt 10 think the manure
must be put close to the seed or the plant
will not get the benefit of it. This il
wrong. 1t is not the Just germinated
plantlet that needs the manure, but the
plant, from the time it is well started I'M
til Its growth is done. We want, not
only to give the crop good start, but to
help it out on the home stretch as we'll
The roots aid their branching rootlets
run out in all directions in search Of food,
and the fertilizers ought to bo where ~
many Of the rootlets as possible can get