Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1880-05-07
VOL. LII. NEW SERIES, VOL. XIV

stable manure 46l hen manure 43t
and night soil 30; bushels. The effect o.
the nitrogen was unexpected. Compar
: ing the plois that had nitrogen in vari
ous amounts and forms added to the
mixed minerals with those that had mix
ell minerals alone, the nitrogen ('com
plete" fertilizer) plots yielded less IL
seven cases ont of nine, and in the two
i'll which there was an increase with the
nitrogen, this was far from sufficient TO pay
the cost
The potash salt and the mixture oi
that and superphosphate brought good
yields in spite of the remarkably cold
and backward season. The nitrogen was
used at 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 1878 and 1879
under the auspices of the New Hamp-
shire ami Maine Agricultural Colleges,
and in Connecticut, also. have brought
results which, though varying in detail,
are similar in substance. The average
yield with the mixed mineral fertilizers
in all these Especial corn experiments
amounts to "A triflc over 80 bushels Of
shclled corn per acre.
In the general experiments described
in the previous articles, n mixture OF 2OO
pounds muriate of potash and 800 pounds
superphosphate brought, on the aver
age of fifty-three experiments in various
States, about 40 bushels of shelled corn
per acre The special experiments,
however, seem 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 lati-
tudes fit for corn, while many Of the gen.
eral experiments were not
CORN.
| Taking all the experiments together,
the nitrogen increased the crop enough
| to pay its cost in thirteen trials out of
ninety-six. The pecuniary loss rose and
fell with the amount of nitrogen used
With the mineral fertilizer alone the
yield was fair, trihe less on the average
than with farm manures, and the crop
gathered from soil and air some G5
pounds OF nitrogen per acre, which
in ordinary fertilizers would cost from
twelve to fifteen dollars.
As regards the effects of the fertilizing
materials separately, the superphosphate
was generally and the muriate of potash
often profitable, while nitrogen rarely
paid Its cost In bad seasons all the ma
terials, including farm manures, fire.
quently 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 some
how 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 leGumes than the cereals
that it is moro likN clover than wheat
that, i'll short, corn may be classed with
the ''renovating" crops. So weighty
question, however, demands more inves-
tigation nj the same time the results al
ready obtained are capable of n very I'M
portani
MAKE MANURE.
The same valuations of digestible food
ingredients that would make ton OF
ordinary hay worth Sll00 and bushel
of shelled corn GO cents-would bring
ton of well-cured corn-stalks at $500.
Reckoning the stalks at only $500 per
ton, and l. tons to the 80 bushels of
shelled corn which came with the mix
ture of 800 pounds superphosphate and
80 pounds muriate Of potash, the value
Of the crop would be Sl0.50
Supposing the crop to be fed out upon
the farm, two-thirds of its nitrogen,
phosphoric acid and potash, reckoned at
prices ordinarily paid for them in equally
valuable forms i'll commercial fertilizers,
would be worth 50 90, the cost of the fer
tilizer. The fertilized crop probably
leaves the land in about as good condi-
ton as it was before the manure, well
husbanded, more than pays for the fer
tilizer, and we have the value of the crop
acre Of land and the labor Of raising the
corn.
IN CONCLUSION
The dispensaiion of an all-wise Provi-
dence which has made soils and seasons
to differ, renders a 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 experiments are 10 be taken as
guidc
|. In the large majority Of cases where
any manure will bring good crop Of
corn, n fair yield may be expected with
some such mixture rs the one named
800 pounds superphosphate and l5O
pounds of muriate Of potash.
,. BY the aid of this fertilizer the corn
gathers II large quantity OF nitrogen.
which is very important in the fodder
and greatly euriches the manure
SHALL. We Buy OUR CORR OF RAISE IT OUR
SELVES?
3. Corn produced in this way costs
much less than Western corn. Fed to
s.orl. and made into manure, it does
much more to enrich the land, because Of
the stalks which We do not get with the
I Western corn.
l. Either the unanimous testimony Of
/ these experiments by progressive farmers
! on their farms is wrong, or corn can, by
aid of artificial fertilizers, be grown with
/ profit in Vermont.
). The best evidence at hand implies
that, i'll most cases, the best way is to ap
ply light dressing of farm manure and
supplement with proper commercial
fertilizer, supeiphosphate or muriate of
potash or both.
6. We suggest to farmers to try corn
growing in these ways. If they will re-
port their experience to the college 1t
will thank them and do its best to make
the results known and useful through the
State.
Errafum.
In experiments Nos. >, 8 and 8. Table
|, the figures i'll columns f. and r. should
be transposed.
NIAGARA,
BI JOSEPH COOK
lylbg one summer day, under the sheets OF The
cataract which bushes the breath Of men souls al
NlHgata, and thinking of cataract of second
causes which may continue To nov through eternity,