Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1880-05-03

cannot afford to pay from nineteen to twen-
ty-seven dollars for fetilizers for an acre
of corn. The experiments previously de-
scribed show that Mr.. Lawess mixture
would frequently fail for lack of potash,
and the large quantities of superphosphate
and plaster in the Vile would not do for
us. In the Stockbridge formular the chief
expense is for the nitrogen. The ''min-
eral" ingredients, superphosphate and pot
ash salt, are comparatively inexpensive.
Will they serve the purpose without nitro
gen? The first things to be learned are
the power which the plant has to gather
its supplies for food from natural sources,
and the spcifc effects of different fertiliz-
ing materials upon its growth.
THE FEEDING CAPACITIES OF PLANTS.
Leguminous crops like clover, do, some
how or other, gather a good supply of nit
rogen where cereals, such as wheat, bar
ley, rye and oats, would half starve for
want of it, and this is the face of the fact
that leguminous plants contain great
deal of nitrogen, and cereals relatively lit
tie. AS a matter of experience it is found
that while wheat usually demands and re-
spends to heterogeneous manures, clover
does well with mineral fertilizers, super
phosphates, 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 the soil is little or
no poorer in nitrogen than it was before
the clover grew upon it. Indeed, taking into
account the roots and stubble, it is rich
er. Hence clover is known as ''renova-
ting" crop while wheat ranks an "exhaus-
! ting" crop. Often the best way to ma
nure the land is to grow clover, and turn it
under or feed it out and return the manure
to the land
| is CORN AN EXHAUSTIVE OR A 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 $40 SIS
cash in the spring for nitrogen for an acre
| of corn, run all the risks of soil and
season, and wait unnil winter for the
return, the furture of corn-growing is not
bright, But if, on the other baud, we may
omit the nitrogen, apply only the inexpen-
sive mineral fertilizers, reduce, the yield
but little, have the corn gather the nitro
gen itself, feed it to the stock, and thus
get rich manure for other crops at low
cost, than corn-growing with commercial
fertilizers may become one of the most DO
tent agencies for amelioration of agricul-
ture in Vermont.
EXPERIMENTS BY COL. MEAD OF RANDOLPH.
Our experiments have something to say
about this matter. One by Col. J. B. Mead,
State superintendent Of Agricultural At
fairs, is especially instructive.
The idea was to compare the effects OF
mineral fertilizers (superphosphate and
potash salt) alone of the same with nitro.
gen in different amounts and forms. Phos.
phoric acid was applied IN superphosphate
at the rateOf 300 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 qua.
no, in varying amounts. Phosphoric acid
and potash were thus furnished in about
the amounts contained in a corn crop OF
two-thirds and the full amount in the same
crop. There were, in all, sixteen kinds
and mixtures of artificial fertilizers on as
many plots, while ashes, farm manures
and other materials were also used anC
several plots were left unmanured for com
parison. The ingredients, were applied
singly and two by two, and then starting
with the mixture of superphosphate ant
Nitrogen, in various forms and amounts
was added to these on nine succeeding
plots, after which came a duplicate plo
with 'miXed minerals and then the farm
manures. The season was cold, backward
and, on the whole, in Col. Mead's estima
ton, "the most unfavorable for corn il
this section for twenty years. The un
manfred plots brought from to 10 bush
els of shelled corn per acre. Every plo
with potash gave fair yield, every on
without failed. The muriate, costing b,
the ton, freight included, 1897, brough
Al IA bushels the mixture of this an,
superphosphate, ''mixed minerals" whicl
would cost in Boston or New York say So.