Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1880-04-07
wATCHMAN STATE JOURNAL. 1880

V
would like to have you answer the following
questions through the columns of the
WArcHMAN have piece of land that
intend to SOW to wheat this spring, which
was planted to potatoes last year with SUI
perphosphate but no manure. The manure
for wheat was piled up on one side of the
piece last fall in pile large enough so
that it has not frozen through. The land
was plowed, aud nell plowed, last fall.
"a Would you pillow again this spring n
(2) Would you sow on any lime, and, If 80,
how much per scre2 (3) Would you use it
unslaked, or would you slake it (4) DO
you believe that covering potatoes with
straw, and then with dirt enough to keep the
straw moist, would be benefit to potatoes
Some two or three years ago / planted a
piece of potatoes that had been well ma
nured year or two before. On what con-
sidered the best part of the piece put some
manure in the hill which was all of two
thirds straw. On the balance used stable
manure in the hill When | dug them in
the fall where the strawy manure was,
had Early Rose that weighed two pounds.
Where the stable manure was they were not
more than half as good. have thought of
manuring piece, say forty loads per acre,
to be spread on and narrowed in, which
would be considered enough around here on
any land. Then furrow it out, drop my po-
tatoes, then put straw enough over them to
make a good hill, and then put dirt enough
upon the straw to prevent it from drying up.
(5) Would you use any ashes and, if so, how
much and whether broadcast or in the hill
CO. Would lime be any benefit ca use
Bradley's X. L. superphosphate some. l
shall try it on few hills Would you use
it on the whole piece? 1t does very well
on potatoes without manure. (S) plaster
apt to do good on land where there is blue
limestone, so called Some say it don't.
The limestone, so called, around here, will
stand fire well. 1t is nearly as good to build
an arch of as brick. You've FARMER.
REPLIES BY THE EDIroR.-O No; we
would harrow it well, after spreading on the
manure, then SOW, and harrow until the seed
is well covered. If you have or can borrow
a roller, it would pay to roll it after the last
narrowing. Wheat grows best in land that
has been first well plowed and then firmly
compressed. (2) We would not put any
lime on that piece this spring. In our ex-
perience, lime on light soils will make grain
rust. On heavy soils lime is often very use
full, but the year it is applied it is better to
plant with potatoes or corn than with small
grain. (3) When it is proposed to improve
heavy soil by lining the lime is taken
from the kiln and drawn upon the land,
leaving it in little heaps evenly all over the
field. These heaps are left until they fall
to powder by shaking. Then it is scattered
evenly and narrowed in. Lime should never
be plowed in. It's tendency is to sink into
the soil too rapidly any way. The quantity
used is from fifty to two hundred bushels
and the effects continue from three to fif-
teen years. Lime ought not to be used on
light soils that are destitute of vegetable
matter. On rich light soils it makes heavy
crops, but runs the land out fast, unless
much manure is applied also. 1t acts as a
stimulant to the crop and as an Alternative to
the soil, rather than as plant food. For the
latter use all naturally good soils have lime
enough to last a thousand years. Q)
Yes, we have seen good crop of potatoes
grown upon unturned sod by covering foot
deep with straw alone. (5) Ashes are al
ways good fertilizer for potatoes on light
soils. We prefer to broadcast it at the rate
of thirty bushels to the acre at least. But
if we could not get so much, we would use
handful scattered around (not in) each
hill, (6) Lime is beneficial to potatoes be-
cause by its chemical action it liberates pot
ash in the soil. On clays 1t does good,
when freely applied (say one hundred bush
els to the acre, or more), by making the soil
more friable-that is, "crumbly." O Brad
leys XII superphosphate we have always
considered an excellent fertilizer. As to
using it in any particular case, it is ques-
ton only of profit We do not think it, or
any fertilizer, pays very well on potatoes
when potatoes sell for only thirty cents
bushel. We would feed out our potatoes
every time if we could not get forty cents
for them. They are very exhausting crop
to sell off the farm, any way. (S) Plaster
is an application of which we can know the
value only by experiment Its chief value
in most cases is on clover, for which it seems
to be special manure. Plaster the land to
get good crop of clover, then turn under
your clover sod and get good crop of grain
or roots. That is the way to make plaster
pay. If superphosphates are used in the
hill, there is no need of plaster any way,
for superphosphates always contain plaster
enough for any crop they are applied to. We
guess there is not much lime in that blue
limestone"