Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1881-03-01
For the SPECTATOR.
Maj. Geo. Chrisman and the Fertilizers.

The farmers of Virginia-come greet.
ing, and desire no apology of Maj. Geo.
| Chrisman for communicating to them
bis valuable experience on Warren
farm, the home upon which he has law
ished with no sparing hand forty years
OF Intelligent thought and enterprise,
with result that has made it to blOs-
som as the rose, and to produce two
blades of grass where only one grew be-
FORE" His views upon agriculture, fer
| tllizers, stOck-raising, and kindred sub
Jects, deserve and receive marked atten-
ton, and are highly appreciated by the
intelligent farmers of Virginia, and
have resulted in great Improvements in
stock-raising and largely increased their
profits. His suggestions to them in view
OF the immense sums of money annual
ly wasted upon worthless fertilizers are
highly important and opportune. Why
should not the practical farmer make
known the results OF experiments made
with the different brands of fertilizers,
through our county papers? Can any
better plan be adopted to check the use
of the bad, and encourage the use of
those which are good (if any such
there bel. Much valuable information
can doubtless be had of those who have
lavishly used the different brands of fer
tilfzers on the various crops and soils,
and even of an individual like myself,
who rarely ever uses commercial fer
tilizer and has his doubts whether the
best of them pay. something NAV be
learned by any reader of this article
worth $40 or $50, should he be inclined to
try only ton of Morant Key GuanO,
which, for short, / will call "More
Yankee" and to say to my brother
farmers. Beware of it," II have been
over that road" and made venture of
one ton relying upon an analysis show
ing it to contain an extraordinary
amount of Bone Phosphate. Applied
four hundred pounds to the acre on
wheat last Fall year. Result. no i'm.
provement Same land in wheat this
year with like result so far. The Mo-
rant Key Guano deserves more than q
passing notice. 1t resembles sand, but
contains none. 1t is very heavy and
readily soluble in water and well cal
culated to deceive. Farmers who have
used fertilizers, especially those of the
"More Yankee" or worthless class, will
confer lasting benefit upon ther bFeth-
ren by giving the public the results of
their experience with them, in which
their fond hopes of a luxuriant crop
were dissipated, as well as their cher
ished and hard earned dollars, that
their brethren may "beware of them"
Mr.. Cyrus M. Killian is regarded as
the model farmer in these parts. He
produces more wheat to the acre than
any farmer in East Rockingham, and
has experience with the better kinds of
fertilizers. Will he be so kind as to give
his views on wheat culture and fertili-
zers. They will be highly appreciated.
The East Rockingham farmers, both
small and great, seem to have been born
with the spirit of indomitable industry
which characterized their illustrious
B. YanceyS John Gibbons, Henry Kis-
Sam'l H. Lewis, VIM. Sellers, Stephen
Harnsberger, Col Henry Miller, Jere
miah Harnsberger. VIM. Kite, Jacob
Miller, and many others, whom to name
is to praise. These sires have left sons
worthy of their fair fame for intelli-
gence, perseverance, and industry. So
here "Greek meets Greek" in the race
for fortune. (Ceres the presiding God
dess. The contest waxing hot, was
forced to make the land do the
hard knocks for me. To that end, APP
piled one hundred bushels of rock lime
to the acre, resulting in slow, but, I
think, permanent improvement And
as plaster does not act so favorably upon
the lined land as 1t did before it was
lined, may it not be because there is an
abundance of that mineral in the soil,
formed by the chemical union of the
lime with the sulphate of iron which
abounds in the soil, forming sulphate of
lime-plaster. then, by means of side
dams on creek, and from the woods.
procured large amount of vegetable
mould, which applied with good effect.
Barn yard manure applied as soon as
made as top-dressing to the great rem
| ovating crop-grass-with fine results
AS a fertilizer for wheat, apply a
super phosphate of my own prepara-
tion, consisting of ground bone dissolved
with strong ashes with good effect
With all these appliances to WOO the IA
vor of Ceres and induce her to pour the
horn of plenty in profusion upon my
land, and with some attention to stock
breeding to propitiate the Major, I
would still be left far behind my ener-
getic competitors, and lose heart did l
not see in the great renovating crop
CzoUer-a bright star that leads to the
coveted gold. G. L. HOPKINS.
Rockingham papers please copy.