Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1881-08-26
Experiment. win warrior. Fsr,lIl.er..

Experiments with various Fertilizers.
A correspondent of the Country Gentleman
gives an account of experiments with various
commercial fertilizers and with barnyard ma
nure on the farm Of Lawson Valentine rich
business man Of New York city who can af-
ford to experiment. His farm is located in
Orange county, N. Y. The effect Of large
number Of fertilizers singly and in combinA-
ton has been tested on this seasons corn
crop. Two series of experiments were tried ;
one on very rich soil, and the other on land
not in high condition. but both pieces having
soil of uniform quality. Each piece was di-
vided into sixteen plats Of one-ffth of an
acre. To one plat was applied 200 pounds Of
muriate of potash per acre to another, 300
pounds of superphosphnte Of lime; to an
other, 275 CD nitrate of soda to another, 40
loads of barnyard manure to another, 20
loads of barnyard manure with a compound
of mineral fertilizers to others various COM
binations Of artificial fertilizers, and to one
plat nothing was added. The result in the
first series, on the fertile soil, as observed in
the growth of the corn just before tasselling,
is thus stated
1.-The adjoining plats that had received
the commercial fertilizers, either one, or q
combination of them all, show a more vigor-
Gus growth than upon the plAts that received
no artificial fertilizers. When we come to
the plat having an application of 40 loads Of
barnyard manure per acre-and Professor
Miles says 1t was an average quality--we ind
the corn at least three times as high and more
vigorous in all respects than that upon the
LII. Z l.
tween the corn on the fully manured-that is
to say, barnyard manure-plats and those
which had received the artificial fertilizers
was greater than that between those that had
received the artificial fertilizers and the corn
upon the plat that received no manuring of
any kind. Furthermore, the difference be-
tween the plats which had received the vRri-
Gus artificial fertilizers and their combina-
tions was not at all striking. What may be
the story to be told a month hence, or at the
time of harvesting, remains to be seen, but
at present there is no great difference be-
tween the coru having the superphosphate Of
lime and that having the nitrate Of soda OF
that having the potash and that having either
nitrate of soda, or superphosphate, or the
plat having both, or all the commercial fer
tilizers. When We come to the plat which
had received half of the full manuring
or bErnyard manure GO loads. and the appli-
cation of the compound mineral" manureE
as they are called, the increase of growth wai
particularly striking that is, the corn upor
the plat was larger than that upon any Of the
others save one, and that one was the pla
which had received the 40 loads of barnyarC
manure per acre. The story that is told
then, between these two last mentioned plat
is something like this A full application OF
| superphosphate, Of soda salt and of potash
| is not equal in its effect to half of these fer
tilizers when applied with 20 loads of barn
| yard manure. The striking feature Of thi
series of plat experiments with Indian corr
at this date is, that barnyard manure in tn
| quantity above mentioned stands far above
in its effects upon the corn, any of the fertil
| izers or their combinations
1t is perhaps unnecessary to state that 9th
er experiments with chemical fertilizers. a
compared with manure, have shown diferen
results, and that it has been claimed that the
may be so used as to equal the best effects Q
barnyard manure. In the similar series O
experiments on land in high condition befor
the application of fertilizers, there was II
noticeable difference between the plats havin
the chemical fertilizers and the plat havin
nothing, but a wide difference where tn
barnyard manure was applied at the rate {
40 loads to the acre or where half this
amount was applied with half quantities {
artificial fertilizers. Where the 40 loads {
manure were used the corn was a foot and
half higher than where only chem ical ferti
izers were applied.