The Portland daily press., 1882-12-04
Superphosphate of Lime
It's Use as a Fertilizer

The use of gsuperphosphate of lime is
steadily on the increase. A dozen wears ago
its use was principally confined to market
gardens, scarcely score of farmers could be
found in any town in Maine who were US
ing 1t and these only in limited quantities.
From the few that then were but txper-
imehting with it, its use has increased till
more then one half of the farmers are now
applying it with confidence to all farm
, crops. Then we had to or three different
brands. Now the demand for it has become
SO large that factories for its manufacture
are numbered by the dozens and yearly ia
creasing, calling for large investments of
capital aud paying large dividends thereon.
1t is now freely purch ased py the hundreds
of pounds, while those that use it by the
ton are more numerous than those who used
1t at all dozen years ago.
IL may safely be presumed that the larger
part OF what is put upon the market is a
good article-just what it is claimed to be-
yet it is to be feared that no ineonsiderable
amount of it is nearly worthless, scarcely Of
more value than so much sand. The best
however. can never take the place of barn
manure. While it may, under favorable cir
cumsiances, pay when used alone in consid-
cradle quantities, the most satisfactory re-
suits are realized when it is applied more
sparingly with dressing of barn macure
It's yet all open question as to how much
may be nsed per acre TO profit, for the most
careful experiments are not agreed as to lis
lasting effects when applied to the soil. Un-
doubleday the large majority of those who
are using it are largely benefited thereby
but till practical and scientific farmers are
more nearly agreed as to its use, it may be a
question whether its use beyond three hum
dred bounds to the acre may be not at loss
Great Ignorance pXiSfS a G n off
great carelesness is displayed in its applica-
ton, which is robbing the pockets of too
many III It's purchase, and cheating them in
the end by the injury it does to their creps
When sowh broadcast there is little likeli-
hood that any will apply it to the injury of
the plant, for then IL is thoroughly ihcorpo-
rated with the soil. 1t is in the hill and drill
that so often ignorance and carelesness are
displayed in its application. To the question
how shall it be applied to corn or potatoes or
in gardening, the answer too often comes
drop it from spoon and kick little dirt
over it and drop the seed" Behold the ig-
norance here d splayed just as though
spoonful of fertilizer dropped on such a
manner that it shall cover scarcely four
square inches of ground, is going 10 feed
plant that in weeks time has started roots
in every direction, ard ere another week has
passed has reached out these so that they
are drawing nourishment to it from square
foot of ground at least. But ignorance does
not stop here. One drop of Que of the arti-
Giles used in lis manufacture when dropped
upon the flesh will burn like fire, ard eat a
hole in the thickest cloth when il comes in
cantact with it, and shall the tender root of
the plant escape injury, when in its search
after plant food it penetrates the mass so
very strongly impregnated with this power
full acid? Some have displayed such igno-
rance and stupidity as TO drop the seed first,
then the superphosphate on top of the seed
Thus applied, if the seed terminated and
came up it was because the fertilizer was
worthless, and tina, farmer sowed that crop
at the loss of his investment in sHperphos-
phate. Had the superphosphate been good,
very little of the seed would have been
sprouted.
In the vicinity of corn canning factories
this fertilizer is very largely used it is con-
sidered indispensable in the growing of
sweet corn. The farmers who does
not use il on this crop is the exception.
In the culture of sweet corn many
farmers use it FIR the first time and the
smallness or entire failure of this crop they
lay to poor seed, condenning the party that
sod, i'll adjectives not found in the diction-
airy, when the failure came not from poor
seed nor from the superphosphate, but
through the very careless and brainess
manner of the application of one to the
other. Sweet corn seed is quite as easily in
Jnred as any other seed, when brought in
direct contract with superphosphate, and
these thought are called out by the number
less talures in the culture of this crop.
plainly through ignorance and carelessness
in the application of this fertilizer thereto.
In the culture OF any crop, let us bear in
mind that good, free, mellow, moist soil is
all the seed needs to gerpinate in and this
till II begins TO send ont rootlets, its chief
nourlshment comes froc. the kernel itself
then wien we remember that those rootets
are to penetrate every portion, of the soil,
while we shall still drop our superphos-
phate from the spoon, we shall not
leave it in way to burn and scar the
root that searching for plant food, bnt
we stall SO incorporate it with the
soil that this danger may be arrested. and
so spread it about as that the plant NAV long
feed upon it. knowledge through expert
ence is often TO expensive if it may be OBJ
tanned in some other way. 1t is OF of the
blessings of the agricultural press that we
are getting so much knowledge from the ex-
periences of others. Hereafter in the applica-
ton ofsuperphosphate or,any otherifeftlizer,
If the object of feeding the plant is kept In
view, success shall attend its use. The
best way to appl it in the hill and drill is
to make afurrow nearly as deep as would
be necessary in the application of manure
from the compost heap, then drop the tertiI-
izer and with the "hoe' and not the ''toe''.
see that the little of the fertilizer, is mixed
with the much of earth before the seed is
planted, then shall the desire be satisfied
and the labor richly rewarded. Charles E.
Warren, in Home Farm.