Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1882-10-11
Dried Grass, etc.

NJ. A. D., Waitsheld, wants to enquire If
the readers of this paper know any who
have got such results from feeding early
cut hay as are reported by Amssa Scott of
Craftsbury, Vermont, and whether such hay
is better than feeding grain to cows in good
pasture in summer. He also asks, "Will
barrel of ground bone, say one hundred and
fifty pounds, prepared according to DIR. Cut
ting's directions, make phosphate that
will equal a ton of the best that can be
found in market 2 Is salt aud plaster a
good fertilizer for oats without other manure
on broke-up land ?"
We should be glad if any reader knows
and will kindly tell us of any who practice
Mr.. Scott's method of cutting and feeding
dried grass" Our own idea is that very
few would have courage to do as Mr.. Scott
has done, cut the grass before it heads out,
and make it into hay. 1t is too great an
innovation (like narrowing young corn and
potatoes with a smoothing-harrow) upon re-
ceived methods, and most farmers cannot
believe that the results will be as Mr. Scott
states. But if any reader has made the ex-
pertinent, or knows of others doing so, please
report the result.
As to the question referring to DR.. Cut
tings directions for making bone fertil-
izer, the doctor says he was misunderstood,
and that he said that it would be equal to
many, not aH kinds found in the market.
He was speaking of the frauds in fertilizers
which are so common, and which will al
ways exist in every state where no check is
put upon them by law. 1t is said, we be.
lieve with truth, that far inferior phos-
phate is made for sale in Vermont and other
states where there is no law requiring a
guaranteed analysis and no state chemist
or experiment station to see that the law is
observed. Vermont can easily lose 100000
year this way, while $4,000 a year spent
on an experiment station would save; besides
helping the farmer in many other ways
But there is a good deal of penny-wisdom
and poundfoolishness among us. A gen
uine superphosphate made of raw bone
ought to have at least four times the fer
tilizing power in ton than can be got from
a barrel of bone that is, there ought to b'
at least one thousand pounds of bone used il
making ton, and we may add that it ough
to be sold at not over thirty-fve dollars pc
ton, and probably would be if farmers hat
the wisdom to buy direct of makers and re
quire warrantee as to quality. But be
tween the old fogyism and the indebtedness
of most of our farmers vast sums of none.
and moneys worth slip away.
Referring to NJ. A, DIS third query, W
can say that neither salt nor plaster ar
manures, and only indirectly fertilizers a
all. They contribute nothing in themselves
or at most very little, to the nutriment o
the crop; but if the land has unavailabl
plant-food in plenty, then plaster lime AM
salt often have the effect to make each foo
available, that is, soluble. But on barre
land they would have no effect at all, an
on fertile land they simply help the crop +
use up the fertility quickly. The good go
from the use of these substances is at tn
expense of the "condition " of the sol
But as much land contains a good deal @
unavailable plant food which lime, plaste
and salt may make available, good Gro
can sometimes be got with them wher
otherwise there would be poor one. Pla
ter acts by making the locked-up potas
available lime acts by making the veget'
BILE and animal matter in the soil availabl
while salt acts by favoring decomposition
, and also by retaining moisture. These, {
least, are the present beliefs of agriculturI
scientists upon the subject 1t is quit
likely, therefore, that plaster and salt woul
greatly help in making big crop of oa
on turned sod, but if so the soil would
left proportionaly poorer. This is not a
ways an objection, since the increase of tt
crop may more than balance the loss to tt
soil. But it is well to understand the fac
b of the case.