The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1884-03-19
Mr.. Cheever on SuperphOsphates.

The intelligent and practical editor of
the New England Farmer, discussing the
question of soluble superphosphates,
uersus the so-called "insoluble phos-
pilates, such as bone, or the South Caro-
lima phosphate-rock, says, in an article of
considerable length:
"The belief is gaining ground in the
minds of many that farmers have made
a mistake in insisting that the phosphates
they buy shall be wholly soluble, or, as it
is often expressed, shall be in the form of
superphosphates. Farmers have been
taught that fertilizers, to be of any i'm
mediate use, must be presented to the
plant in soluble form, which is undoubt-
eddy true. But it does not necessarily
| follow that manures or fertilizers applied
in a. comparatively raw state may not
sometimes be quite as economical to ap-
ply as if they were first reduced to per-
fectly soluble condition. The plants have
some power in the matter. If all the
plant food in soil were to be rendered
Immediately available, by making it SOL
uble in water at ordinary temperature,
there would be the greatest probability
that the fertility of such soil would be
washed out of it by the rains in a COM
paratively short time. We
cannot wait for raw, whole bones to rot
in the soil after we put in our seeds. We
must have them in more readily available
form. The question then arose, What
is the best form in which to apply them?
The answer very naturally came, in a
soluble form, and 80 our fertilizer man
ufacturers Immediately undertook to give
it to US in that form that is, in the form
of superphosphates And the farmers
soon discovered, by trial, that superphos
pilates acted very much quicker upon
their crops than the ordinary ground bone
which had not been treated with sui.
phuric acid. The manufacturers also
were not slow in finding out that, at the
same price per ton, there was chance to
make quite as large profit from their
business if they sold all their phosphoric
acid in the soluble form that is, by dis
solving the bone in sulphuric acid. Sui
phuric acid, of the proper strength for dis
solving bone, contains large amount OF
water, one of the cheapest of substances
} The truth is, that by the adoption OF
labor-saving machinery for manipulating
the materials, the fertilizer can be sold
cheaper after treating it with acid than
before, on account of the extra weight
!, tn 1t has been added in the form of sui
, phuric acid and water. We
have been fortunate in finding fertilizer
manufacturers who were honest enough
to tell their customers what they believed
was their best course to pursue. The re
suit has been that our purchases of bone
have been largely of those grades which
are sufficiently available, but much more
lasting than the acid treated brands, and
at the same time, more economical il
? price. DR.. Hoskins treated upon this sub
a ject quite at length in his writings las
year, and others have occasionally touched
: upon it, but the public is not beyond the
l need of more talking and more writing"
Mr.. Cheever also republishes yer,
able article by A. R. Guerard, an English
= writer, from which we have room only TO
three pithy paragraphs, as follows;
"First, have our scientific agriculture
= authorities been misleading US for fort.
! years No, but if | may express it b.
a smile, they have been leading us a
first-class rates with no advantage owe
Q second or third.class. Second, was Lie
7 big mistaken when he suggested tina
A bones should be dissolved in sulphuri
acid No, for he did not say, use phos
phate in the soluble state only. He di'
9 not say, pay twice as much for it as TO
4 insoluble mineral phosphate. Third, ha
Z Lawes been wasting energy, intelligence
= and capital in the manufacture of super
. phosphates of lime ? No, for it has re
t turned TO him, and probably all manur
IS manufacturers, good interest on capits
d employed"