The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1884-01-30
Other Ways to Make 1t.

Other Ways to Make 1t.
The bone and ashes mixture which we
have heretofore used (and the formula
for which is, by request, again reprinted
this weekly has given us perfect satisfac.
ton. But some complain that it is con-
siderable trouble, and that it cannot be
used Immediately, and they have asked
us whether these difficulties could not be
removed. We think they can, and now
propose formula which can be made up
and used at once. In the first place, in
order to avoid the delay occasioned by
wetting and drying, we shall have to sub.
stitute fine ground South Carolina phos-
phate for the fine ground raw bone of the
old mixture. This bone has good deal
of grease in it, which prevents its being
quickly rotted in the soil. The object of
wetting the ashes is to change this grease
into soap, which easily dissolves in water
and leaves the pores of the bone open, so
that the fine roots can run through and
clasp its particles, and feed upon them.
The South Carolina phosphate, when
ground fine like -four, is quite as soluble
as bone, which cannot be ground so fine,
owing to its greasy and gummy nature.
But the South Carolina phosphate, though
richer, pound for pound, than bone, in
phosphoric acid, contains nothing else
towards making complete fertilizer.
The raw bone yields one or two per cent
of nitrogen, but when the Carolina phos.
phate is used we must add heterogeneous
matter to it. We must also Except in those
soils where potash does no gooI add
some substance containing potash, to make
a complete fertilizer, such as is required
for general use. The nitrogen may be
had by using sulphate of ammonia, which
can now be had, wholesale, in Boston at
three and one-half cents per pound, but
in barrel lots, with freight added, would
cost from five to six cents, delivered at
Vermont railroad stations. 1t can be
bought of wholesale druggists or of fer
tilizer makers, but the latter are not very
willing, usually, to sell any of these ma
terials separate, as they get far more profit
by selling them mixed. Those Of our
readers who are feeding cotton-seed meal
will find that to be an excellent and cheap
substitute for sulphate of ammonia in
making up compost requiring nitrogen,
three hundred and fifty pounds of the
meal being equal in this respect to one
hundred pounds of sulphate Of ammonia.
The potash is most cheaply supplied in
Vermont by using unleached hardwood
ashes, but where this cannot be had the
German potash salts are equally effective
in the compost we are now describing;
FORMULA NUMBER ONE.
Two thousand pounds fine ground South Carolina
phosphate. S25 90
Ten bushels unleached hardwood ashes ......... 50
One hundred pounds suphate of ammonia. ...... o.
Total. S33 SC
Mix thoroughly by shoveling over six
or seven times on the barn floor. 1t should
be 30 mixed that, when finished, every
spoonful will be like every other spoonful
Better 60 over it too many times than too
few.
FORMULA NUMBER Two.
Two thousand pounds fine ground South Carolina
phosphate. S25 OF
Ten bushels unleached hardwood ashes. ........ 81
Three hundred and fifty pounds coon-seed meal. q
TOTAL S32 Il
Fertilizers made upon the above for
mulas will be found as effective in every
respect, used cost for cost, on all farm
crops, as good stable manure, and quite
as lasting. They should be sown broad
! cast on the furrow, and narrowed in. We
believe that all artificial fertilizers should
l be covered by the soil, but not deeply
r We have never had good success with any
of them when applied to old sod as top
Q dressing for grass, and this convinces vi
: that they need to be mired ,oith the soil il
Q order to be effective.
+ There are many farmers who cannot gel
d up faith enough to trust to chemical fer
tilizers entirely, and therefore they put OF
l. a small dressing of stable manure, ant
}. then use the fertilizer in the hill. Fo
this use the above mixtures will answer
r equally well with superphosphates, re
6 membering to scatter them we'll over a
l. least square foot of surface. The nj
81 trogen in these mixtures, whether we us
r, sulphate of ammonia or cotton-seed mea
6 is in an equally available form as in tn
}, commercial superphosphates, and for thi
8, reason they may be preferable especial
n when only small dressing is used) to tn
n bone and ashes mixture. Where goo