The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1884-04-30

| much ia said in connection with 1ertll'
izers-" acid phosphate, containing but
little lime, reverted" phosphate, con-
tanning more lime, and "bone" phos.
phate, containing still more lime, and called
bone phosphate because bones are mostly
made OF it. None of these is really insolu-
BILE in the soil, but only more or less soluble.
Now for the second fertilizing material
found in the complete fertilizer, dung.
| This is POTASSIUM. It is metal looking
like silver, but soft as wax, and nearly as
iAAsmmable as phosphorus. 1t will burn
when it is thrown upon water. Though
a metal, it is light enough to float, and
piece of it thrown into dish of water
will swim around on the top of it, flaming
brilliantly until it is all burnt up. Where
did it 90 to- Taste of the water it was
burnt on, and you will find it has queer
taste. Boil the water down until it is all
evaporated, and when you "sugar it off "
you will find that you have got just ex-
actly what you get when you boil down
lye made from od-ashes-poTAsH.
The third fertilizing element in dung
was found to be NITROGEN. Pure nitro
gen is gas, and in this pure form it con-
stitutes about four-ffths of the air we
breathe. In this pure form it affects but
one of our senses. We can feel the wind,
but cannot see, taste or smell it, unless it
is tainted with something else. But when
nitrogen becomes combined with other
substances it becomes pungent enough,
and noticeable by all our senses. When
nitrogen gas and hydrogen gas unite, they
form gas which is called ammonia
(sometimes called hartshorn). This is
always found when dung cheats" and is
one of the commonest smells of dung
heap. When nitrogen combines with
Oxygen gas in due proportion, they form
together white liquid that looks as in
nocent as water, but is really one of the
strongest and most corrosive of acids,
called nitric acid, or " aqua-fortis." Oar
readers will have noticed that when wri-
ting of fertilizers we often speak of " com.
bined nitrogen" BY this convenient ex-
preston we cover all those combinations
of nitrogen found in dung or other fer
tilizers, including ammonia and its salts,
and nitric acid and its salts. What are
salts ?" the enquirer will ask. You see
that Mr.. Jameson speaks of chemicals
that look like salt" Our common salt
used on food is SALT" but there are
lots of other "salts." Some are very
familiar, like epson SALTS" which is
sulphate of magnesia. The nitrogen salts
are quite numerous, and among those
used in fertilizers are the salts of ammo
mia, and the salts of nitric acid. OF the
first, the sulphate of ammonia is most
commonly used, and looks almost exactly
like common salt. The two common
nitric acid salts are the two saltpeters,
"nitrate of potash Common saltpeter)
and "nitrate of Soda" or "soda salt
peter" The latter, being cheaper, is the
one most commonly used in fertilizers.
But besides the nitrogen " Salts" com.
bined nitrogen is found in other forms
equally useful for plant food. Flesh and
blood are both rich in these nitrogen
Gus " substances, and so are fish, cotton.
seed, etc. There is also from three to
four per cent of combined nitrogen in raw
bone. 1t is this fact which makes ground
raw bone worth more as fertilizer than
the South Carolina rock. There is as
much phosphoric acid in the South Caro-
lima rock as in bone, but not mite of
nitrogen. So by mixing ground bone and
ashes together you have complete fer
tilizer," that is, fertilizer like dung,
good for all crops. But if you use the
South Carolina rock to furnish phosphoric
acid, you must get your combined nitro
gen and your potash from other things if
you want a complete fertilizer, and you
will take your choice from among them
all according to their cheapness. For
potash you may use either ashes or Ger
man potash salts. For nitrogen you can
take your pick among sulphate of ammo
mia, nitrate of soda, dried blood, dried
fish, cotton-seed meal, etc.
Now it seems to us that in this article
we have made this matter of making ar
tificial dung Qor that is what it amounts
toy Gas plain as plain can be-" But we
know how difficult it is to learn new
things, and retain them in mind. So we
say to those who wish to understand the
subject we'll, cut out this article and study
it, and if you find anything in it that is
blind, or needs more explanation, write to
us your questions, and we will spare nc
pains to make all plain.
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