Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1884-04-10
AGRICULTURAL MATTERS.
TOp-DRHssING WHEAT.
what a DeIawarean Has TO say on
the Beneiits of spring Mauuring.

the BENEFITS of spring ManurinK.
The question OF top. dressirg " heat in the
spring appears to BIS attracting consider.
able attention. The subject has been
treated Of in these columns recently,
and anyone having information to impsrt
will find his contribution welcome here.
An intelligent farmer living neal Iron
Hill thinks spring manuring forces the
grass ahead OF the wheat TO the detriment
Of the latter, but this view is combsttei
by others. IN the Neo 70 K Obse,usr Of
February 14th, Dir. David Stew art OF Port
Penn, this county, writes as follows:
More than 20 years have elapsed since |
commenced q series OF experiments that |
were published in the A. Y Obse' rer,
which demonstrated most remark ally the |
Importance of manuring wheat In the |
spriug-even as late as May in this lati- |
tude. Recently farmers report more sue |
oessful crops thus resulting, and urge a
repetition OF what they regard a. an
experiment.
In order to insure accurate results,
employed small plots, where the field
presented uniform growth thus the
normal condition Of one Of the plots was
secured for comparison; these also enabled
me to substitute personal labor for hired
labor, which would be necessary in the
use Of larger area, and less reliable.
The confirmation derived from the re-
cent publications OF Lswes reduplioates
the value OF above essays, especially ss
they are the result Of observations by sp
export during 40 years, sustained at an
enormous expense. He has ascertained
that the average supply OF manure per
acre annually derived from the soil and
atmosphere is "a pounds, one half OF which
on az average is lost by drainage; and
that the remainder sufices to prcducs Is
bushels of wheat, though no manure ia
returned, aud the acre is cropped con-
tinuously in wheat for 40 yesrs. II 80,
"a Is bushels per acre is the average crop
in the United States, all the artificial ard
other mAnures heretofore spilled 10 our
wheat in the autumn have merely acted
rs an insurance, supplementing that which
It Ia not necessary should be lost. He
says that the ruinous failures OF the
wheat crops in England during the last
seven years were due to the less of the
manure by excessive rain. The normal
loss of manure from each acre there ia II
pounds "but 800 pounds pass into the
drains during wet season, when so
form Of nitrate OF sods;" and as IA pounds
OF nitrate should add Is bushels Of whes.
to An acre, the loss by wet season must
be more than 40 bushels par scre, apart
from the manure, which was bong
say $15 for 300 pounds Of nitrate Of soda.
II half OF this manure were applied in
the spring the risk from excessive rain
would be seven.iold less in our climate,
I'D H. Il 4 49, ..
other advantages
During more than 20 years after
commenced these experiments the bes
commercial superphosphate only claimed
IL per cent. of phosI hate Of lime as solu
BILE in water, whereas now II par cent o
phosphoric acid is steacilled on the bags
which indicates more than 80 per cent o
soluble phosphate OF lime ss soluble il
water moreover this is now offered a
about half the price which the sbov
commanded. Nevertheless as | was oil
Of the pioneers in the introduction c
phosphate msnures and the first chenis
OF the Agricultural Society Of Delaware
Maryland and Virginis, my testimon
may be reliable that these modern super
phosphate5 only contain about half Of tn
soluble phosphate previously Indicate
given; by repeated analysis am sstis6e
that when IL per cent, ia nov stenoille
on the bags as ''solubls phospAorio acid
the expert understands tina; It onl
means IL per cent. OF soluble phOspha'
of lime-if weighed as suoh-iucludir
reverted phosphoric acid. (Auy farm
will understand the following illustr
lions: 100 pounds OF pepper corns" ms
ady1aa IL ct t,-s AL 1.
"pure" powdered pepper aud so usual
stenoilled. No good merchant is deceive
though it contains half it's weight
Indian meal. Phosphate of lime contain
half its weight OF phuspLoric scid, b
7 when dissolved the same proportion
phosphoric acid ID not only double I'D
the lime, but represented as double /
cause associated with water "a phC
phate Of wster.) II so, the PHI spha
used in the following experiment rita (whi
refer to) would nov be allowed dout
the solubility which it then manifesto
though it was thoroughly lssch.d vi
pure rain water.
On the 7th Of May / applied the COZ
mercial supsrphosphste OF lime ia powd
y Ito the surface OF the drill rows OF gro
n ing wheat-in the proportion II poun
+ This plot yielded nearly 50 BUSH
(49.O per acre; compared in t
4 same way with the unmsnursd p
which indicated 81 bushels (37 56); t
average yield of the whole fed v as abe
20 bushels per acre.
y Our clay soils do not require the ai
tion of nitrogen in order TO the eff ,ieu
Of phosphates, but phosphste1 may &C,
nlulate and become relatively in excess
the rainfall has been excessive duri
the winter, and in that event 100 pouu
of nitrate OF soda on the It'll OF May wor
add about Is bushels az wheat to an q
As it supplies about II pouuds
nitrogen in the form In which all pla'
derive it-whether the manure appl
be ammonia, dung or clover II, be
ever, the phosphate has rot been appl
in the autumn, or If it bss been lescl
from the soil during the wlntrf,
nitrate applied in the spriog must utte
fail.
On another occasion the crop
nearly doubled by the use Of phosph
in the spring 80 bushels being iniica
by the manfred plot, while the
Z MANFRED only yielded l6
Tbs average wheat crop indicates
rental Of farm-this farm never RVers
( $500 under the best tsnants-but
yielded me 81 900 from my wheat C
in 1867, though sold AT shout IL 81
bushel, due to the liberal use Of pt
pilates; before their Introduction
most remarkable crop yielded Il 900
was sold at So per bnsnel to "a. by
Wilmington, in 1872 1t is not, hove,
the most successful use Of manure,
the most economical use of labor, VII
mskee farmer.
AS factor in farming, labor is
tainly far more expensive than fertile
2 and 1t is claimed that free use o.
latter, raising the productiveuess of
land, yields better returns than ineI
ing the acreage and cOns.qu-u. nsces
for added labor. the doctors EXP
ence IS given above is point IL fave
intelligent fertiliajng. The Sou:
Cuitivator last January published
intel esting article on the different fac
OF expense in farming and thsir econ
icsl employment, which it il hoped
find room for here shortly