The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1885-02-04


Total So lbs. Ism 8A bs
This gives us pretty nearly the right pro-
portions, being exact for the phosphoric
acid, but three-fourths pound too much
of nitrogen and the same quantity too
little Of potash; yet, for all practical
purposes, near enough. 1t is plain that
the same proportions could be got by
leaving out the bran and increasing the
cotton-seed meal, or rice versa.
These proportions are pretty nearly cor
rect, taken as averages, when no other
manure is to be.used. But if half dress
ing of stable manure is first applied,
and we then want to make up the
proper amount of plant food by the use
of this compound, we need less nitro
gen still, for most crops, though not for
tobacco, onions, hops, and few other
crops which experience has shown to
be "gross feeders" that is, needing
more than the average supply of nitro
gen in manures. (On some sorts of
heavy soil very little or no potash would
be needed). The reason why we
should need less nitrogen in our fertil-
izer when we use half manure is, that
stable manure has, for most crops, an
excess of nitrogen. Therefore, if we
apply half dressing of good, well-pre-
served stable manure, we can get a
good crop of corn or potatoes, using fer
tilizer containing only phosphoric acid
and potash. But the way manure is gen.
orally handled by farmers, good deal
of the nitrogen is lost before it leaves
the stable. Therefore farmers generally
have found that complete fertilizer,
containing the usual proportions of
nitrogen, phosphoric acid and potash,
goeswell with half dressing of ma
nure. But they generally miss it by
not using quite enough of the fertil-
izer. One barrel to the acre is always
too little. 1t will always pay to use
two barrels, and often money can be
made by using three.
In reply to the second question, the
best way will be to give an average
analysis of Bradley's Y L superphos-
phate, taken from the last Vermont ag-
ricultural report, page four hundred
seventeen.
Nitrogen, pounds in ton So
Phosphoric acid pounds in a ton.....,.......... 2i6
Potash. pounds In AZ
A ton of Quests mixture would con-
tain:
Nitrogen, pounds in a ton ...................... 81
Phosphoric acid pounds in aton................ 81
Potash, pounds In 100
In computing the relative value of
the two fertilizers the vexed question
comes up in regard to the extra value
we shall allow to soluble" and " re-
verted " phosphoric acid, over what is
commonly, but falsely, called insol-
uble." In Quests mixture the phos-
phoric acid would, by rule, have to be
all reckoned as insoluble," but, as il
exists in all three of the ingredients,
cotton seed meal, bran, and ashes, it is,
or has recently been, in an organized
form, Chat is, part of growing plant)
and in our opinion just as good and
available, and consequently just as
valuable, as that in the fertilizer. If,
with this assumption, we take the " com.
mon standard " of prices, ton of Brad
ley's X l. will be worth S32.S6, and a
ton of Quests will be worth $23.25.
These are commercial, and not neces-
sarily agricultural, values. We have
now only to reply to the query about
corn. We cannot do this positively
but we think, from our own experience
that if we want to keep an eight-rowed
corn, no matter how thoroughbred
from sporting" Gas the gardeners cal
iD, into ten and twelve-rowed ears, we
must be careful not to over-manure it
especially with manure rich in nitrogen
? The richer the soil and the warmer the
climate, the more rows the ears seen
to produce. Therefore, in the +" sunny
south and the fertile west, the corr
rapidly runs up to sixteen, eighteen
, twenty and even more rows to the ear
while along the northern limits of the
plant, in New England and Canada, i
: modestly contents itself with forming
mostly eight-rowed ears.