The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1886-12-23
Discussion on Commercial Fertilizers.

At the Stockton Grange, Dec. 10, on the question
held at Augusta the 2lst, it decided not to send
one. few remarks were made in regard to
whether the State Grange should be urged to pro
pose to buy up all the products of the grangers'
farms by establishing a wholesale department at
Portland for that purpose, and having agents or
agencies over the State where each granger could
send whatever he had to sell and turn either into
money or exchange for other goods. The matter
will probably come up for full discussion at a
future meeting and if decided to urge the move we
shall send instructed delegate to the State
Grange to present it for their consideration.
The next thing of public interest was a short dis
cussion on commercial fertilizers, but to make the
matter clear to the readers must report the last
end Of the discussion first. eve have blackboard
and chalk crayons in our hall and other oranges
would find such things usefulD The lecturer put
the following on the blackboard: Composition of
Plants Ce-crust C. II, IL. 10, o. 10; Ccll-contents
Go II. 81, o. II, \. D. Air \. L. O; Water II > O.
Charcoal, c. Then explained this as follows A
plant is all made up of little cells and what will
describe one of these little cells will describe all
cells and all plants. Each little cell has hard
crust and soft matter filling the inside. The crust
is made of carbon twelve parts, hydrogen ten
parts and oxygen ten parts and written u. u, III.
TO- o. 10. The soft matter inside of the little cell
is made of carbon forty parts hydrogen thirty one
parts; oxygen twelve parts; nitrogen five parts,
and written G. 40, IL. 81, o. Il, No. He explained
that the difference between the crust of the cell
and its inside, one being hard, still or apparently
dead matter and the other being soft, live matter
dependent upon the addition of the nitrogen to the
inside matter. His argument was that hy elrogen
and nitrogen will not unite or stay together unless
put together and held together by some power out
side of themselves, and as result when these two
substances get pushed into one cell and rolled in
they are bound to keep things lively and expanding,
Although these two elements cannot live together
i'll peace, that is cannot settle together into Il still
and solid form, they are both strongly attracted to
carbon or to oxygen or TO both. When carbon and
hydrogen are in excess then they can hold nitrogen
and hydrogen together and hold them SO still as to
form a solid rock, but the moment carbon and
oxygen lose their hrepondcrance of power then
nitrogen and hydrogen will quarrel and separate.
50 life, action, expansion and growth depend
ON getting and holding these two opposing Gle
ments within one cell. Where do these two on
posing elements come from that are so necessary
to plant life? one comes from air and the other
comes from water -Four parts of nitrogen Joined
with one part of Oxygen forms the air we breathe
But these two clements do not draw So close to
gether but what they viii remain in a ga form.
One part of the other element, namely, hydrogen,
joins with two parts of ON gen and come 50 close
together that they are condensed to Il liquid or the
water drink. The lecturer SAID it would take
about seventeen hundred feet of oxygen and by
tCnppn T. ,t,n MN ..F
water and that all four of the above named gases
can be reduced to liquids solids. He sada dia-
mond was crystazed carbon, and that nitrogen
reduced to a cry sta was saltpetre. He said that
ammonia was simply the TWO opposing gases hy
drogen and nitrogen pressed together until they
formed liquid, and when exposed to the open
air the liquid would separate on evaporatc as it is
called, because they were two elements that repel
each other. He said born dressing contained and
could also absorb both water and air and conse-
uucntly would form ammonia and thus dissolve
itself, amt it was the ascending ammonia more
than anything else that gave lifr, action and
growth to the plant All plants made to draw
in both air and water and consequently can and Io
grow without dressing, but dressing only makes
them grow faster and larger, and the main qIlvs-
ton with artificial fertilizers is how to get the
four elements together and get them to form and
discharge ammonia.
The master in his lecture said the principal in
gradients in all commercial fertilizers are nitrogen,
phosphoric acid, and potash. 1t explained
that this compound contains great amount of
nitrogen and will absorb water, thus taking in NY
drogen which completes its dissolving power and
forms ammonia. Phosphoric acid is made of two
gases, phosphorus one part and oxygen three parts,