The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1886-06-09
FORMULAS FOR coMPosTs.
Furnished by the North Carolina Elk
pertinent Station.

Furnished by the NOItn
pertinent Station.
The great number OF requests
which the Station receives for lnfor-
nation on this subject shows that
these practices are increasing rap
idly throughout the State. The Sta
ton is always glad to give informa-
ton about farm materials and the
methods of producing manures, and
no one should pay anybody tor Tor
mulas. when they can get them from
us, free of charge, any number OF
them, for utilizing to best advantage
in fertilizing all kinds of refuse ma
~terial. The peddlers who travel
through country selling farm rights
to make manures by their formulas
are usually very ignorant men, and
their formulas are either entirely
worthless or possess no novelty at
all to entitle them to be sold. The
fact that the formula has been pat
ented at Washington is no guaran-
tee at all that it is worth anything.
We have seen the most ridiculous
and worthless things which had
been patented. Last year we inves-
tigated a case and found, on inquiry
at Washington, that the Government
had given a man a patent on a
method Of making a "complete fer
tilizer." the whole of which was to
cover a large heap Of pine-needles
partly with earth, and then set fire
to the pine-needles and burn them,
as charcoal is burned. When they
had burned all they would, you were
told to mix the earth and charred
mass together, which was your fer
t%iIizer. 1t cost you S. to learn this.
A few of the formulas produce good
mixtures or composts, but there is
no use for anybody to pay for
what is well known and can be had
for nothing by applying to us.
Let your aim be to save all the
natural manure and compost, or
mix all the fertilizer you possibly
can at home. Look after your sta
BILE, hog-pen, chicken house and
every other source of animal manure
zealously. For this end use an
abundance of litter or of absorbants
Of some kind. Save all the ashes,
old lime and everything Of that
kind. Look about you to discover
on your farm material that may
help you in fertilizing. Have you
any pond-mud, muck, or woods
mould? At spare times you "a
dig and haul these. Have you any
mari, or lime rock? If this is any
where within your reach, you will
be sure to find a good place some
where to use it. Save, and do not
buy, except to supplement-, or add
to your savings, and make them
better. TO make your manure, muck
or mould, or whatever you have, act
best and go farthest it will fire.
quently pay you to add some lime,
phosphate, potash other chemical to
them. We shall give here a short
list, therefore, of the O common
and more useful "chemicals," or COM
posting materials, with their aver
age composition and retail cash
the LIST of Jan, 1886, at the
places named:
L. Phosphates, Gc.-Finely ground S. C.
rock or "Floats," % per cent
phos. acid, $l2 per ton at Charleston.
Nc. phosphate, simply finely ground.
Is to 20 per cent. of phosphate, 60 per
cent. of carbonate of lime, So per ton at
Point, Wilmington or Raleigh.
Acid phosphate, II per cent. available
phosporic acid, $40 at Wilmington and
S2l at Charlotte or Raleigh.
Ground bone, 3 to 4 per cent. ammo
MIA and 40 per cent. of bone phosphate,
S32 at Baltimore, $37 at Raleigh and
II. Sources Of Nitrogen.-Ground fish
scrap, 10 per cent. ammonia, $35 in Bal
timore, or $37 in Wilmington. Tankage
beef, 8 per cent. of ammonia and
30 of bone phosphate, $25 in Baltimore.
$3.50 for each per cent. Of am
monia in the ton, usually Is per cent.
Dried blood, $40 for each per cent. per
Sulphate of ammonia, % per cent.
ammonia, 81 ent per pound.
Nitrate of soda, q to 3 cents per
pound. The last four are Baltimore
III. Sources Of Potash.-Muriate of pot
ash, 2 cents a pound in Baltimore, 80 per
cent. potash; kainite, II per cent. pot
ash, $40 per ton in Baltimore or Will
$l2 to $l3 in Raleigh or Char
.otte.
"Pure sulphate potash"
High grade sulphate potash 40 per
cent. potash, $40 per ton in New York.
Eop coTroN