Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1888-06-13

| OF light that lies along the sky
They may not be here by-and-bye,
Give them not love. but more-above
And harder-patience with the love.
| Use of Fertilizers.
| 1t is stated that at least 900 900 tons
| of commercial fertilizers are now annu-
| ally used in this country, at a cost to the
BUYERS of $30,000,000. This is very
tlarge expenditure, and it may we'll be
| doubted whether it is wholly necessary.
| It is altogether probable that there is a
heavyloss, first, in the purchase OF ele-
ments of fertility not needed, and, sec
| ond in the way in which these cheml-
cal manures are applied. There are
good many instances in which, by care
| less and ignorance, parties neglect ana
waste as much in the manurial ele-
ments of home resources as obtained IN
the fertilizers they buy.
Numerous people have failed to study
| the subject or are, at any rate, uncer-
| tain as to what they need, or have not
the facilities for buying separate cheml-
Gals and mixing at home. In such
cases it is undoubtedly the wisest
course to explain to reputable manu-
facturer or intelligent dealer just what
is wanted, and rely upon being supplied
with suitable compounds. Of course,
| the buyer must then pay for what he
| does not know or cannot do. 1t Is
| certainly a much more economical way,
| and better farming, to study ones lands
and crops, and buy only what is actual
| ly and specially needed to supplement
| home resources, and then apply intel
| ligently.
Different soils and crops not only spe-
cially demand different kinds of plant
| food, but often greatly differ IN their
| preferences as to the form. of one kind.
Much ca1 be learned on this subject
| from a careful study of the bulletins
and reports of the agricultural expert
ment stations. To satisfy oneself as to
| the practical results of applying the fer
| tihzing elements singly and in different
| forms, very simple trial may be made
as follows. In the spring. just as the
grass begins to be green, select a piece
| of meadow, half acre or an acre, as
even as possible in character of soil and
aspect, and bearing an evenly de-
| veloped sod. Drive eight, ten or
| twelve stakes, three feet high, and at
| two rods apart, and number them. Use
as many stakes as there are. forms or
kinds of fertilizers to be tried. Take a
suitable quantity of each fertilizer, mix
with dry coal ashes, or to facilitate even
sowing and standing at the stakes sue
cessively, scatter the mixtures SO as to
from twenty five to thirty feet IN diam
eter. Keep a record of what is used at
each stake A little diagram Of the
stakes and their numbers should ac-
company the record, so that if a stake
should be removed, or It's number lost,
it can be replaced. In such a trial,
equal weights of the different CONNER
cial manures may be used to compare
their effects on given area, pound for
pound or ton for ton. But more &C
curate comparison Of plant food in its
varied forms will consider the average
chemical composition of the different
fertilizers, as given in public tables, and
determine the quantity of each to be
used upon this basis. Two pounds Of
sulphate of ammonia. two and a
half pounds of nitrate of am
monia, two and half pounds of nj
trate of soda and three and half
pounds of dried blood will give approx
| imately equal parts of available nitro
gen, and be about right for trial on two
square rods or circles, such as suggest
| ed. In comparing potash IN It's differ
ent forms, on like circular areas, use
two and one-half pounds muriate Of
potash, five pounds sulphate Of potash,
ten pounds of KANT or twenty pounds
of unIeached wood ashes; these quanti-
| ties for two square rods would give an
| equivalent of about 100 rods of available
potash per acre. For phosphoric acid,
| five pounds plain ground phosphate
rock, nine pounds dissolved rock. eight
pounds dissolved comeback, and from
seven to nine pounds Of orchllla and
Caribbean guano and Navassa phos-
phate. The comparison of phosphate
materials is uncertain, because of the
great difference in the availability of
phosphoric acid in its different forms.
| In comparing materials which contain
| two or more fertilizing elements, about
| the only way is to use pound Tor pound;
| for example pure ground bone contains
about three times as much phOsphOrlc
acid as dried fish, but not half as much
nitrogen. When using different guam
titles of chemicals, as advised for the
nitrogen, / would add coal ashes or
sand to make equal bulk to spread
evenly. This should not be dignified
| by the name of agricultural expert
ment, but it is farm test or trial which
may prove interesting and instructive.
Trials may be made in like manner on
any sown crop, oats, wheat, rye or
buckwheat. But if on a hoed crop,
square plots should be laid off, and we'll
apart, instead of circles; the work will
| be more in such cases, the effects less
apparent and the results uncertain
Buffalo Express.
Better Pastures.
| There is not sufficient care and skill
exercised in the starting and perpetu-
atom of pastures. There is in most
cases neither enough seed nor a suffi-
cient variety, to make a. pasture which
will cover the ground and keep it moist