The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1888-03-06

euecJuaI. On farm IN another dlreC-
tion potash has little effect, but phos-
phate has. In other cases they work
in combination. ...,,.4 ....... ...,
We are deplorably in the dark as to
why plants differ <in their feeding
capacities Leguminous crops gather
nitrogen; why is It? Glover takes
away twice as much nitrogen from the
soil as wheat, a result opposite to what
theory would lead US to expect, and
experiment is desired to give light on
this point. -. ....
Prof. Atwater next gave some acss
count of experiments in the use Of
nitrogen in different forms, and in
several places, and two or three times
repeated. The result of these expert
ments was that for every 100 bushels
of corn obtained with mixed mineral
fertilizers we get by adding twenty
four pounds of nitrogen per acre Ill
bushels; with forty eight pounds of
nitrogen, ll2; and with seventy-two
pounds of nitrogen in addition to the
mixed minerals, Ills bushels The
yield of corn was slightly increased by
the nitrogen, but the gain was ex-
tremely small, out Of all proportion to
the large cost of nitrogen Potatoes
gave much more decided response
to the nitrogen, twenty-four pounds
increasing the yield from 100 to 127,
forty eight pounds bringing it up to
1885,. while with seventy.two pounds it
was only l27. The, number of ex
periments with potatoes was much
smaller than with corn. A larger
number might give different averages
| Oats responded much more vigorously
to the nitrogen, the yield rising to I'll
with the largest amount, though the
number of experiments was less even
than with potatoes; but since in the
cases where oats, potatoes and corn
were grown side by side the results
tailed with the averages given, the
experiments may be taken as indicat-
ing very decidedly that corn is the
least, and oats the most, affected by
the nitrogen in the fertilizers. These
experiments, as far as they 60, there
fore imply that we should in general
be sparing with our use of nitrogen
for corn, that we may use moderate
quantities on potatoes with profit, and
that oats are especially benefited by it.
There was, however, one notable
exception to this result. In some ex-
periments by Mr.. w. @. Newton, of
Durham, Ct, he found when he meas
ured his corn that he could almost tell
the number of pounds of nitrogen
applied by the increase in the crop.
Prof Atwater gave an interesting
account of some experiments per-
formed at the suggestion of the Con-
necticut Agricultural Experiment
Station by two practical farmers, Mr..
Bartholomew and Mr. Fairchild. In
reply to an inquiry as to what actual
benefit to him as farmer his expert
mental work had been, Mr. Bartholo
NEW said:
II have learned to place great con-
fidence in commercial fertilizers, when
properly used, as furnishing the most
reliable and economical materials for
increasing my crops. aa.. .. |
Il have learned that the effects of
the different substances used, although
varying much from each other, are
nearly identical in different fields and
in different years on my farm, always
showing a tendency to the same char
acterestics, .......r.. ...r.- ...f
"I have learned that these fertilizers
are much superior in quality to those
we obtained before the establishment
of the experiment station.
"I have learned that this farm,
which my father; after fifty years of
acquaintance and cultivation, pro-
nounced i'll adapted to the raising Of
corn, gives me, under similar treat,
ment, with the use of phosphate of
lime in addition, in corn one of my
most profitable crops. /
r, Il think [ have learned that by the
proper use of commercial fertilizers as
Indicated in the different trials, [ can
obtain, at fair profit, finer potatoes,
free from disease and blemish, than
by any other means known to me. ]
s.. "I have learned that by the use Of
one or more of these substances as
adjuncts to farm manures, I can OBJ
tain at small expense superior crops Of
corn. oats and Y1Otatoes with less