The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1889-05-08

| myself, when / want quick results on
a rather poor or worn soil, would use
them; and to show that / have no
antagonism towards Mr.. Bowker or
his fertilizers l will state that have
recently given his agent an order for
nearly a carload of his Stockbridge
brand, to be used upon such a piece of
land that have recently bought.
MR.. NEWTON of Dummerston-Wha
do you say to the use of potash alone9
DIR. HOsKINs-One element might
be of use if the other two were in the
soil, but all the materials should be
combined to get good results.
Mr.. WALKER of Woodstock - The
use of stable manure places the land in
condition so that the plant can draw
more from it. 1t makes the land po-
rous, and makes the manurial matter
in the soil more soluble. 1t is more
affected by rain than sunshine, and it
is affected by the elements more than
it would be without it. So that it is
great remuneration for farmers to take
out their manure and put it on the soil,
to make it loose, so that plants can get
at it.
PROFESSOR COOKE Il wish Mr..
oOWhtI WOulu SlNC no oOi1C llSnO VII
the relative cost of the manufacturer
dissolving the South Carolina rock and
the farmer doing it-that is, the cost
of the sulphuric acid to do it.
Mr.. BowKER-Sulphuric acid costs
S25 per ton in the form of oil of
vitriol, and 81 so for each carboy, which
carries about $50 pounds. A ton would
take practically about twelve carboys.
1t must be carried at the buyers risk,
and some railroad companies will not
carry it. Adding freight charges would
bring the price to the consumer to about
S35 to $40 per ton. Comeback will
take about thousand pounds of acid
to a thousand pounds of black. 1t
would cost about $35 per ton, and we
sell it at $26 to $50 per ton, ready
mixed for use.
DIR. HosKINs-Sulphuric acid is a
dangerous thing for persons to use who
are unaccustOmed to it. The smallest
drop falling on the eye will destroy the
sight, and it will burn holes in your
clothes. | advise all inexperienced
persons to avoid its use.
Mr.. MACPHERsON-Wou it not be
well to use barn-yard manure with the
fertilizers, say half of each in pro-
portion?
Mr. BOwKER-Fertilizers will sup
plement manure. Barn-yard manure
can only be used TO advantage where
you do not have to haul it long dis
lance. For potatoes, should say it
was not as good as fertilizer; the too
free use of manure will cause fungus
growth. | use manure on the grass
| l. hut hon
very far. l would like the gentlemen
here present to understand that am
not here to advertise at all. There are
half dozen manufacturers in New
England who make just as good an arti-
Gle as 1 do, and at equal prices. l pre-
sent this article upon invitation of your
secretary.
Mr.. PECK of Hinesburgh-How much
plant-food is there in ton of your
standard fertilizer?
Mr.. BowKER-Our Hill and Drill
phosphate should contain from 300 to
$50 pounds of plant-food.
Mr.. PECK-How is it with Stock
bridge manure?
Mr.. BowKER - From 400 to $50
pounds Of plant-food, about twenty-five
per cent. The balance is organic mat
ter, composed largely of carbon and
hydrogen. This is the characteristic of
most articles of animal and human
food also. Take milk, for instance
thirteen per cent of solids; the great
bulk is water. So the great bulk of
fertilizers is organic matter.
Mr.. JAMES CHEssMAN agreed with
DR.. Hoskins in the undesirability and
the unprofitableness to the farmer in
trying to make his own fertilizers or to
use undissolved phosphates.
Mr.. WHEELER of South Burlington
Is not the quality of cow manure de-
pendent upon the quality of the feed?
Mr.. BOwKER-Yes.
Mr.. SESSIONS of the Massachusetts
Board of Agriculture-The liquid ma
nure is the best plant food in the mat
ter of commercial fertilizers. The state
laws require packages to be labeled as
to contents and amount of phosphoric
acid, potash and nitrogen. You are
thus able to know just what you are
buying. think the fertilizer should
be used with reference to the require
ments of the soil it is placed upon, so
that you get what the soil most needs.
We must analyze the soil by expert
ments on crops. If you have potash
enough in your soil, you will not need
that. You only require, in that case,
the phosphoric acid and nitrogen. An
intelligent observation in this respect
will tell us what we want to buy.
Mr.. BowKER-Mr. Sessions theory
is: Feed the land, and the land will
feed you" My theory is: Feed the
plant, and the plant will feed you"
contend you should feed the plant rather
than the soil. The difficulty in analy-
sis of the land is, it tells what elements
are there, but not how much is left in
the soil after the crop is taken. BY
learning what is taken out of the soil
you can replace it. Professor Stock
bridge used to say: "Consider your
soil as machine into which you put so
many pounds of plant-food and out of
which you take so many pounds in
crops, the same as manufacturer puts
into the loom so many pounds of cot.
ton and takes out so many yards OF
cloth"
PRESIDENT TINKUAM-SiX or eight