Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1889-10-21
uftsoesoous kAtssfai IN connncial
Pestinssss-

generally BY all intelligent farmers, that the
most valuable ingredient in commercial ms
nure 10 the Divogenoas, and that the highest
value comes from thar ready availability 70
| the plant Some Of the sabssances, which
under various forms and names furnish nitro
nitrate Of soda, dried blood. saiph.te Of am
| naonia. dried Ard ground nssh Of fishes or
animals, ground horn and hoof, eotton-seed
meal. hair waste, ground leather and wool
in value, both - plant food and according
70 the trade value ef commercial fefsilizing
/ materials. and this variation has been the
cause of much uncertainty in the valua-
| Trustworthy methods Of analysis can be
used to separate the organic nitrogen nitro
| gen coming from animal or vegetable mat
ter from that existing As nitric scid or am
monia. the later forms being readily avail
able - plant food. But il has not been 30
essy 70 ASCERTAIN the quality Of the organic
nitrogen. whether from dried blood or horn.
from meat or leather. There have been
limitations that great deal Of inferior and
unavailable nitrogenous material Is employed
by the makers of commercial fertilizers.
But this fact 10 only determined BY repeated
analyses, which it 10 presumed have resulted
10 the detection Of such forms Of nitroge-
nous substances. or laws would not be made
as 10 the case in some states-pfohibiting
the use Of certain named forms Of nitrogen
supplying material in fertilizers put upon the
market.
Director Jordan Of the Maine Experiment
Station. In his report for the present year
,ays that EXP. Stations have assumed that
III. organic nitrogen Of mixed fertilizers is
supplied 10 the best forms, and have valued
/, accordingly, but it has been recognized, al
the same time. that some way Of detecting
inferior forms 10 extremely desirable. The
method for doing this which has receive
most attention is based upon the different
degrees Of solubii,y of organic nitrogen
compounds in pepsin solution. The nitro
gen u dried blood, dried flesh, cotton-seed
{
meal and similar high grade heterogeneous ma
teriais is very largely dissolved by digestion |
in pepsin solution, while that Of horn. hoof
and leather is much less affected by this
treatment"
In support Of the above Prof. Jordan pub |
fishes the results Of experiments conducted in
three different laboratories for the pur-
pose Of testing the value OF the
method suggested. One test was made at
the Maine laboratory at Orono, one at that
Of the Connecticut Experiment Station, and
one at private laboratory. The materials
were dried blood, cotton seed meal, ground
bone, dried flesh dried fish, fish scrap, tan
kaye, wool waste, leather, horn and hoof
meal. From these experiments the degree
of solubiity for cheap and inferior IAN
moniates,'' such as horn, hoof, leather an
wool waste was found to vary from AS
per cent. while in the case Of dried blood,
cotton seed meal. dried AMI ground flesh.
dried fish, Ash scrap and ground bone the
average percentages Of the different trials
range from 20 8 per cent. to 97.3 per cent.
Acting upon this idea, Mr. l. II. Merrill,
the assistant chemist at the Maine Expert
ment Station, has during the past summer
made dete limitations to find out the solubil-
ity of the organic nitrogen in the thirty -nine
different brands of perphosphates and
commercial fertilizers inspected by the
station in 1889 Mr. Merrill's methods were
A. follows The sample taken to represent a
brand of superphosphate was made up so as
to represent the average of oil the samples
of that BRAID sei, cted this season. This was
done by w.ig nng out equal quantities of
three different samp es and thoroughly mix
| ing them in mortar. One gram of sub
stance was thoroughly leached with water
and then submitted 10 the action Of a pepsin
solution in az ,ordslce with the method
| previously given. The insoluble nitrogen
of the residue was then determined.
In the thirty nine brands tested the solu-
blity Of the organic heterogeneous material
ranges from 81 per cent. to s3.4 per cent
| In three cases the percentages are below 40
per cent. in three between 10 and 80 per
cent. In four between so aud 80 per cent.
and in twenty nine over go per cent A SOL
utility of less than 40 per cent. gives good
grounds for suspeoting the use of an inferior
smmoniate. la fact, anything less than 80
per cent is to be regarded as indicating the
presence Of organic material Of lower grade
than dried blood dried flesh and dried fish.
| Farmer. who are interested in this mpor
tant matter. and who wish to study the re-
suits OF these determinations in tabular
form-~hch are easily comprehensive can
have a copy Of the report in which they APP
| pear sent them by sending such request on
postal card to Prof Jordan at Orono. Mean
while, his suggestions for the purchase of
commercial fertilizers will do to paste into
the farmers scrap book to think about be
tween this and another spring. They are:
81. 1t is safer to purchase brands of
recognized good standing New brands may
be iust as good or better than those longer
on the market but their quality should be
carefully ascsrtsined.
2 The composition of the fertilizers in
the markets can be learned from study of
the Station reports of inspection. Compare
the composition of the different brands
which you have the chance to purchase and
buv the one the value of which comes most
largely from nitrogen, from phosphoric
acid, or from potash, according to your needs.
Your needs you can only know from ex-
perence.
/ 3 IL the station money valuation of two
brands differs By considerable, other things
I hsinv eaual buy the one having the higher