Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1889-01-18

tlilZerS IN Europe was looked upon with
suspicion, and made little progress AS late
as 1880, Sprengel one of the famous German
| botanists of his time, positively asserted that
ground bones had no effect in growth of
plants. But in 1910 Liebeg published the
results of his researches in the relations of
| chemistry to agriculture, and the growth OF
the traffic and use OF commercial fertilizers
has been very rapid from that day. That
same year QS40) ship load of guano was
sent to England for special use as a fertilizer.
In 1S42 one firm in England devoting itself
to this trade handled 1872 tons, and 80 years
later, in 1879, the Chincha Islands alone
furnished 100000 tons of guano.
Following guano, other fertilizing ma
terials were discovered and developed, ma
nipulated, compounded and tested, Till the
great business grew up, of which this city
is the acknowledged American centre, and
of which you are all familiar Besides the
long list of articles formerly regarded as
waste products in various branches of in
dustry, we now have full knowledge of
natural deposits of nitrates, phosphates and
potash Salts so vastin quantity as to insure
an adequate supply for the agricultural needs
of centuries to come. Not many years ago
the State OF Maryland employed an agricu-
tural chemist to compile information on
values of fertilizers. The Maryland Agri.
cultural Experiment Station, supported at
the Agricultural College by congressional
endowment without expense to the State,
will also undertake. through the medium of
its bulletins, which are free to all who ask
for them, to supply the people of the State
with information on this subject. No State
in the Union is so deeply concerned in the
subject of commercial fertilizers as Mary
land, unless conditions have greatly changed
in the last ten years AT that time the farm
ers and planters OF Maryland were paying
out the enormous sum of nearly three mil.
lions of dollars $2s3S, 465) annually for ar
tltcial manures. Only two States exceeded
MISUNDERSTANDING, with 100000 farms, and
Georgia, with 100000 farms--whle Mary
land had only 10000 Maryland spent in
1879 over $40 that year for commercial fer
tilzers for every farm within her borders
no other State averaged $50 per farm, and but
one even half as much as Maryland. This
State paid out S5 cents for manures for every
acre OF improved land in farms. New Jer-
sey alone approached this amount But the
worst showing is the relation of expendi-
ture for fertilizers to the total annual income
from the farms. For every hundred dollars
received in Maryland in the last census
year for agricultural products of every de
scripton, according to the records Of her own
people, 1884 was expended for commercial
fertilizers Almost tenth part of the en-
tire income of the farmers 1t seems incredi
Bile, and yet there is no reason to doubt the
substantial accuracy Of the tenth United
States census in this regard. Georgia came
next with $648. 1t is undoubtedly true that
the expenditure for artificial manures is now
much less than ten years ago, but it is still
so great as to be heavy tax upon the agri
culture of the State"
Farmer Alvord then produced his samples
of guano and plants, and practically demon.
strated the value of fertilizers He anayzed
some plants and showed their component
parts, and then pointed out how soils def
Gent in foods to support certain plants can
be supplied with the materials. He express
ed the opinion that commercial manures
now on the market did not meet the demand
OF plants, nor do they always supply the
needs of the soils. He advocated the use of
the mari beds, which exist in substrata of
the earth, to supply the used land Of Mary
land with potash. He said that the expert
mental station would, in time, establish sub
stations in different parts of the State to de-
termine the needs of the soil. He believed
that the loudest smelling phosphates are not
always the best, as the coarse smelling sewer
gases are not always the most poisonous.
He recommended farmers to buy only of
respectable aud reputable dealers. He also
advocated better laws for the protection of
the farmer and approved Of the suggestion
of Farmer Allan, that State board OF agri
cultuV be established,
On Thursday the address on taxation was
not delivered by M. G. Elzey, of Howard
county, on account OF sickness in his family.
Edward Stake, Of Washington county,
was elected president OF the association to
succeed the late VIM. +. Hamilton, upon
whose death touching resolutions were
passed. w. b. Sands was reelected secre-
tary and treasurer. H. c. Halowell, of this
county, was elected one of the vice presi
dents.
The committee appointed Wednesday To
recommend legislation to secure State
Board of Agriculture, as suggested by the
chairman in his address, report as follows:i
l. That it should be an advisory and adj
minstrative board of the State government.
Q. That it should be composed of suta
BILE number ofmembers SO carefully selected
and appointed as to properly represent the
varied sections and agricuIt' raj and horti-
cultural interests of the State.
3. The board to choose its own president
and secretary from year to year, the secre'
tary TO be the executive officer OF the board,
but not one Of its members.
4. The board to have general advisory
powers relative TO all agricultural and nor.
tcultural organizations associations and in
terests in the State, and TO report TO the Leg
islature at every session therefor.
s. The board to advise and report TO the
Legislature regarding necessary laws to reg
ulate the manufacture and sale of CONNER
cia fertilizers 10 designate chemist, and
TO supervise the enforcement Of such laws.
6 The board to encourage, aid and hold
public meetings in behalf of agricultural
Information and education in various parts
of the State, commonly known as farmers
institutes, and to co operate with any and all
existing organizations in holding such meet
ings.
T. The board to be a board of visitors To
annually examine the State Agricultural
College and Experiment Station, m | report
upon the con, lition and operations thereof
to the Legislature.
8 The ,ard to be provided with rea
sonable annual appropriation by the l4egis
Iature to enable il 10 properly perform its
duties, the actual necessary expenses of the
members 10 be paid bat no compensation
for services.
"Resotoed, That special committee Of five
Of this association be appointed by the chair
at its pres .nt session, whose duty IL shall be
to prepare AMI present To the next IN .etiug
of the association and Stat: Legislature Il
well matqreI hill emh flying the turt5 ing
provisions, and to advocate its pt55a5: IN
behalf of this association.
"Res0l0ed, That this special committee be
empowered to add to its numb,ran | 10 seek
the active aid and co operation in its labJr5
by memorials or otherwise Of the various
associations in different sections of the State
organized in the interests OF the farmers and
farming Of Maryland
A copy of the resolutions is to be sent TO
the vice president Of the State Farmers As
ISOLATION in each county The resolutions
were adopted and the following were m,i
as the committee required by the resolutions:
Farmers DR.. f. Patterson, Samuel Brooke,
of Anne Arundel, H. Il AIvorI, of the A Z
ricuItural College, and George W. Miller, Of
Frederick.
Ent the resnlntinns Werl not adonted with