The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1890-12-17

To another unirrigated grove / APP
piled twice the amount OF the same fertil-
izer, yet the irrigated grove shows twice
the improvement in condition.
am satisfied that besides bringing sol
uble fertilizing elements to the surface
and dissolving recent applications, the
sulphur water thoroughly inOculates the
soil with it's specific microbes, thus hast
ening the conversion of the sulphates and
increasing the supply Of ammonia and
nitrateS.
[ had previously estimated that the
thorough mixing Of fertilizers in the soil
by the CutaWay Harrow, among and
without greatly disturbing the fbrous
roots, increased their efficiency One-fOurth
and now think the water by rendering
them equally available and assimiIable
and manufacturing from the decaying
summer vegetation additional nitrates,
enables me to get from two tons as good
or better results than formerly did from
three tons applied just before the spring
growth.
M. Jalan de La Croix places carbolic
acid 10Th. on list Of antiseptics or mic
robe killers, the chlOrides leading the list.
Genuine kainit contains One-third
chloride sodium or common salt and in
adulterated the proportion is larger,
so per cent. muriate OF potash is about
half and half. Some six or seven years
ago experimental with cheap fertilizers.
| had firm in Charleston mix for me
one-half kainit, with One-half phosphate
floats and it cost me $3.50 delivered.
Analysis six to six and one-half per cent.
actual potash, 25 to 30 per cent phos-
phate OF lime, insoluble. had bed of
river muck of good quality and having
given attention to the statements that
muck was as rich in the fertilizing ele-
ments as cow dung, decided to compost
with my Charleston mixture and by de-
cay OF the muck gain available nitrogen.
| made my pile of successive layers and
walked around it pencil i'll hand comput-
ing it's cubic contents and calculating
what the analysis should be of available
nitrogen and phosphoric acid. In two
or three week | began to notice effects.
There was an orange tree near each cor
ner of the pile, they began to lose leaves
and fruit, were IN short time denuded
and eventually were shortenedin half the
length of their branches. 1he fallen
fruit had slightl y bitter and saline
taste and the neighboring trees were also
affected. In three or four months | be-
gan to apply slicing it down vertically
to mix it and | looked in vain for signs
of decomposition.
Parts Ct the grove to which this was
applied showed but little Improvement
over no fertilizer, but the floats made
good growth of grass the next summer
All know how salt retards or kills the
microbes of putrefaction as to quantity
used, and my compost was picked Ii
half OF the muck had been fresh dung or
cotton seed the process would have
been tardy and slow. Where heavy appli
cations Of chlorine fertilizers are made to
orange trees the first effect must be to
partially sterilize the'soil of the nitrifying
microbes or at least retard their action
and if the nitrogen is organic besides the
direct loss in putrefaction ([ have noticed
this odor for month from blood and
bone when the dew was drying) they are
crowded out and must probably wait till
the chlorine is leached away before they
can work, relying chiefly on the lime