Southern standard. (McMinnville, Tenn.) 1879-current, 1891-12-12
Earu4 X.#tersets,
Value of Artificial Nitrogen.
Cor. Country Gentleman.

Cor. Country Gentleman.
| have often been asked and writ
ten to by your readers as to whether
| had changed my views regarding
the value of artificial nitrogen applied
to grain and grass crops, either as
inorganic nitrogen-as ammonia and
nitrates, or organic-such as dried
blood, lungs, livers, old leather, &C.,
which flooded our markets few
years ago, perhaps thousands Of tons
being sold to farmers as high-grade
fertilizers, and valued accordingly by
the stations, owing to the high price
placed upon nitrogen regardless of its
source. ct may be proper just here
to say that this price is not regulated
by its intrinsic value, but by the sell
ing price of the commercial CONS
pounds containing nitrogen. n few
years ago the price fixed by the sta
tions was $500 a ton; at present it is
much lower)
Without referring to my own re-
suits, give what was told me few
days ago by Mr.. Jones of Sykesville,
Howard county He said that for
years he had been n weekly reader OF
the Country Gentleman, and fifteen
years ago was induced to give up the
use of high~priced ammoniated ferti-
lizers by what he found in your pa
per, and since then, by securing a
proper soil, he had seen his land inn
prove from year to year. Although
it was then poor, he now has fine
grain, and had just threshed thirty
one bushels of wheat per acre. Since
the time spoken of, he has not used a
pound of high-grade fertilizers, So
called.
So have no reason to change many
views, especially as | can name my
others like Mr.. Jones, who have long
since given up purchasing nitrogen
one of the most abundant movable
elements known to science. Yet
cannot agree with some recent ex-
perimenters, who believe that ele-
mentary nitrogen or any other ele.
ment is appropriated by plants; ]
think it must be in a binary forma.
ton, such as nitric acid, ammonia
carbonic acid, phosphate oflime, oxide
potassium, &c.
The fact that nitrogen, like car
bonic acid and water, is movable
compound, and reaches the soil with
out the aid of men, has been most
clearly proved the past year on, al
artificial soil prepared for the occa
sion. -Four parts Of sand and one o
miocene clay, taken some feet below
the surface, was thoroughly miXeC
with charcoal and semi carbOnizeC
fine sawdust, secured in covered
iron pot, along with the ash formed
where the air could get to the dust
during the slow combustion in which
the usual organic acid is formed from
the oxidation of woody matter, as i
done by turning under green crop
1t will be observed that little or NJ
nitrogen could have been in the soil
On or about Sept. 18th wheat grain
were planted six inches apart on
small island constructed for expert
mental purposes, as safe from intrud
ing cattle, being three feet above tn
surrounding tidewater. l have neve
seen wheat grow finer, and before tn
winter set in the ground was com
pletely covered with the numerou
shoots or branches, averaging from 3
to 35 stems, which in due time ber
heads of wheat with from 20 to
grains each, and maturing some day
before the field wheat of the neigh
borhoOd. / have repeated the sam
experiment this season, securing ella
of kaolin nature % feet below tn
surface, from the railroad tunnel nov
being constructed under the street
and houses Of Baltimore to expedit
travel and freight to New York
The mixture of sand and clay wa
treated the same as last year, and