The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1893-04-19

his grove 1ertlllZoO, ana 1ertIllZoQ neaVlIy,
with fine ground bone. To-day is the
fourth day during which the process has
been dragging along, the application be-
ing made piecemeal, and at any hour OF
the day, with high winds prevalent. 1t
would be interesting to know how many
pounds of the finest divided and there
fore most available of the bone have
drifted off over the woods, for of course
it is just the best of the stuff which is
blown away. | speak with conviction,
for on the first two days the taste OF the
bone was so strong in the air as to drive
us indoors. and perfectly visible white
ness settled upon the porch, though they
were then working on the far end of the
grove, fully three hundred yards away.
Surely if one must use fertilizer at this
time of the year, the hour to apply it is
very early in the morning, say from five
till nine, before the wind springs up.
| agree with Mr.. Neeld that would
rather wait till the beginning of the rainy
season to apply any fertilizer. My neigh
b n Will lose another quantum OF the
finest of his bone when the harrow goes
over the dusty top soil, and also every
windy day which comes along before the
! irst rains have enabled some cOmhina-
! ton to occur. There is, be it said, limit
to the degree of tineness to which bone
should be reduced for fertilizing purposes.
The "foated bone" which was once sold
at high prices was found to be ill-adapted
for field use, as most of it blew away in
application.
| In this connection it is worth consider.
ing that the phosphate Of lime, reprecipi-
tated in the soil, as mentioned before, is
fixed in the soil, and cannot blow away,
thought such impalpably fine condition.
1t is curious fact recognized in agri-
culture, that potash manures (Which are
lnot volatile) should not be applied as a
top dressing, but turned well under tie
fertilizers are used with best advantage
/ as a top dressing. This is because the
l. potash salts are liable to be arrested by
/ the top soil entering into chemical COM
j bination with it, and afterwards taking
a long time before they reach down to
i where the roots can feed on them, while
1 the nitrogen salts are liable to leach out
/ of the soil before the roots can take them
|, up. This is furthermore one Of the points
I in favor of mira es in Prefernce TO salt s.
| of ammonia as sources OF nitrogen.
| Sulphate of ANN Onia remains unchanged
in the air, and will more easily waste
than, for inst ance, nitrate of soda, which
has the property of deliquescence, and
will absorb enough moisture in the driest
weather to set up chemical action and be-
! come fixed in the soil.
| | append the following figures, taken
/ from an elaborate series of experiments
by the agricultural chemist Warrington,
believing that they will be of interest to
| Mr.. Neeld in he phosphoric-acidq question.
The solvent employed was saturated car
bonic-a acid water. In this one part OF
fine phosphate of lime CTribasic Phos-
! lphate) was completely dissolved by l ,7S9
] parts of the solvent. One part of carbO-
mate of lime was dissolved by 1, O16 parts
of solvent. When the phosphate and
| carbonate of lime we're mixed, it took no
! less than 42,314 parts of the solvent to