The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1893-01-18


all soils and in Florida probably holds tightly
locked up most of the very small percentage of
potash that has been left from the dsintegration
of the feldspar of the gneous rocks that have
been ground up in the countless ages of sea &C
ton that were necessary to form our beach soils.
More or less silicon is dissolved by plants in
their quest for potash and is deposited in the
woody til sues thereby stiffening and strength
ening them,
Chlorine is commonly found compounded with
sodium common salt and as sodium will in q
measure replace the lack of potash chlorine is
often quite plentiful in some marine plants and
grasses. .Phsypcally it acts on most of the higher
plants protoplasm sedative in contrast to
sulphur which is a protoplasm stimulant. In
high grade oranges it binders the secretion OF
sugars and thereby retards early maturity of
juices and favor In exec, it is plant poison.
Potassium is chiefly present in plants as base
for the various free organic acids If these acids
are in excess of an orange trees power to deox-
idize into starch sugar and cellulose the tree
pecially if nitrogen is fed it. will look tired and
the fruit is a sharp unpalatable thing desired by
nobody.
Potash seems to be about the only chemical a
citrus. Nitrogen and phosphorus must be sup
piled in proper proportion however, to produce
a fruit we'll balanced in flavor.
An orange grown on potash alone on poor
soil is second only in pOOrness OF quality to one
on the same soil grown without potash. This
question OF the absence or presence OF potash is
a grea puzzle to most orange growers.
Besides the function already named potash
with soda and lime act also bases for nj
trio acid in the soil and are absorbed by plants
N
tigatiOn of bacteriOlOgsts show that when organic
matter decays special ferment usually first
duces it to state that produces ammonia IN
H ; }, then a second ferment lives on the diluted
ammonia and leaves nitrous acid IN FL O2)
it's end product by extracting two atoms OfhydrO-
gen which are immediately replaced by oxygen
Then third ferment manipulates the nitrous
acid compounds so that the ferment thrives and
nitric acid IN Os) results. If the nitric acid
OF find base it soon gets strong enough to
Kill he ferment that produced it and for this
Florida peat soils, although containing plen-
ty of organic nitrogen, do decay nor furnisha
home for highly organized plants till the aka
lies, potash, soda and lime are artifcally fur
nished.
Phosphoric acid is usually quite plentiful in
these soils, howe yer, and if there is also potash
enough for an orange tree to perfect it's top
growth the fruit is early, tender and often unus-
ualy sweet.
The explanation of this apparent anomaly is
that in ammonia IN Hs) or ammonium IN
cd fn nd E mrc OF cd H hn 6
drOgen atoms of the alkaline ammOnia's and
they are changed into the acids as before stated
When the heterogeneous alkalies, ammonia and
ammonium, are absorbed by orange trees they
not only stimulate growth but in a measure neu-
tralZe chemi cally the plant acids as does pot
ash and the other bases and sweet, early fruit
results. The same result can be gained on most
orange lands in Florida by using sulphate of
ammOniai in excess and cutting down the ration of
potash. In this case the sulphate OF ammonia
seems to be directly absorbed to the limit of the
prOtOplasul S ability to contain sulphur, and the
effect OF the stimulus and antiacid action of the
ia 6 in no nrn Of no riT1Q
fruit, sugar Potash after it has performed it's
neutralizing office in the sap is actually waste
product in the plant and ammonia seems to do
the same work without the acid deOXidiZng and
potash segregating effort. But am convinced
that as practice it is dangerous to the tree and
is like feeding man alcohol instead OF beef for
days work. This result, however, Emust not be
COMPOUNDED with the specific product OF the cit
ron cell in the Sweet Seville oranges and sweet
lines, for in these fruits the acid lime cells
to be metam OrphOSed or lacking. Sulphate OF
magnesia also has a function in producing COM
plete maturity of fruit | have not been able to
specific effect or to it's weknown readiness to
carbonate thereby releasing sulphuric acid which
fixes free ammonia in the soil.
Iron is chiefly associated with the chlorophyl
granues and their starch forming functions.
Sulphate of iron acts as q stimulant and I
in the fruit of Sweet Sevilles where had applied
it.
Manganese is not mentioned in the analyses of
oranges made at Lake City and probably is of
no practical Importance to the citrus. The re-
suits OF these analyses made at the agricultural
college are interesting showing the high pot
ash content OF some OF the nearly Seedless Malta
oranges the chemist from the average of all
analyses recommending necessary to supply
the chemical elements fertilizer that should con
toT11 Oh ONT oTf1 CtnC . GVao