Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1893-04-26
A Bag of Fertilizer.
Continued from 1st page.

/ OF the whole. For example, plant can
not eat piece of crude phosphate. II
must be cooked before the >phos phoriC
acid ia it can be used by the plant The
cook uses heat to make your potatoes d.
gestible, and for a similar purpose the fer.
tilizer manufacturer uses suipburic acid
on his insolubie materials. Consequently
the apparatus for making and storing sui
phuric acid is as important to fertilizer
factory as is the stove TO the cooks kitch-
en-. Few people know just what sulphu-
ric acid or oil of vitriol,is. In striking an
old fashioned sulphur match, you notice
thick, yellowish vapor-very sharp and
unpleasant when il gets into the nose.
That gas in concentrated form and mixed
with water makes sulphuric acid, and the
way il burns your nose is not a clrcum-
stance compared with the way it attacks
nearly all substances except glass and
lead. "Phosphates, combinations OF
phosphoric acid which are not soluble in
water, are completely changed when treat
ed with this acid.
/ have said that sulphuric acid is the
strong sulphur gas that we obtain 10 strik
ing a match, mixed with water. For mix
ing and holding this powerful acid, a Sc
ries of great boxes or chambers is requir-
ed, buff of sheet lead-about the only
metallic substance the acid will not eat
up. Connected with these chambers are
great furnaces where the sulphur fumes
are generated by burning sulphur or a
combination OF iron and sulphur, called a
sulphite, or iron pyrites. This gives the
gas we find in the burning match, and
this gas is conducted into the lead cham
bers where it mixes with steam, air and
the vapor OF nitric acid, in definite pro-
portions. The steam and air are admit
ted through pipes and openings in cham
bers and furnaces, in the proportions need
ed Tor mixing with the gases. The nitric
acid yapors are obtained by heating mix
ture OF suiphuric acid and nitrate OF soda
This sends of vapor, which unites with
the sulphur gases as they pass into the
lead chambers. Once put together, the
gases, steam and air unite ana form sui
phuric acid, which condense5 and falls to
the bottom OF tue cham beers and is drawn
Of as required. This sulphuric acid
changes the crude, insoluble phosphate
into the soluble superphosphate, all ready
to nourish the plant. The phosphate may
be likened 10 a dry, hard crust OF bread
so tough and hard that ordinary teeth
cannot chew It. When mixed with milk,
eggs, etc, and subjected TO the heat OF the
oven, II becomes bread pudding aud is
easily digested food to which the super
phosphate may be compared.
With a supply Of sulphuric acid the
next step IS to grind the phosphate to a
powder, which is accomplished by very
BY the Bradley Fertilizer Company. The
acid is .hen poured carefully upon this
powder in a revolving "mixerv where the
whole mass is thoroughly stirred and mix
ed until the acid has acted upon every
atom. After being properly "curedn (be-
ing now soluble or 'cooked'), it is then
ready to be mixed with other substances
10 make plants dinner. The acid has
changed the bone phosphate even more
than the heat changes the raw, indigesti-
Die tu0er to the light, "mealy,n baked po-
tato. II is evident that great care is need
ed in using this strong acid. Too much
would spoil the fertilizer; we see the bad
effect OF this in fertilizers which feel greasy
and putty-liko when taken in the hand,
rendering them totally unfit for even dis
tTibution. Too little of the acid would
leave lots OF the phosphate undigested and
unit for plant food. Here the farmer
must trust TO the skill and experience of /
the manufacturer. Farmers are sometimes /
advised TO use this powerful and danger /
Gus acid themselves in the attempt to |
make homemade fertilizer This, be- /
lieve, is dangerous advise.
After Cooking Comes Mixing.
The sulphuric acid "cooksr the indi-
gestible phosphates and unlocks the all
important phosphoric acid, rendering it
tigestible bv the delicate plant roots.
These phosphates, made thus available,are
mixed and ground together with
he requisite ammoniating materials
ind potash salts to produce the complete
'ertilizer. Let US suppose fertilizer is
wanted for which we can guarantee an
analysis of three per cent of nitrogen, six
per cent of potash and eight per cent of
ohosphoric acid, or so, 100 and l60 pounds {
If these substances to the ton. We should
proceed about like a cook making a pump
rim pie. She takes so much each OF milk,
gg, sugar, flour, pumpkin, salt, spice, etc. .
rs she mixes them, she measures their
trength by tasting. We have in the PAN
ry OF the plant-restaurantn these ingre-
Iients: superphosphate, THAT is, phos.
'hate acted upon by acid) fish scrap, dried
Hood, muriate OF potash, sulphate of pot
sh, nitrate of soda, etc. First, like the
ook, we test the strength of these ingre-
tents. The factory chemists take samples
Z each substance and test them for their
liant food constituents. Suppose they
ind that 100 pounds of the following ma
erals will show these amounts of plant
pod: superphosphate, 10 pounds of phos-
horic acid; dried blood, IA pounds OF nj
rogen; fish scrap, pounds of nitrogen
nd 7,phosphoric acid; muriate of potash,
Q pounds OF potash; and sulphate of am
lonla, ~ pounds OF nitrogen, and so on.
his is the way these valuable plant foods
re combined, and we must take the extra
Rights in order to get the useful elements
squired. 1t is matter of arithmetic to
D combine these substances that a ton of
he complete fertilizer will contain so
ounds of nitrogen, 120 of potash and 100
ounds of phosphoric acid. Now four very
Important things demand attention: l.
he manufacturer must know that the
nipple Of dried blood, for example, fairly
'presents the whole pile. 2. He must
Tx these substances so that the proper
rms of the fertilizing elements are Sc
lred. Some are more soluble than others. /
here must be succession all through the
'ason, so that the plant may have availa-
Ie food all through its growth. 3. The
liking must be so complete that you can
ot take spoonful from any part of the
ag that will not show the guaranteed :
lalysis. 4. The fertilizer produced must ]
} in such perfect mechanical condition
Id so dry and fine that it can be evenly I
stributed by hand or machine. {
The Bradley Fertilizer Company pride 9
emselves on the care they take in pro- !
~ T.. .