Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1895-04-19
HOME MIXED FERTILIZERS.
Helpful Hints Cleaned From Paper Read
Before a New York SocietY.

ucIpful Hints CLEANED From Paper .end
Before New York Society.
At the annual meeting of the Western
New York Horticultural society DR. q.
T.. Caldwell Of Cornell university pre-
sented paper on home mixed fertii-
GERS. In this paper he first made some
explanations concerning commercial fer
tilizers with a view not only to assist
ing purchasers to buy intelligently, but
to compare with home mixtures He
said:
Twenty pounds is the unit of measure
in ton, or | pound to 100. If fertili-
Eer has per cent of potash, that means
that there are 90 pounds of potash in
ton. AT present market prices for the
chemicals used in fertilizers 81 is
enough to pay for a unit go pounds) of
potash, 81. 30 is enough to pay for a
unit of phosphorus and So. so for a unit
of nitrogen.
Suppose a fertilizer contained | = per
cent of potash. This would make the
value of potash in a ton 81. so. Eight
per cent of phosphorio acid multiplied
by the unit of that value of that article
would make $40. 40 as the worth of
phosphorus in ton containing 8 per
cent i1f the published analysis. If it con-
tanned 2 per cent of nitrogen, this would
make 81 more, or total of SIS 90 A
fertilizer of this analysis was upon the
market at $2S per ton. In another brand
analysed there were 3 PEI cent nitrogen,
worth $40. 90; 10 per cent phosphoric
acid, worth $l3, and 10 per cent of pot
ash. worth $40, the total worth being
$33 So This was sold at $32 per ton, or
81. 80 less than the market value of the
ingredients. In the first example the
purchase price was 50 more than the
cost of the ingredients The state chem
list Analyses all fertilizers sold i'll the
state, and this analysis is on every pack
age that is lawfully sold.
Buy in the market the plant food you
want, mix i'll the barn in the leisure of
winter, and by comparing it with the
certified analysis of brands in the mar
ket, estimated upon the per cent they
contain, you can tell what you have to
pay manufacturers for the simple work
of mixing. For your nitrogen you can
buy nitrate Of soda or high grade sui
plate of ammonia, high grade super
phosphate for your phosphoric acid and
muriate or sulphate of potash for your
potash.
The New Jersey experiment station
analysed 700 tons of various fertilizers
and found that consumers were paying
OIL an average nearly $50 per ton moro
than the materials were worth. AS to
whether the farmers can mix the ma
nures as well as the manufacturers, DIR.
Caldwell said good many comparisons
were made, and in all cases those mixed
by farmers were as well mixed as tho,e
purchased already mixed He advised
experiments with various different mix
lures, and when the right sort had been
ascertained then adhere to it.
Fertilizers should be used III large
enough quantities to make sure wheth IT
they were of any value or not They
should be used at the rate of 400 or 800
pounds per acre. DR.. Caldwell said III
trate of soda should only be used on
growing crops and early in the season,
when there was plenty of moisture.
Dried blood and bonemeal might be
used where there was no vegetation.