Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1895-03-22
THE USE OF CHEMICAL FER TILlZ
FRS
SOME INTERESTING EXPERIMENTS WITH
THEM.

]
THEM.
Editor Of the Register A farmer who
opposes the use of chemical fertilizers
would be considered by most of his
brethren as behind the times; and he
would be so if he failed to acknowledge
great benefits from their intelligent APP
plioation. But he Is fully abreast of the
times in affirming that probably one
half of the farmers are really ignorant
whether their use, so far, as whole has
resulted in a net gam or not. BY their
aid larger and finer crops have been
raised; this they know, for that is plain
and demands, no figuring; and, in the
case of gardening and truck farming. the
case is also pretty plain; but so far it is
not plain from any reports given IN the
papers that the great bulk of chemical
fertilizers, amounting to millions of dol
lars annually. are not applied in general
fdrHiinq at Il loss.
Is this statement agricultural heresy?
Not at all. Fire, electricity, medicines
and the like are all good things only
when intelligently used.
Chemical fertilizers, like the silo, have
come to stay, aud will result in vast
good as retaining agency in agrcul-
ture. But with their increased use
there should be CORRESPONDENCE
increased knowledge in their use. Guess
ing will not do. We farmers, to save
ourselves loss, must adopt the scientific
method, (which means care and pains
taking with the experiment until it is
fully completed. If in so doing the
unexpected does not turn up, the eX-
the writer.
Not to burden the reader with too
many details. let me state simply few
results. One year applied a standard
brand of potato fertilizer at the rate of
1000 lbs. per acre upon a strip directly
across the field. The yield was the same
as on the unfertilIzed land. As the fer
tilizer was know to be good (Bradley's) q.
the result was surprising.
Again, 800 pounds per acre was APP
piled as top-dressing to meadow land
in early spring. The yield of hay, by
weight, was exactly double that on a
similar plot adjoining and untreated.
Two similar experiments another year
caused no increase of hay. This was
very surprising.
Again, in raising onions the use of
chemical fertilizers, whether in large
or small quantities, was profitable in
vestment in every instance, paying better
even than yard manure, and this by care
: full book account.
The potato crop is generally improved
in yield and quality by the use of chem
zeal fertilizers: but 1900 pounds on two
= acres proved the last season, in my case
a losing investment. Check rows in diff.
ferent parts of the field were left, the
: tubers weighed and the test made
! thorough and conclusive. The gain
was unequal to the extra expense.
Let me now give one experiment a lit
tie more in detail. a piece of white
raced clay yielding only "buflalo grass
was selected. One half acre was staket
OIL and upon this 200 pounds of fertlliz
l ers were applied with the following
analysis; 1925 to 4.25 nitrogen, J to
= per cent soluable phos. acid. to s pei
cent potash.
; Adjoining this half acre another wa,
taken and the entire acre sown TO Oat'
e (three bushels) and stocked to clover
r The greatest care was exercised in har
a vesting and threshng Result:
Fertilized halt bu
Uniertllized halt acre................... g. bu
>" A gain per acre of 81 bushels of oats
speaking of grain only-at AN eXpens,
q of S7,20. Another similar experiment
f was conducted upon rich ground. 'Thl
soil was muck. Result at threshing,
= gain only of Us bushels of oats pc
acre.
There is in Ontario, Can, societ,
a called the Agricultural EXperimen
o union. whose members are scattered al
over the province. Last year 1910 eX
l periments were conducted. One item
i in the report is of special interest here
"'rhe average of 10 tests for three year
f in the use of complete fertilizers gave al
2 Increased yield of l0.G bushels of oat
per acre The increased yield still
fails to meet the additional expense o
t the fertilizer.
/ Thus far no account has been taken o
e the extra stocking resulting This i
all-important. Indeed, it is the large
: part of the problem. Three years, II
least, of weighing and figuring are de
: manded to arrive at conclusive results
G Farmers ,oW neoer do this. Who ought
The agricultural stations. OF what avail
is it to us that they certify to the purity
of the fertilizers, when by their use il
D general field culture we are still In tn,
= dark as to whether we ultimately maxi
f or lose!
d After ten wears of experimenting Will