The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1898-05-10
No. IA


badly worn or run down soil, except
that potash and phosphoric acid may
sometimes be prof1tably applied to q
great cFop OF clover or peas to be turned
under. Barnyard manure should be-
applied to such worn soils. A ton Of
barnyard manure contains only about
fifteen pounds of nitrogen, the same OF
potash and eight pounds of phosphoriC
acid, and much of this becomes avail
able to plants only as the humus de-
usually period of several years.
Every ton of such manure contains
1400 to 1900 pounds of water. Yet the
great value Of the humus of barnyard
manure renders such manure much
more effective than the same amount
Of nitrogen, phosphoric acid and pot
ash in the form Of q commercial fer
tilizer.
The mixed commercial fertilizers OF
the markets usually contain nitrogen,
phosphoric acid and potash in proper
tions which suit the fancy Of the man
ufacturer, or in proportions which he
thinks suit the fancy of his customers.
These goods sometimes have special
names. such as potato fertilizers, to-
bacco fertilizer, cotton fertilizer, etc.,
but there is no reason to believe that
they have any specific value for any Of
these crops or act in any way other
than as a general fertilizer. They are
often beneficial, but there is no reason
to believe that they are in general any
more 80 than they would be il they
contained the ingredients in various
other proportions. The materials
which are compounded to make these
fertilizers are no different that the
farmer can buy in the unmixed con-
dition. OfteR-he can buy them ia the
unmixed condition and mix them at
home for less cost than he can buy the
mixed goods.
Home mixing of fertilizers has some
prominent advantages to the farmer,
among which the following may be
mentioned: It enables him to know
the exact nature Of the material which
he uses. He can use the proportion of
each ingredient likely to be best suited
to his crop and soil. He can mix the
material thoroughly and at little cost
by hand labor and, by little care and
foresight, at time when his men could
not otherwise be profitably employed.
He can apply part of the material
separate from the remainder. It is
often best to apply potash salts several
weeks before planting, especially where
keinit or muriate of potash are used,
yet it would not be wise to apply the
nitrogen and phosphoric acid at this
time. Mixed fertilizers come chiefly
from outside the State. Cotton seed
meal is produced in large quantities
within the State and q large proper
tion of that produced is shipped away.
It furnishes nitrogen in form which
is as readily available as in any or
ganic substance and at as low price.
1t is not economy to ship cotton seed
meal out Of the State and then buy it
back in mixed fertilizers, for this in
creases the cost Of the material with
out increasing it's value.
A study made at the Connecticut
State Experiment Station of the com.
parative cost of nitrogen in commercial
manures especially rich in that element
shows cotton seed meal to furnish nitro.
gen at the lowest market value Rt
which the element can be obtained.
This occurs, too, after it has been trans.
ported hundreds of miles into land
where the freight rates on nitrate Of
soda (Which comes from South Ameri-
ca) and on other substances containing
nitrogen are quite as low as they are
in any section of the country and much
lower than they would be in the inte-
rior of this State. If the farmers In
this State wish to buy nitrogen for
their land, q ton of cotton seed meal
usually contains about 145 pounds Of
nitrogen, SO pounds phosphoric acid
and SO pounds potash. Some other
substances which are sources Of nitro
gen for manures are nitrate Of soda
and sulphate Of ammonia, two purely
mineral substances, of which the first
is mined in South America and the
other is produced in the manufacture
of coal gas. Suiphate of ammonia fur
nishes nitrogen in its most expensive,
but not most valuable form, and viii
hardly find its way into the markets.
Nitrate OF soda contains nitrogen
in very quick acting form. It has
been found by experiment that q
somewhat larger proportion OF the
nitrogen which it contains viii be
] r,tiIiznd L-z Ahn c..ornir,o. crcr, AEnr hE,oA.