The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1900-09-04
No. so

Men vary in talent as much as the
soils do in requirements and even
should every farmer study along the
same line of thought, results would
differ, and if farmer waits to make
all his needed discoveries himself, it
makes progress too slow, and death
will overtake him before the ac-
complishes much; but The Pro
gressive Farmer and other agricul-
tural papers reach out amongst the
farmers and gather from each bit
of information and send the whole to
each subscriber, and thus put him
in shape to move off in new methods
and with now ideas and in this way
the reading man accomplishes in a
short time results which, he who
does not read could not accomplish
in lifetime
| To illustrate: Some time ago /
read in The Progressive Farmer the
results of an analysis made by the
chemist of some experiment station
showing that poor sandy soils con-
tain larger amount of phosphoric
acid than stronger soils. This ap-
peared unreasonable, but supposed
that the writer was as honest in what
he gives the public by way of infor-
nation as am, and as chemistry is
a science based on correct principles,
l accepted it as true, and began at
once to see if I could not apply the
discovery advantageously TO my
farm, which is sandy with clay from
two to four feet below the surface.
The guanos usually sent out by
manufacturers showing analysis
2-8-2, do not give good results on
my lands therefore, acting upon the
principle noted above, began to
look up some guano of higher grade
and of proportions different from
2-8-2. The nearest I could find to
suit me was this: Ammonia, 3%
phosphoric acid, 90 potash (K2O),
! so. Probably much less phosphoric
acid would do as well, but even if the
amount in my soil is sufficient itmay
be best to use some upon the prin-
cip1e that "little leaven leaveneth
the whole lump" and renders active
that which is already there.
The agent, as is usual with men
who sell, wanted to advise me about
something he did not understand,
and said, ''This is for tobacco"
, said, II do not grow tobacco, but
this is what WANT and notwith-
standing no rain of much conse-
quence has fallen since May, if he
had any doubt about the wisdom of
of my purchase, results will quickly
dispel them. And the 200 pounds
per acre cost less than 800 pounds of
2-8-2, each giving the same quantity
in the aggregate of three ingredients,
showing that the advantage lies in
using more potash and ammonia and
about the same quantity of phos-
phoric acid, which, as stated above,
could, think, have been much less
with as good results.
If the farmers owning sandy lands
could have known this when they
first began the use of guanos, thou
sands of dollars would have been
saved and the lands built up much
faster yet, all this time the discov-
e1y was not made and it was left for
The Progressive Farmer to an
nounce it.
The practice of using any and
every guano offered by agents must
be abandoned and every farm must
become an experiment. station SO
| that each farmer can know with GER
tainty the proper proportions for the
different classes of soils. This can
not be accomplished until farmers
learn to buy the ingredients in some
form separately and combine them
in suitable proportions on the farm.
Then why not begin correspond
ence now to ascertain prices so that
we may not next spring be at the
mercy of the manufacturers as was
the case last spring?
| Let some one in each neighbor-
hood take the initiative and
ascertain as nearly as possible
/ the quantity and kind needed
! by his neighbors, the terms upon
which they want to buy and
write several wholesale dealers in
chemicals for prices. On receiving
reply call meeting and arrange de-
tails so that the goods can be shipped
at proper time.
An old adage, but true one is,
Take care of the cents, the dollars
will take care of themselves, +" but in
this case the cents become dollars so
rapidly as to make one think he is
really taking care of dollars.
More anon.
WIN. A. BARBREY.