The Palatka news and advertiser. [volume] (Palatka, Fla.) 1902-1905, 1903-12-11
The Farm and Grove.
Copyrighted by Rural Press Syndicate.
II. E. STOcKBRlDdE, Phi. D., Editor.


| VI iOA IiiiNUio lCdliO HdNS lmpe' leCJ OT 6f-
roheous ideas concerning a matter with
which they are in way very familiar.
This miscOneeption is really an unfortu-
nate one, since it leads to many mis-
takes In practice. often with disaster 10
crop and pocket.
Against few of the more frequent of
tse errors hope to protect the reader.
Anything and everything which con-
tains fertiilzing material Is not neces-
saiily fertilizer. More emphatically,
everything sold as fertilizer is not nee
e5sari really SO. Fertility is the ability
OF the soil to produce crops. Crop pro-
ductng results, like the growth of al
living things, from the consuming of
food. Food, plant food, therefore, Is the
cause OF fertility. A fertilizer, there
fore. is truly such, only when 1t supplies
the crop to be produced, with the food
needed for its normal growth. A fertili-
ger is not itself plant food 1t is simply
source OF plant food. This is an i'm
pOrtant distinction, and one on the ap-
plicltlOn of which the economy of the
use OF fertilizers chiefly depends,
Manure is a fertilizer; phosphate In a
fertilizer They are not plant foods.
lhey may contain plant food. or are pos
stble sources Of liant food. These and
all other so ctlled fertilizers, are valua-
bic solely because they contain plant
food, or increase the supply of a, ailabIe
plant food in the soil Their value de-
ponds on the amount Of food they thus
make accessible to the crop to be grown
with their assistance. The actual plant
food IS the valuable part of the fertilizer
This is never more than a comparatively
small part OF the entire material called
fertilizer. and 1t is this small part
which give value to the entire article.
Many a farmer applies manure, acid |
phosphate or potash salt, under the sup
osltlon that the entire article has more
or less value, that the bulk of the ma
terlal purchased and applied, has some
bearing on the crop producing power of |
the article. Many farmers fail to un-
derstand or practice the necessary diff
ference In actual plant food supp led by
Identical quantities OF the same form of
rtiIizer under different conditions, and
with different plant food contents.
These men consider a load OF manure
always the same II made by the same
class OF animas, and produced under
ike conditions of shelter. AS a matter
u Tact the manure produced from feed
ng beggar-weed hay, or COW pea vines,
g really nearly one half better than that
produced under Identical conditions
rom the feeding Of northern baled hay.
because OF difference in the nitrogen
present In these crops, which furnishes
he important plant food part of this
orm OF fertilizer In like manner a ton
II tankage is supposed to be ton OF
ankage, ton of ashes or ton of phos-
mate Is taken to express O definite
mount OF fertility, when it merely
means definite amount of raw material,
With very variable amounts of plant
God, or real fertilizing value.
A fertilizer, therefore, is simply the
convenient or economical commercial
orm OF materials whose value consists S
n small part of the entire substance.
Phich forms the actual plant food, or
Material which makes the crop, The 4
alue to the crop, and grower, depends {
n the proportion of this small part n
hitch is present and available to the a
liant. The actual amount of real plant c
Dod supplied, and not the total amount u
fertilizer, determines real value. b
PROTECTION AGAINST wEEvILs. @
Corn, peas and other grains and seeds
re subject to very serious damage In
II climate from the depredations of the u u
ain weeVil, Protection is so effective a
I'd simple that there is really no excuse {
r loss fIOm this cause. With corn, !
hich is stored in open cribs there is
ore difficulty involved. The remedy,
Nv lie IN 4 hn bNn IL, |
fore storing it, and then store In reas- III
ably Gloss or tight bins or houses. In IL
is way it is as easily and effectively
Gated and protected as is the case with
y other grain.
The most practical of the. really effec-
70 means Of protection, is the "carbon N
-sulphide trenLnen :" This material
heavy oily app airing liquid, which As
apora es extremely rapidly on expo
re to the air. The vapor thus formed v
mixture with air, is so much heavier iiC
an air that it sinks to the bottom of A,
y space to which 1t has access In of
Is respect it corresponds to carbonic de
ID, whichslnks to the bottoms of wells Sa
d mines, rendering them foul and de
cir air poisonous to life co
Jarbon- bi-sulphide fumes, or air, ia
ewise poisonous to all forms of animal ra
3. These fumes are easily produced,
are harmless except when breathed. ia
ey soon disappear entirely, by mixing In
npletely with surrounding air. The ce
'cess consists simply in exposing the to
uid In shallow dish placed on top of %
. grain to be protected. In tight bin,
< or room. The fluid evaporates i'm thi
dlately into the air, and the fumes
Is formed fill all the air spaces In the Oh
in, killing all the weevils. The guam :
7 required is, according to tightness Nc
receptacle, One-half to one pound
fifty bushels OF grain The material
y be obtained of any city druggist, and
IS only some 25o per Id. In warm We
ather the treatment should be re- cat
ted In three weeks to catch the Wee A.
Matching from undo stroyed eggs. OH
Ter average conditions no further dee
ltment will be needed for the season. Sal
3 interesting to note that the velvet des
mis- entirely exempt from attack by cou
weevil. a
QUESTIONS ANSWERED. -,
hat is the best variety of Irish pota- la,
ior spring crop, for the Northern in
kets2 answer. The Rose No. said
r has shown itself to be 80 much su- corr
or or to all others, as to make a class tbe,
tself. This is not only the result of 1e0s
teal experience Of the largest "
Vers, but of eighty varieties care this
tested by the Fla. Experience Sta rs
none gave returns comparable with Cler
variety. The next In order OF value
the Carman, No. Three, Beauty of -.
on and Bliss Triumph. Nj
there any protection against Gel
Hight? Answer. This is a haota- earn n
Ile.- s-Ls. D-0eO leave
lsehSe IOf Wnic1 no cure Is known Aigehs
8 sometimes been O serious pest 70 isss