St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1905-03-11

garden.
Fertilizers for Fruit.
The most economical method {
fertlllzing vineyards Is very in
portant matter for fruit growers
consideration. 1t has been recent
attempted, under the auspices Q
the French government. to deter
mine the most economical way O
fertilizlng vineyards. The fact
elected are full of instruction 70
American fruit growers.
The land used for these expert
ments was a nearly pure white sand
containing SO small an amount o
natural plant food that the quantit,
was neglected in all calculations
The grape selected for the test wa
one of the best known red win,
grapes of France. The fertilizer
used were divided into four groups
according to whether the predomi
mating element Of plant food con
tanned was nitrogen, phosphorit
acid, potash, or lime and msgnesia
The heterogeneous group included
nitrate of soda, nitrate of amon,a,
dried blood, tankage, and nitrate
of potash.
The phosphoric acid group in.
cluded bone ash, ''hoats," super
phosphates. and phosphate of am
monia.
The potash group included muir,
ate of potash, suIpha,e Of potash,
and carbonate of potash.
The fourth group included car.
Donate of lime, carbonate of mag.
neeia.
The results of this test, after
three years trial, were as follows:
Nitrate of soda gave the best
results In the nitrogen series. Tor
rltied and ground leather scrap
was second.
In the potassic series carbonate
of potash gave the best results, but
sulphate of potash was little be.
hind, and is cheaper. Plats receiv.
ing potash fertilizer in large
amounts uniformly ripened their
wood before those receiving but
little potash.
The French experimenter con-
cludes from his experience that
theoretically perfect fertilizer for
the grape, and probably all other
fruits should be composed of bone
meal, carbonate or sulphate of pot
ash, carbonate or sulphate of mag.
nesia, eulpbate of lime and nitrate
of soda. The experimenter does
not attempt 10 give q practical
formula for preparing a fertilizer,
since the relative quantities of the
different ingredients must vary
with the soil aud local circum
stances; but he concludes that all
Of these substances in some pro.
portion should form q part of a
fertilizer for grapes.
In the United States the uses of
gypsum have never been so popu-
lar as in Europe. We apply this
substance, however, when we use
acid phosphates. Carbonate of lime
gives better results with US. The
'pec,al application of magncsia has
lot been advised by any one in this
though there is no doubt
hat it could be pro6tably done IN
many cases. The crude potash salts
On the market contain large per
'entage of magnesia. This helps
o make the use of KANT pro6ta
lie, even where freight is high.
The French experlmenter Incl
|entallv determined that of the
nitrogen given IN the fertilizer he
'as able to recover IN the growth
My about one-twentieth of that
,ven IN the fertilizer.
The net deductions from the
rrench experiments, as we'll as
eneral experience in the United
tates, are that for early fruits of
rm quality, highly colored and
weet, We must use an abundance
{ easily assimllable fertilizer, con-
lining nitrate of soda, sulphste of
otash, superphosphate and lime.
he lime should, however, be alp.
|io6 coooro%o1v &c - %hn s%o&o ~