The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1905-01-29
commercial fertilizer was an unknown
FERTILIZER HABIT

S3fif fIE IICRI1 lAlLUlL fliAl3llI i3&
Mr.. James Bowen states that the
quality Of the soil being similar, With
the same soil $prepnrntion; just&ns 7 m = ll
the aid Of fertilizer in his young days
as is now raised with heavy nppli-
cation of high priced commercial fertl-
.lizers, and he gives It as his opinion INA Ia
the wheat has become addicted gradually
to, the fertilizer habit and will not GROW
without It. 4 u, FL 9- i, ~ y.
ircowlng wheat 10 meet the changed con- "A
sditions iii q manner that might offer
n useful hint to practical farmers else
where. He makes Ills preparations for
n wheat CROP considerably over n a yea r
ahead, IN a. sectionfof his barn set aside
for that purpose he piles up az the ma
snure from the hen house and Z PIE sty =
Along a sufficient quantity Of horse sthplo
ma row manure. The mass IS stirred
In occasionally and left to Thoroughly
decompose. Shortly before time to SOW
wheat. nll the wood ashes " llich #il aiVes
+ccn soparately saved, are added ana
5tha whole is run through an ingenious
machine built by Mr.. Bowen that flnely
$pulverzes It and removes all rec \ OF
hard substances, leaving itsready for the
whcn.t B drill. S The machine spoken Of
above can easily be made by any man
of moderate mechanical ability. In size z:
and shane 1T much resembles an ordl-
nary wheat fan: beneath tho hopper are
two wooden rollers about eight Eincnes
hin diameter. after passing through .thc
I5rollers the crushed matter rails s. on {,
slightly inclined riddle or tho REQUIRED
| nneness agitatcd exactly like the rlt.-.e
! ~ 4 wheat fan. that CARR es the coarser
2nnrtion over the tail of tho machine
! nnd,lets tho finely pulverized matter dron
| though. Occasionally Mr.. Bowen, VIII
purchase small quantities Of commercial 4
fertilizers to compare WITH ms Y tlo'ile-
mad preparation. but ne mas MS own ',
nrena ration cheaper and as great an aid
| = = tho Weld as any commercial fertilizer
| that he has ever tried and 1T does not
r,,m IN the drillslike some Of the CONF.
~ :. : + TREES ON WHEAT LAND.
| Last December at age of elghty-four
| there passed away Il man LIVING IN q
house built Of lumber sawed out or trees
| that grew on land that he had often
cut wheat over Mr. William Brooks.
gave it as his opinion several years before
| his death that just as good wheat was
crown In his carly manhood on the aV-
crapeF grade OF land in this section with
| out fertilizer as was grown In his later
i years on tho Same grade OF land WITH
\ a heavy application OF commercial y er
s; tllizer He gave 1t as his belief that
wheat now grown In this section has
t become addicted to the fertilizer habit
lust as man frequently becomes a Vic
1 tim OF the tobacco, whiskey Or opium
habit and what is needed Is q variety
wheat that has been grown for several
generations without the use Of CONNER
cial fertilizers. !,
WHAT will take the place Of wheat?
The higher prices of cggs In the last
couple Of years has resulted ~ an IN
! CREASED interest in poultry raising There
/ has been n wonderful growth of the fruit
i interests In the lower part OF Fauquier
4 and in the adjacent portions OF culpeper
and Stafford counties In recent years;
hut the announcement last fall OF MI
i in. Kiser, the local nurscry-Inan VINO
1 raised most Of the fruit trees planted
out in this section in recent years ana
who largely supplied more distant por-
| tions OF this state. that he would be COM