Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1909-04-06
A Complicated Fertilizer Formula

c. c. G., Winder, Ga, writes: I inclose
the formula of a fertilizer that 1t IS
claimed can be mixed at cost of IS per
ton. ! write to ask your opinion in regard
to IL. Will II make a suitable fertilizer
for corn and cotton?
Saltpeter 4 pounds; salsoda pounds;
bluestone 2 pounds: nitrate of ammonia
pounds; potash (crude or lye) pounds.
Dissolve in u gallons of water. Spread 200
pounds of stable manure under dry
she'd and sprinkle with 2 gallons of this
solution.
To this add: Wood ashes 30 pounds;
salt 16 pounds; lime Is pounds; acid phos-
phate pounds; kainit pounds. Mix
thoroughly the entire pile and let stand
in a dry place for 80 days. Apply from 200
to 40 pounds per acre before planting or
at the time first cultivation. Continue
to mix and put up fertilizers as above
until you get the desired quantity. Each
bath amounts to 800 pounds.
As with many other fertilizers it does
not do to put too much on very poor,
thin or droughty land. Two hundred
pounds per acre is sufficient. To get too
much on such land causes the vegetation
TO fire during a dry season.
Your letter inclosing fertilizer formula
which IL is claimed can be mixed for S.
per ton is received, and owing to the
unusual nature of this formula, some eff
fort has been made to ascertain it's value.
After consulting with Dr. Black, assistant
chemist of the University Of Georgia, GER
tain experiments were made which he has
seen proper to outline for your informa-
ton. and any other who may be inter-
ested in this particular formula
IT have made some experiments with
the fertilizer formula in question, the re-
suits indicating that 1t would have little
value. made mixtures as follows;
mo. l. grains of plain acid phosphate.
mo. 2, grains of plain acid phos-
phate to which was added lime in the
proportion called for in the formula.
mo. 8. grains of plain acid phosphate
to which was added lime as above in No
2, and potassium carbonate equivalent to
the wood ashes in the formula.
Each of these mixtures was then sep
arately treated with 120 c. c. of water, and
after iltering the solutions were examin-
ed for phosphoric acid. No. l showed
phosphoric acid in abundance; No 2
showed none. and No. showed extremely
little, especially after the mixture had
stood twenty-four hours I'm contact with
water, as Il would have to be in the
ground. The lime evidently causes the
phosphoric acid 10 revert, and the addition
reversion. In fact, the plant food, ex-
elusive of that contained in the manure,
amounts to but s per cent of phosphoric
acid, .13 per cent of nitrogen, and 2 per
cent of potash. at liberal estimate. even
| If the materials added did not interfere
with each other"
You will see from DIR. Blacks analysis
that the percentages of phosphoric acid,
nitrogen and potash are very low indeed,
and that a ton of this material would
contain about 2.6 pounds of nitrogen, 16
pounds of phosphoric acid and 40 pounds
of potash. According to the chemical re-
actions, however, which would follow the
mixing together of fresh lime, wood ashes
and acid phosphate. the phosphoric acid
would be rendered practically unavailable.
IT. however, we allowed Is cts a pound for
available nitrogen, cents for availa-
BILE phosphoric acid and cents for pot
ash, and disregarded the fact that much
of the plant food would be in an unavail-
able form on account of the chemical
reactions which would certainly follow,
there would be about 1913 worth of plant
food in a ton of this mixture.
You may make a compost formula
which we believe is superior in every
way to this one with a great deal less
labor. Mix together 1,750 pounds of well
rotted farm yard manure or rich woods
earth and leaf mold. Add to this 200
pounds of high-grade acid phosphate and
80 pounds Of muriate of potash. This mix
ture will contain 1915 pounds of nitrogen,
Ss pounds Of phosphoric acid and 35s
pounds Of potash. The plant food in a
ton of this mixture on the basis quoted
above would be worth 1924, and a ton Of
1t would certainly be equivalent in fertil-
izing value to 500 pounds of 2-s-2 fertil-
apply to an acre of land. and we believe
you will find It a satisfactory formula
which can be made without danger Of any
Objectionable chemical reactions follow
ing which will lessen the availability of
the plant food.