Norwich bulletin., 1922-02-15
FERTILIZER AND CROPS
DISCUSSED AT FARM MEETIr

At well attended meeting Of the farm
bureau held In the town hall in North
Stonington Monday afternoon Prof ]. S.
Owens of Storrs college and County
Agent Harold F. johnson Of Norwich
discussed the use Of fertilizer in relation
to the various crops grown by the aver
age dairy farmer. Professor Owens
brought out the point that there are four
standard materials for mixing fertilizer
on the market at the present time These
materials are s1lphate of ammonia, nit
rate of soda, acid phosphate and muriate
of potash. 1t makes no difference
whether the farmer buys from fertilizer
concern that makes up mixed goods or
whether he buys raw materials and mix
es them on his own barn floor. The ma
jority of his fertilizer in either case will
be made UP of these four materials. Here
in this county we have a fertilizer plant
that is a little different from the average
in that large part of their mixtures
contain ground fish. The supply. how
ever. Of this Is limited. as well as the
supplies Of bone, tankage and other
forms of organic nitrogen or phosphoric
acid. One Of the men said that fertilizer
agents were making capital out of the
| proposition that farmers wouad not be
| able to secure as good quality in raw
| materials as the fertilizer manufacturers
!
| ceived from a leading man In one of the
| fertilizer companies which was aimed to
make the farmers believe that il they
| bought nitrate of soda or acid phosphate
| in raw materials to mix themselves they
could not secure as good a fertilizer as
| could be secured if this same material
was mixed at the fertilizer plant The
! absurdhy of such a statement was very
evident. he said. Too many men even at
l III
such statements made by agents. when
they would do much better to follow the
suggestions and recommendations made
| by extension men or experiment station
| men whose only business is to serve the
| public interests
Professor Owens drew attention to the
fact that it was very possible to grow
good clover if we take the proper pre-
| cautions. Very few men IN New Londor
county at the present time are growing
any amount of good clover hay. Blu
here and there through the county there
can be found a man who is following ou
a definite plan and is being well reward
ed in the kind of hay that he secured
Several things are necessary in growing
good clover hay. One of the chief diff
culties we are up against at the presen
time is the possibility or often the i'm
possibility of securing reliable seed. Sew
eral million pounds of clover seed hav
been imported of late from southern
Europe This kind Of clover seed viii
terminate and grow well in this clmat
during the first season. but will be prac
tically winter killed. This makes it prac
ticalfy worthless as a plant to use TO
, hay. Lime acid phosphate and potas,
are also necessary if we are to secure tn
best growth. A ton and a half of groun
limestone or a ton of burnt lime wolrl
, go long way toward insuring a Glove
+ crop, while reasonably heavy application
of acid phosphat eand lime phosphat
wild also help We also need more FIRE
quent working of the land, which mean
shorter rotations Many men are gettin
into the habit of seeding down their cor
: land and not raising oats. The maj orit
: of oats raised in New London county ar
:. good for hay anyway, and at best are
! better quality of hay as compared wit
Il some of our clover hay. When we cor
slider that it takes 5 hours on the ave.
age to raise an acre of oats in this colr
. ty 1T is worth while thinking over IL
, possibility of seeding in corn This 1
:. hours of labor could often times be d
i to much better use in raising a Gre
which will pay much higher wages p.
hour than oats can ever pay.