No. 6. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 411 



little dried blood to be available when the nitrate of soda is gone, 

 because of its tine subdivision it will be entirely broken down and 

 available; and then will also take the additional contents from the 

 tankage or ground bone, because il will be later on available. Ho 

 that the individual who undei'takes to make his own fertilizer will 

 probably only use the one content, nitrate of soda, and the prob- 

 abilities are that he will supply it in such quantities that the larger 

 per cent, is lost to him. So that I thoroughly believe, in our prac- 

 tical needs, we cannot afford to mix the fertilizers ourselves and 

 cannot get as good and cheap results as we do to-day by getting 

 them mixed by machinery running day and night. 



PROF. WATTS: I cannot agree with Mr. Philips along the line 

 of home mixing of commercial fertilizers. It seems to me we have 

 reached a stage in Pennsylvania when we ought to feed our farms 

 with intelligence, and I do not believe it is possible to-day to 

 go on the market and buy ready mixed commercial fertilizers that 

 will suit the crops of the farm. It seems to me we can work more 

 intelligently if we mix them right on the barn floor and to suit the 

 crop. We can see if we want more phosphoric acid than some 

 other ingredient and so we can put in more phosphoric acid or an^ 

 other ingredient in the proportion it is needed, and so far as I am 

 concerned, I find it impossible to buy commercial fertilizers unless 

 I pay from five to seven dollars a ton more than I can buy the in- 

 gredients in the raw state and mix them on the barn floor. Last 

 year I mixed some that cost me thirty-seven cents for mixing. I 

 think that is the only advantageous manner of mixing fertilizers. 



MR. PHILIPS: I agree entirely with Professor Watts because he 

 is that specialist I referred to. I was answering the question from 

 the standpoint of the general farmer who may buy a blood fertilizer 

 and put on the corn or grass crop. And, by the way, one-half of the 

 fertilizers sold in Pennsylvania I do not think contains more than 

 IG pounds of nitrogen to the ton. How is it possible with home 

 mixing to distribute that 16 pounds over from seven to ten acres of 

 land so as to be of any benefit? So that it is only the most thorough 

 and complete mixing that can be of any avail whatever. But for 

 special crops, in my own practice, although not a market gardener, 

 I do not have a bag of nitrate of soda to use on cabbage or lettuce; 

 but in special work it is advisable to do as Prof. Watts says, but 

 for the average farmer and corn grower I do not believe it is prac- 

 tical. I visited factories where in the low grade goods they put in 

 marl, but in the high grade goods they carry no adulterant. If it is 

 possible to make a better grade than we can buy of dried blood or 

 muriate of ])otash and mix them thoroughly it might be well to do 

 so if we know our needs. 



