478 



MISCELLANEOUS FARM SUBJECTS 



List of Materials Used in Home-Mixing of Fertilizers. 



Do Not Buy Recipes For Making Fertilizers. From time to 

 time parties go around selling formulas for fertilizers which they 

 claim to be "secret" or "wonderful discoveries." Most of the recipes 

 that have been sold in this way are worthless. Mixtures prepared 

 according to the directions given are not worth the time and labor 

 applied to them. Ingredients are called for which can only be pur- 

 chased at high prices and likely as not are wholly without value to 

 the plant or the soil. The following is an example of a fertilizer 

 recipe which has been offered for sale : 



Bluestone 2 pounds. 



Saltpeter 2 pounds. 



Nitrate of ammonia 2 pounds. 



Soda ash 2 pounds. 



Potash ball 4 pounds. 



Dissolve in five gallons of water and sprinkle on the sand; 

 make a ton sufficient for one acre. Not a single one of the substances 

 mentioned is used in making fertilizers. Bluestone and soda ash do 

 not contain any plant food. Saltpeter, ammonium nitrate, and pot- 

 ash contain potash and nitrogen, but they are too expensive to be 

 used as a fertilizer. The potash would act upon the ammonium ni- 

 trate and drive off the ammonia, making the mixture smell like 

 ammonia. The smell would not grow any plants. The mixture 

 would contain about 3 pounds of potash, and 1 pound of nitrogen and 

 would have a fertilizer valuation of 33 cents per ton. It would cost 

 from $1.50 to $2.00 for the ingredients. 



Authorities Consulted. W. Va. E. S. B. 51, 80; W. Va. E. S. B. 

 114; Wash. E. S. B. 114; Tex. E. S. B. 85; Univ. Tenn. B. 1; Univ. 

 Tenn. Kept. 1899; N. C. E. S. Kept, 1887; Penn. Col. B. 35; Ore. 

 E. S. B. 79; 0. E. S. Bs. 54, 79, 167; Cornell Univ. B. 201; N. Y. 

 E. S. B. 192; N. H. E. S. Bs. 5, 12, 21; Miss. E. S. B. 99; Purdue 

 Univ. B. 10; Univ. 111. Bs. 116, 129; Conn. E. S. Repts. 1900, 1902, 

 1903, 1907; Univ. Calif. Bs. 157, 178, 179; Bu. Pit. Ind. Bs. 441, 

 692; F. Bs. 56, 398; Mass. Ag. Col. B. 9; F. Bs. 44, 245, 192; Univ. 

 W. Va. Bs. 28, 99, 112; Ala. Dept. Ag. B. 2; Bu. Soils B. 58; Univ. 

 Wis. B. 180; W. Va. E. S. B. 40; Tex. E. S. B. 112; La. E. S. B. 31; 



