34 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Jan. 



The phosphoric acid in ' * slag " is in the so-called reverted 

 form, and by some is said to be available for plants. 



There are many who advocate cutting or fermenting bone 

 with ashes, claiming that the phosphate of lime is made 

 soluble by this treatment. I have had one of the chemists 

 at our station in New Hampshire test this, and we find that 

 there is no action of this sort, but the reverse ; any soluble 

 acid that existed was made insoluble. I would not advise 

 any one to ferment bones with ashes ; it is a poor practice 

 at best. 



Another reason why I believe in buying the crude chemi- 

 cals (dissolved bone-black, muriate of potash and sulphate 

 of ammonia, etc.), is that they are substances which contain 

 plant food in an available form. 



You cannot get insoluble nitrogen in sulphate of ammonia 

 or nitrate of soda ; the potash salts are easily soluble, and 

 there is less liability of South Carolina rock being used in 

 dissolved bone-black than in a mixed fertilizer. You ex- 

 change an uncertainty for a certainty in buying chemicals 

 rather than prepared goods. 



Again, with your nitrogen, potash and phosphoric acid in 

 separate bags, you are at liberty to mix a fertilizer in any 

 proportion that you find to be best adapted to your wants. 

 I believe that each farmer should find out for himself what 

 his fiirm needs. The experiment stations can do much to 

 aid you, but you must adapt and adjust the work of the 

 station to your own needs. 



Corn and potatoes require different fertilization. I have 

 found it not only without benefit, but positively injurious, to 

 use nitrogen for potatoes. Now, it does not follow that this 

 would be true everywhere, but in general it is so. Now, if 

 every farmer here would try just the one experiment of plant- 

 ing potatoes on ground one half of which was fertilized with 

 twelve dollars' worth of fertilizer containing nitrogen, and 

 the other half with twelve dollars' worth containing no 

 nitrogen, and would report the results, I have no doubt 

 we could learn more about fertilizing potatoes in one year 

 than will be learned in ten years. Now, why can't this be 

 done? 



