38 



we find to be so wonderfully improved by Schultz-Lupitz plan. 

 With the aid of potash salts what prevents us from making all 

 these waste places blossom all over with fruitfulness ? ' ' 



These prophetic utterances are evidence that years ago the 

 great value of kainit was correctly recognized in this country 

 by Dr. Dabney. We refer the reader to the Report of the North 

 Carolina Station for 1882 for the testimony the farmers them- 

 selves offer on that subject. Dr. Dabney also recognized at 

 that early day, that the action of kainit consists not only in sup- 

 plying potash where potash is needed, but has also an indirect 

 effect through the agency of the secondary salts present. To 

 quote from that report, he says: "As far as our experience 

 goes, kainit appears to be the most effective agent which has 

 ever been used against that destructive and mysterious disease 

 in cotton which we call "rust" or "blight". It is Dr. Dabney 

 likewise who advised the planting of peas fertilized with kainit 

 /or the permanent improvement of the soil. He says, "ammo- 

 niated super-phosphates, that is to say, complete guano, proved 

 upon peas a failure, even worse than a failure, a permanent 

 injury in some cases, whereas kainit is the manure particularly 

 fitted to make good pea crops. ' ' This confirms again what Prof. 

 Wagner states regarding the enrichment of the soil by cultivat- 

 ing luguminous plants properly fertilized with kainit and phos- 

 phates. For this reason did Dr. Dabney call kainit a God-send 

 to the farmer, and he also discovered the high value of the 

 magnesia contained in kainit, advised its use instead of plaster, 

 and observed the effect of the potash salts to render the phos- 

 phates and nitrogen more available to the plants. 



In view of these irresistable facts it would seem that the 

 work done by the North Carolina Station in 1882 foreshadows 

 what the German scientists of a more recent date have done. 



