1859. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



411 



part of flesh and blood. Having thus progressed,\h\gher class of plant for further progression, and 

 perhaps having again and again constituted parti so on through nature's laboratory, until we find 

 both of vegetable and animal substances, those 1^^/ P!'"?':^^^^'! P^^^^P^'^^'^^ occupying the bones 



. . , n • |0i animals, 



elements acquire an aptitude for such o?ganiza- ..y^^^ ^-^^^ ^^ ^^^ ^^^. ^^ ^^j^^ ^„ dissolved 



lion, and so are the more readily taken up anew I rocks instead of the same constituents compos- 

 to be wrought into new structures, just as grape jing plants in a progressed state, as to attempt to 

 cuttings buried in vineyards form the best nour-ift^ed plants on primitive phosphates, no matter 

 Ishmenc for the vine, and as egg-shells are found 1*^°^ manipulated by grinding and acids." 

 by hens, the most convenient substance of which These views have recently received strong sup- 

 to make shells for new eggs. jport from a published report of a committee of 

 In the Worlcing Farmer of April, 1855, Pro- the French Academy of Sciences. The fact that 

 fessor Mapes clearly states his theory, which we I mineral phosphate is far inferior in value and ef- 

 have attempt briefly to indicate. He there states j feet for agriculture to the animal phosphate, is 



as known facts, that if we apply a quantity of 

 bullocks' blood to the soil, it proves a powerful 



clearly stated, though the reason assigned seems 

 to be the difficulty of reducing the mineral to a 



fertilizer, whereas if we apply the exact equiva- sufficiently minute state of division. The French 

 lents, so far as chemistry can tell us, taken from Committee say — 

 the primary source of rock, and dissolved, the 

 efi"ect as a fertilizer is very small ; and so if we 

 use phosphate of iime made from bones, and the 



"The importations of mineral phosphates from 

 Estramadura into Great Britain, have not pro- 

 duced amongst the agriculturists all the favora- 

 same amount of mineral phosphate, the bonej ble results which were expected from them. One 

 phosphate will prove by far the better manure.! "^ "'^' ¥' ^\""^^/' h«l the opportunity, in 1850, 

 tr ', , . , 1 • /. 1 .1 • 11 101 Stating this fact, dunnor a mission With which 



\et the chemists analysis finds the mineral phos- 1 j^^^^^^^^.j^^^g^^l ^. ^j^^ Minister of Agriculture 



phate taken from the rock at Crown Point, Lake | and Commerce, relative to the agricultural im- 

 Champlain, and other places, in various parts of j provements introduced into England, Scotland 

 the world, identical with the phosphate from k."^ Iceland. It does not appear that they have 



1 „„ „„ 1 ^„»„ »!„„ J , „„ ^f „„„„i „„!„„ <.„ since succeeded in obtaiiiinc; in Great Britain as 



bones, and sets them down as oi equal value to i /t. ,• i • ^i ■ i 

 , . ' good effects from the mmt-ral pliosphates as from 



the farmer. bones, or the black residues of the refineries." 



We think the readers of the JVeio England] »♦♦♦»»# 



Farmer have a manifest interest in this matter, | ..q„ j^-^ ^^^.^ ^j ^^^^^.-.^^ ^^^ rendered indis- 

 even if it does savor somewhat of abstruse sci-jputable services to agriculture, by analyzing the 

 ence. We are all buying what one of our neigh- j manures deposited in the Government dock- 

 bors comprehensively calls "bag manure," audi y^^'ds, and, exposing certain frauds in commercial 

 we read in the advertisements, certificates of ™^'"":''^. h'^^ P''"^''^^ by direct experiments the 



learned chemists, that this kind of guano con- 

 tains such a per cent, of phosphate of lime, and 

 this patent fertilizer such a per cent. Now, if 

 phosphate of lime is all one thing, and produces 

 the same effect, from whatever source derived, 

 why there is no objection to considering it a law- 

 ful tender to the farmer for his money, but if the 

 above theory is correct ; it may be the old illus- 

 tration literally verified, of asking for bread and 

 receiving a stoite ! buying plant-food and receiv- 

 ing an indigestible rock. 



In a recent article, Professor Mapes states his 

 opinion even more strongly than before. He 

 says : 



"Phosphates have no value for agricultural 

 purposes, unless taken from organiclij't, like the 

 blood and bones of animals. The phosphates 

 from the phosphatic rocks and volcanic deposits, 

 miscalled guanos, although ground and treated 

 with sulphuric acid, have no value as fertilizers, 

 and cannot be absorbed into the higher class of 

 plants, such as are now required for the use of 

 men and animals. They must first be taken up 

 by lichens and mosses, and be progressed by 

 them in a way which chemistry as yet has failed 

 to discover, and on their decay and redeposit of 

 their phosphates in the soil, be absorbed by a 



insolul)iiity of many mineral phosphates in the 

 weak acids, in the state in which they are now 

 ofi'ered to agriculturists.'' 



******* 



"We shall render to agriculture a still grea»"r 

 service if we discover the means of tconomicaiiy 

 dividing the mineral phosphates to the state ;n 

 which they readily become assimilable by plants." 



Whatever the true theory, it is manifest that 

 the difference between animal and mineral phos- 

 phates is everywhere admitted among scientific 

 men. It is not enough, then, that the guano or 

 superphosphate be certified to contain a certain 

 proportion of phosphate of lime. There is a 

 further question. — Is this phosphate such as tlie 

 plants can use J If not, whatever the reason, it 

 is useless to the farmer. Careful experiment 

 alone, it would seem, can answer this question 

 as to any fertilizer from an unknown or unrelia- 

 ble source. 



The farmers of the present day require not on- 

 ly knowledge enough to perform their farm la- 

 bor intelbgently, but enough, also, to defend 

 themselves from their scientific friends, who in- 

 nocently sign all sorts of certificates, commend- 

 ing often, it is feared, new compounds as fertiliz- 



