FERTILIZERS COTTON-SEED MEAL. 27 



melon and egg-plant roots in great numbers when grown on 

 ground deficient in potash, as Galveston Island and Bolivar 

 sandy soil necessarily become after several crops have been 

 taken off. On clay soils a year or so of rest, and the plowing 

 in of peas or grass, will turn loose more potash, but on pure 

 sandy soils there is little more on hand. 



So, there I was, with a good home, then increased to five 

 acres, and pleasant surroundings, but my ground "played 

 out." This state of things culminated in 1875, and I was 

 thinking seriously of hunting some new ground, when one 

 morning, in passing a powder house, situated near my back 

 fence, I saw the door open, and looking in found old Colonel 

 McKeen, then in business on the Strand and agent for a 

 northern powder company. With him were several gentle- 

 men, who were discussing the best method of getting rid of 

 the large lot of damaged powder in the house. The high 

 water of that year had wet some, and the dampness injured 

 all of it considerably, and Colonel McKeen was just saying 

 that the best thing to do was to dump the whole lot into the 

 gulf. Knowing the composition of powder, and that 75 per 

 cent, was pure nitrate of potash, the most expensive and valu- 

 able of fertilizers, I offered at once to save them the drayage, 

 if they would give it to me. While evidently wondering what 

 I intended to do with it, they gladly accepted my offer, and 

 turned me over the keys and about five tons of blasting and 

 gunpowder. 



I had it hauled away at once, and on knocking in the heads 

 of the kegs found most of it apparently as good as ever. 



We prepared about four acres, and in a few days, to the 

 astonishment of my neighbors, I was sowing powder at the 

 rate of i% tons per acre, the costliest, from a money stand- 

 point, and probably the most excessive application as a fer- 

 tilizer ever made on ground. Each ton of powder contained 

 about 800 pounds of ammonia and 700 pounds of pure pot- 

 ash, and as cotton-seed meal has but 160 pounds of ammonia 

 and 30 pounds of potash to the ton, it will be seen what a 

 waste it was. However, as it cost nothing, and was danger- 

 ous to keep, I put it all on. 



