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148 



THE CANADIAN HOR^IICULTURIST 



July, 1908 



or eight inches from the stem, the outer 

 end the shape of closed bud, until at 

 length the final day for the completion 

 of its wonderful development arrives, 

 when a magical change is seen, — the bud 

 grows and swells, so quickly, that it 

 can almost be seen to expand, and in a 

 few hours there is the promise of a 

 mighty effort when darkness comes. 

 Then is the time to watch the mammoth 

 bud awaken to its short but gorgeous 



life. The tip bursts open, the outer 

 sepals of yellow and brown slowly un- 

 curl, disclosing to view an immense cup- 

 shaped form of purest white petals, 

 within which nestle the hundreds of 

 down-tipped stamens, with the promin- 

 ent pistil standing well out. .'\s it 

 grows later the finishing touches are put 

 on by the great flower, petals are shaken 

 looser, the sepals curl further back, and 

 there before us is the triumph of the 



floral world— a night-blooming cereus in 

 bloom, the flowers measuring twelve to 

 fourteen inches across, and giving out a 

 delicious fragrance that fills the conser- 

 vatory or house. Is it to be wondered 

 at, that when a cactus collector begins 

 to discover the possibilities of his collec- 

 tion, he becomes an enthusiast on the 

 subject, and by the unappreciative pub- 

 lic is designated a "Cactus Crank." 



Commercial Fertilizers: Nitrogen and Phosphoric Acid 



I 



N 



THfi .scope of this article, we can- 

 not discuss the composition and merits 

 of all the ingredients that may be 

 employed in the compounding of fertiliz- 

 ers. We shall, therefore, select a few 

 of the more important in each class. 



NirROGEN 



This element is at once the most cost- 

 ly of forms of plant food supplied by 

 fertilizers, the most important from the 

 market-garden standpoint and the easi- 

 est lost from the soil. It is the element 

 that above all produces leaf growth. 



For our purpose nitrate of soda (Chili 

 saltpetre) stands first. The commercial 

 article as sold for fertilizer purposes 

 contains between fifteen and sixteen per 

 cent, of nitrogen. This material is solu- 

 ble in water and presents its nitrogen in 

 an immediately available form. Within 

 a day or two after its application, its 

 effect can be seen on the crop. Excess 

 of nitrate, that is, the amount over .and 

 above that which is taken up by the 

 growing crop within a short time, may 

 be and probably will be lost by drain- 

 age into the sub-soil, below the reach 

 of the roots. Hence, small and frequent 

 applications made as a top dressing to 

 the crop during the earlier weeks of 

 growth are more economical than one 

 large dose at the beginning of the season. 



SULPHATE OF AMMONIA 



Sulphate of ammonia is another solu- 

 ble nitrogen compound, though it docs 

 not yield its nitrogen to plant growth 

 quite .so readily as does nitrate of soda. 

 It contains about twenty per cent, of ni- 

 trogen, and may be used as a source of 

 nitrogen for market garden crops that 

 hav.e a somewhat long period of growth. 



DRIED BLOOD 



Dried blood ranks next in importance 

 in nitrogenous fertilizers. It contains 

 from twelve to sixteen per cent, of ni- 

 trogen, according to quality. It decays 

 rapidly in warm, moist soils and is 

 probably the most effective of all the or- 

 ganic forms of nitrogen. 



Fish waste, tankage, wool waste, and 

 a number of other forms of organic ni- 



-i- 



Frank T. Shutt, M.A., Chemist, Dominion Experimental Farms 



trogen are used by fertilizer manufac- hence available to crops. Space will not 

 turers. Many of them readily yield their allow us now to discuss fully the chem- 

 nitrogen to crops, while others very istry involved in this treatment of phos- 

 slowly furnish their nitrogen as food and 

 hence are more lasting. As these mater- 

 ials are not on the market here, we need 

 not discuss their relative merits. The 

 origninal guano, formed of dried and 

 concentrated bird excrement, the accu- 

 mulation of centuries on certain islands 

 in the Pacific, is no longer available. 

 It was a strong forcing manure. 



PHOSPHORIC ACID 



Ground bone or bone meal has long 

 been used and recognized as a valuable 

 manure, particularly for mellow, moist 

 soils. It will contain from twenty to 

 twenty-four per cent, of phosphoric acid 

 and two to four per cent, of nitrogen, so 

 that with the addition of some potash 

 compound, as wood ashes, or muriate 

 of potash, a complete fertilizer can be 

 prepared. The quality or value of a 

 bone meal will depend largely on the 

 method of its preparation ; thus, steam- 

 ed bone (that from which glue has been 

 extracted) will be richer in phosphoric 

 acid and poorer in nitrogen than raw 

 bone. 



Though bone meal does not contain 

 its plant food in an immediately solu- 

 ble, that is, available condition, its 

 decay is fairly rapid in a warm, loose, 

 moist soil. By the organic matter it con- 

 tains, the soil is undoubtedly improved, 

 and though not supplying food that can 

 at once be absorbed by plants, bone 

 meal may well find a place among the 

 fertilizers used by market gardeners 

 and fruit growers, especially for crops 

 that have a long season of growth and do 

 not require forcing. 



SUPERPHOSPHATE 



Superpho.sphate is sometimes called 

 acid pho.sphate. It results from the ac- 

 tion of sulphuric acid (oil of vitriol) on 



bones and all kinds of mineral phos- the preparation of fertilizers will be dealt €: 

 phales as found in various parts of with. 



the world. This treatment converts 



the greater part of the phosphoric Sow seeds in freshly stirred ground, 



phates by acid, but there are severa 

 important points therein that are well «i | 

 v.'orthy of the attention of those using k 

 fertilizers. It must suffice to say that >, 

 superphosphates will ordinarily contain T 

 about fifteen per cent of water-soluble 

 phosphoric acid. There will be always 

 present a certain small percentage of 

 phosphoric acid, known as "reverted," 

 which, while not immediately soluble 

 in water, is a useful phosphatic manure. 

 There may be also unattacked phosphate, 

 owing to insuHiciency of acid or other 

 causes. All superphosphates necessar- 

 ily contain gypsum or sulphate of lime 

 as a result of the action on this mineral 

 phosphate. 



Superphosphate is the phosphatic man- 

 ure to use when we wish to hasten ma- 

 turity as well as for crops with a short 

 reason of growth and needing an imme- 

 diate supply of soluble acid. From 300 

 to 400 pounds an acre is usually applied. 



BASIC SLAG 



Basic slag is another phosphatic man- 

 ure now largely used. Its phosphoric 

 acid is not soluble in water (though be- 

 coming available gradually to the soil), 

 and therefore the fertilizer is perhaps 

 better adapted to farm than market- '"^ 

 garden crops. Neverthele.ss, it has been 

 found particularly valuable for muck soils 

 and soils that are sour and naturally 

 deficient in lime and it is quite possi- 

 ble that market gardeners may be able ■^- 

 to use it to advantage on such of those ^^ 

 crops having a comparatively long sea- 

 son of growth. Good brands contain 

 about .seventeen per cent, of phosphoric 

 acid. The usual application per acre is >' 

 in the neighborhood of 500 pounds. ^' 



In the next issue of The Canadian ^ 

 HoRTiciLTiRisT the value of potash in ^ 



acid of the insoluble phosphate in- as the seed is more liable to get a good 

 to a form soluble in water ;ind start. Better crops will result. 



