1876.] 



THE LANCASTER FARMER- 



151 



fertilizere. of which two high-priced kinds were 

 worth more per ton according; to a certain 

 standard, than tlie price asiced. Another, 

 quoted at 84'2.r)0, was worth aliimt that sum, 

 while another, (pioted at $.")"). (HI, was worth 

 onlj' $8.27, and another, quoted $2.">.0O, was 

 worth only $9.(14. From this it will be seen 

 that great care must be exercised in buying, 

 and only well-known standard articles lionijiit 

 in large (juanlities. If a new or unfamiliar 

 brand is bought, it should at lirst be imrchased 

 in small (juanlitiesand tested, and even should 

 it turn out well, the reputation of the parties 

 manufacturing the article should be established 

 as persons who have embarked in its mamifac- 

 ture as a permanent and liona tide business. 



We will now enileavor to learn what the 

 materials are that are taken up in plant growth, 

 their functions, &<•. : 



Nitrogen is an invisible gas and constitutes 

 77 lbs. out of every 100 lbs. of common air. 

 It is seldom fomid in minerals, but is a very 

 important element of animal and vegetable 

 substances. It is found and forms an import- 

 ant part of lean (le.sh, white of eggs, curd of 

 milk, gluten of grain, vegetable librine, &c. 

 If the nitrogen could be easily manufactured 

 from the air, where it is so abundant, there 

 would be a good suiiply at low rates, but this 

 is unfortunately not the case. It is found in 

 fertilizers as ■ammonia, which is a compound 

 of three equivalents of hydrogen, (al.so a gas), 

 and one uiti-ogen. It is very volatile, i. e., 

 escapes readily into the air unless fixed by 

 changing it to sulphate of ammonia, or .some 

 like compound. The ammonia in animal ma- 

 nure and lu'ine is readily lixed by adding sul- 

 phuric acid, but as land plaster (gypsum), 

 which is a compotmd of sulphuric acid and 

 lime, is more easily obtained, not so dangerous 

 to handle, and answers the same purpose, it 

 is better to use the latter. It is for the pur- 

 pose of fixing the ammonia th;it the papers 

 often recommend the apjilication of plaster to 

 the manure pile, but they .seldom if ever give 

 the reason for its application. It should be 

 applied every time the stables arc cleaned, or 

 perhaps it would be better to scatter a small 

 quantity eveiy evening before bedding, having 

 it handy in a box in the stable. The powerful 

 stench that arises in some horse stables and 

 causes the eyes to overHow, is ammonia es- 

 caping. As it is one of the costliest elements 

 in all manures, especial pains should be taken 

 to prevent its waste. In fixing the price of 

 Peruvian Guano, it is calculated at 17A cents 

 per pound, which is equal to $350.00 per ton. 

 In any fertilizer where the quantity of ammo- 

 nia is stated, it is easy to get the cost of the 

 nitrogen by multiplying the price of ammonia 

 by 17, and dividing by 14, because ammonia is 

 composed of 14 parts, by weight, of nitrogen, 

 and three parts of hydrogen. In the case of 

 Peruvian guano; therefore, the nitrogen would 

 cost 17^X17 H-14=21i cents. If nitrogen only 

 is wanted it is best to buy nitrate of soda, 

 which contains about 15 per cent, of nitrogen 

 and sells at 4 to ii cents per pound, and the 

 nitrogen contained in it will cost 27 to 30 cents 

 per pound. It is very soluble and acts quickly. 

 The quantity applied per acre is about 1-50 

 pounds, but in the case of wheat 100 pounds 

 is recommended as a fall application, with an- 

 other application in the spring. 



The number of pounds of nitrogen removed 

 per ton of the diflerent cro])S is as follows : 



Wheat, 414, do. straw, (\i ; rye, 35, do. 

 straw, 5 J : oats, 38^, do. straw, 8; corn, 32, 

 do. fodder, 9^ ; meadow hay, 28^, timothy do., 

 36^, red clover do., 42^ ; potatoes. 6 J ; tobaii- 

 00, 92. 



Potash is a compound composed of one equiv- 

 alent each of potassium and oxygen, and is 

 found in very variable quantities in different 

 plants, or on the same plant, and 1 think that 

 the same kind of plants vary with tlie locality 

 where they are raised, for tiie analyses of dif- 

 ferent chemists vary sometimes as much as 25 

 per cent, or more as to the amount contained. 

 Potash is seldom found in artificial fertilizers, 

 and then only in small quantities. In Peru- 

 vian guano it is valued at ~i cents per pound. 

 To apply potash to the soU it is only necessary 



to give a good coating of wood ashes, but as 

 these are diilicult to get now-a-days, recourse 

 is had to what are called " (Jerman Potash 

 Salt," but if the potash is present as chloride 

 (miniate) of iwtassinm, according to Prof W. 

 O. Atwater, in American A(jri(i(lturist, they 

 shoidd not be used on tobac(^o, beets and po- 

 tatoes, as it injures the burning quality of the 

 leaf of the first, and decreases the quantity of 

 sugar in beets, and of starch in potatoes. If 

 present as sulphate of potash it will do no in- 

 jury ; the chloride is excellent for grains and 

 grasses. I believe the nitrate of potash (salt- 

 lU'ti'e) is also sometimes used as a fertilizer. 



In the ab.sence of all i)otash compounds in 

 the soil, the .seeds will germinate but will not 

 grow more than a few inches high and this 

 growth is most jirobably at the expense of 

 plant-food stored up in the seed. The amount 

 (in poimds) of potash removed per ton of dif- 

 ferent crops is as follows : 



Wheat, 10:1, do. straw, 12^; rye, llj, do. 

 straw, 151 oats 8i{, do straw, 17i| ; corn, 7^, 

 do. fodder, 19.| ; average meadow hay, 2(U, 

 timothy do., 40}, red clover do., .36]; [lotatoes, 

 IH, (about one-third pound to the bushel) ; 

 tobacco, 60i.* 



Phosphoric acid is found in all plants, and is 

 next to nitrogen in price and dillieulty in obtain- 

 ing it. It is also found in bones in <:ombiiui- 

 tion with lime as phosjibate of lime. It is also 

 found in guano and other good fertilizers. In 

 these fertilizers it is in three different states, 

 known us soluble, reverted and insoluble. The 

 reverted was at one time soluble, but has be- 

 come insoluble, but when mixed with the soil 

 it readily deeomiiosed by other materials so as 

 to be soluble. The rate in fixing the price of 

 Peruvian guano is for soluble acid lOc, insolu- 

 ble 2c., and reverted 8c per pound. 



The amount of phosphoric acid removed in 

 pounds per ton of different crops is as follows : 



Wheat, 15?, do. straw, 44 ; rye, ICJ, do. 

 straw, 4\ ; oats, 64, do. straw, 3} ; corn, llj, 

 do. fodder, 104 ; meadow hay, 8|, timotliy do., 

 14], clover do., 11| ; potatoes, 'i\ ; tobacco, 94. 



In fertilizers the immber of pounds per ton 

 is as follows : t Peruvian guano, 260 ; bone 

 meal, 404 ; Baker guano, 096. 



The above thrise materials (nitrogen, phos- 

 phoric acid and potash) are the most costlj' 

 and hardest to obtain. The following are also 

 necessary to plant growth, but are easily ob- 

 tained. 



>S'M?j)/i uric ricid is removed only in small quan- 

 tities, and is the most easily and cheaply ap- 

 plied in the form of land jilaster, sulphuric acid 

 and lime. As the acid is easily washed out 

 by rains, it should be applied oftener than fer- 

 tilizers usually are. The usual quantity is 

 from 100 to 150 pounds jier acre. 



Lime is removed in greater quantities than 

 sulphuric acid, but it is not applied only on 

 account of being one of the materials of which 

 plants are formed, but it loosens clay soils, and 

 seems to decompose and make more afceptalile 

 the vegetable matter in the soil. It has been 

 found injurious to but two crops : Oats will 

 not ripen perfectly after an application of it, 

 and sometimes becomes rusty ; according to 

 Johnson, flax is said to be injured in the fiber 

 by it, so that in Belgium it is not grown until 

 seven years after the api>lication. There may 

 be other croi>s which are sometimes injured by 

 an over-application. The amount applied 

 varies from 25 to 150 bushels per acre, but on 

 thin land it is not safe to go much over .50 

 bushels per acre, and to stand 150 bushels the 

 soil would have to be pretty well stocked in 

 vegetable matter. As it also is liable to be 

 washed out by rains, the better i)lan is to ap- 

 ply less at a time than there usually is, and do 

 it oftener, it being considered best to spread 

 it on top and not plow under, as it is soon 

 enough below the reach of plants. 



Otiier elements arc either supplied by the 



'The amotint of raateriala remo\-ed by crope, and some 

 other figures are taken from tiibles furnished to the Avieri- 

 can Agriculturuit by Prof. Atwater. They vary a little iu 

 some I'oiiits compared rt'ith other authors, but afl they are 

 of later researches than the works I have access to, they are 

 published as given in the above paper. 



tTbe agents of the Peruvian guano give It at about 100 

 pounds more. 



air or so jdenty in the soil that it is not neces- 

 sary to make any special mention of them. 



Any farmer intending to use artificial fer- 

 tilizers shouhl have at hand some standard 

 works on agricultural chemistry, and on plant 

 growth, so as to lie able to judge what he 

 wants. He should give little heed to what an 

 agent or dealer in fertilizers nuiy tell him, 

 though I might not blame the agent for wil- 

 fully misstating facts; but it must l)e rcraem- 

 beretl that the fertilizer may have done good in 

 a certain case, yet in another it might not 

 work, because it did not contain the materials 

 which were needed eitlier by the soil or the 

 crop. At any rate it is advisable that only 

 standard and well known articles be bought 

 in quantity. — A. B. K., Safe Harbor. 



For Thk I,AK<"AKTF.B FAnMER, 



LOVELY BLOOIVIING BULBS. 



Our seedsmen have received their annual 

 importations of lovely blooming bulbs from 

 llolhuid and Germany. We have received the 

 catalogues and examined the stocks of several 

 firms, and without hesitation .say, that the 

 stocks are the most superb ever imported. 

 Large numbers of new and superior varieties 

 of the various sjiecies are among them for the 

 first time. The drought of last summer ri|)ened 

 the bulbs .so well that most all of them are as 

 hard and sound as hickory nuts. Purchasers 

 may rely upon getting sound bulbs and choice 

 varieties. They may be planted in the months 

 of .Sei)tember, October and November. The 

 soil that will produce good crops of potatoes 

 and corn will yield splendid blo.s.soms of bulbs. 

 Heavy loams should get sharp .sand mixed 

 with them, and sandy soils are benefited with 

 muck and cow manure to bind and solidify 

 them. All kinds of soils should be made rich 

 with manures. 



The bulbs are planted of depths according to 

 their sizes : Snowdrops an inch under the 

 surface, (that is, the tops of the bulbs) ; cro- 

 cuses two inches deep ; hyacinths, tulips and 

 narcissus should be set three inclies deep; crown 

 imperials and lily bulbs, four inches deep. The 

 earliorthey all are i)lanted the better. Whether 

 they are set in patehesorlarge beds, salt should 

 be thinly scattered upon the surface to sweeten 

 and fertilize the soil, and winter frosts affect 

 it and bulbs the less. 



The growing of hyacinths in bell gla.sses, in 

 windows, is one of the cleanest and prettiest 

 modes of flower gardening. The Van Thol 

 Tulips are of early and brilhant blossoms, and 

 should be grown in pots, in parlor or in glass- 

 house.— ITaZtc/- .5?Z(7er, Phila., Sept. 25, 187C. 



For The Lancaster Farmkb. 

 LICE ON YOUNG TREES. 



Last spring I examined my young apple 

 trees, and found some of them full of bark 

 lice, and stunted considerably, and thought I 

 would try an experiment. So I cut or sawed 

 oft' with a fine saw the top or limbs, and 

 grafted with clean grafts of such varieties as 

 I wanted, and greased the stems from the 

 graft downward with lard, and now I have 

 clean thrifty tops on them. I think it is a 

 good plan, and perhaps some others may want 

 to try it. But be sure that your scions are 

 perfectly free from lice, as only one scale of 

 nits would infest the whole top again. — J. B. 

 E.,' Lime VaUeij. 



[We believe the lard would have cleaned 

 the trees, without sawing off the limbs, if 

 they had Ijcen properly greased. — Ed.] 



For The Lancaster Fabheb. 

 TRANSPLANTING TREES. 

 By the time this number of The Farmer 

 reaches its readers, it will be the time to trans- 

 plant hardy trees and shrubs, both for orna- 

 ment, shade and fruit bearing. All the spe- 

 cies of evergreens .should be planted first, as 

 by so doing they make numerous fibres before 

 hard frosts seal up the ground. The soil un- 

 der the surface retains the warmth gained in 

 summer long after the atmosphere has become 

 cold ; hence transplanted trees early set out 



