44 



THE LANCASTER FARMER. 



[March. 



Rev. W. J. Bartliolemew reports in sub- 

 stance, as follows : 



Hill land, surface, dark loam, moist, with 

 clayey subsoil, 1874 no mauuri; ; hay, 1 ton. 

 1875, 12 cart loads barn-yard manure ; corn 

 35 bushels, 187(5, no manure ; oats 40 bushels. 

 1877, experiiueiital crop, white cap corn. 



Where II, III, plaster, and where no appli- 

 cation was made the yield was very poor, in 

 fact a failure, as the yield was only from 14 to 

 20 bushels of very poor and green ears. In 

 the first two cases the yield was less than when 

 no application was made. Superphosphate 

 (II) gave a clear profit of .fll.SS ; mixture 

 I+II, $8.72 ; mixture I+II+IH, «5.12. He 

 also tried ammoniated superphosphates of diff- 

 erent makers, the application costing $0.40 

 per acre, and results in a clear profit of $0.92 

 to $12.48 per acre. 

 He also tried the following : 

 Thirty -two bushels ashes, costing $7.20 per 

 acre, gave a clear profit of $5.44 ; 48 bnshels 

 of leached ashes, costing the same, gave a 

 clear profit of $7.30 ; 20 bushels hen manure 

 gave an increase of $26.56 ; 20 bushels hen 

 manure and 80 lbs. plaster, an increase of 

 $27.84 ; all the foregoing had sound grain, 

 stalks in the first two cases a little below color 

 average, and in last two cases above average. 

 16 cart-loads of hog manure gave large average 

 stalks, and good yield of ears, but the ears were 

 mouldy ; 32 bushel? of light soil gave very 

 large, above average stalks, and a greater 

 yield of ears than any of the other trials, ex- 

 cepting hen manure "and plaster, but the corn 

 was very mouldy, in some cases husk and 

 corn completely rotten. 



In examining we find: (1.) Where phos- 

 phoric acid was not supplied, the crop failed. 

 (2.) Where phosphoric acid was supplied, 

 either alone, or with some, generally little, 

 nitrogen, (in the amraoniated superphos- 

 phates), the crop was good. (3.) That the 

 amount of increase where II, I+H and I fll-F 

 III were applied, corresponded with the 

 amount of phosijhoric acid contained in them. 

 (4.) With potash salt and with dried blood, 

 the yield was less than when no application 

 was made. (5.) The crop got no apparent 

 benefit from any ingredient in the chemical 

 manures, the ashes or the farm manure, ex- 

 cept what phosphoric acid they contained. 

 (6.) That in every case where phosphoric acid 

 existed in the fertilizers, alone, or in connec- 

 tion with a little nitrogen, there was a clear 

 IJrofit of $10.00 to $12.50 per acre, less where 

 it was in connection with other substances, 

 and positive loss where it was omitted. Mr. 

 Bartholemew's soil needs phosphoric acid 

 mostly. 



Mr. Chester Sage, Middletown, Connecticut, 

 has a very poor soil, consisting of a heavy 

 loam, with hard-pan subsoil. Manured in 

 1874 with 300 pounds slaughter-house refuse 

 per acre ; crop, 15 bushels of oats ; no man me 

 in 187.5, hay J of a ton. No manure in 1876, 

 hay i ton. Fertilizers 800 pounds per acre, 

 excejjt hen manm-e, a handful to each hill. 

 Fertilizers applied in the hill. 



In each case where dried blood, (I) potash 

 salt (III) or mixture I hll were applied, the 

 yield was no larger (20 bushels ears per acre) 

 than where nothing was applied, and in this 

 and the last case and the first the kernels were 

 mouldy and bitter; where superphosphate (II) 

 was applied alone, the yield was 40 bushels 

 cars, imperfect kernels, but not mouldy; 

 where jilaster was applied the yield was the 

 same as in the last, but with kernels mouldy ; 

 stalks of all the above small. jNIixture 

 I4-II-fIH, which is a complete manure, as it 

 contains all the different plant foods needed, 

 produced 120 bushels ears, kernels large, bright, 

 sound, sweet, very fine, stalks large, fine, 

 green, and ears large, long, well-filled; with hen 

 manure the yield was 801)ushels ears per .acre. 

 In experiment of Mr. S.age, we find that no 

 single ingredient would bring a cro]) ; that a 

 mixture of two ingredients was no better, but 

 that the fertilizer had to contain ah three, viz : 

 ammonia, (nitrogen) phosphoric acid and 

 potash. The mixture I+II+III supphed all 

 three, as did also the hen manure. 



We are sorry that no experiment was made 

 on a soil which lacks nitrogen only, but per- 

 haps this case does not occur so often, as nitro- 

 gen is believed to be absorbed more or less 

 from the air by all plants, and on those decay- 

 ing leave a portion thereof in the soil. In the 

 case of phosphoric acid and potash, the case 

 is different, for if not present in the soil the 

 plant has no way of putting it there or increas- 

 ing what quantity may be there, and it has 

 therefore to be supplied artificially. 



Whether it would be profitable to apply fer- 

 tilizers to corn land in good condition, say 

 yielding 100 bushels or more in the ears, does 

 not appear, as nearly all experiments seem to 

 be made on partly " run down " or worn out 

 soils, and where' the land is not completely 

 run down, it may be that the very ingredient 

 least needed is supplied more liberally than 

 either of the other two. The best way is to 

 experiment in small plats, and then supply 

 accordingly to that field, for the field is gen- 

 erally wanting the same ingredients all over, 

 unless, as is sometimes done, the same crop is 

 not raised all over the field, hut tilled in 

 patches. As diflerent crops remove the differ- 

 ent plant food in different quantities, the field 

 tilled in this manner may thus lack potash in 

 one part, phosphoric acid in another, and 

 nitrogen in still another. 



It is therefore safer in these richer soils to 

 give the same kind of application as would be 

 made on a perfectly worn-out soil, that is, a 

 fertilizer or manure containing all the essen- 

 tial ingredients of plant food. 



If then we want to apply any fertilizer to 

 the best advantage, we must supply as much 

 of each ingredient, excepting nitrogen, as the 

 amount removed by the increase above the 

 natural yield, and in fact should apply a some- 

 what larger quantity if we want to increase 

 the capacity of the soil. Thus a crop of 100 

 bushels corn in the ear (.50 bushels shelled), 

 and the natural proportion of stalks removed, 

 70 lbs. nitrogen, (19J lbs. ammonia), 35i lbs. 

 phosiihoric acid and 98 lbs. potash, which could 

 be procured for about $18.20, reckoning potash 

 at 7i per pound, phosphoric acid 9^, and nitro- 

 gen '21^ cents, and only 35 lbs. of the latter, 

 as the air is supposed to supply the other 

 half. 



The Mapes Formula Company give a some- 

 what diflerent ratio, being for their "corn 

 manure," ammonia 6 per cent., (nitrogen 5 

 per cent.,) phosphoric acid 12 per cent., potash 

 7 per cent. In one of their pamphlets, ' 'Lead- 

 ing Croi)s," they give the amount of potash 

 removed at about 2| times the amount of 

 phosiihoric acid removed, and I can see no 

 reason why they should make the amount of 

 phosplioric acid nearly twice the amount of 

 potash contained in their "Corn ISIanure." 

 Where barn-yard manure has heretofore been 

 exclusively used, it may be that their propor- 

 tion is right, for cattle take phosphoric acid 

 from whatever they eat to form bone, and the 

 manure put back to whence such feed is ob- 

 tained, will lose just so much, hut potash is 

 not thus assimilated, and the manure there- 

 from contains nearly all the potash that was 

 originally contained in the feed. It will thus 

 be seen th.at while the phosphoric acid in the 

 soil may grow less in amount pretty rapidly, 

 the potash does not lose in the same ratio. If 

 the soil under consideration has been manured 

 with barn-yard manure only, I might apply 

 the fertilizer as they recommend, but on the 

 other hand, if guano, which contains from 

 four to seven times as much i)hosphoric acid 

 as iiotash, had been used separately, or where 

 bone in anv shape, is ground, or burnt, or dis- 

 solved, bad been used, in such cases I would 

 want the fertilizer to be richer in potash than 

 in phosphoric acid, because it is very likely 

 that in many of these cases the fertilizers 

 mentioned had been used until the land would 

 crop no more. The land would then, in all 

 probability be, in the case of using guano, 

 pretty ricli in annnonia and phosphoric acid, 

 but lacking potash ; in the case of repeated 

 applications of bones, both ammonia and 

 potash might be lacking. 

 We woi3d then come to some definite rules, 



arguing as above, and the substance of these 

 rules would be in the case of corn: 



1. Has the land been supplied with barn- 

 yard manure, use a fertilizer richer in phos- 

 phoric acid ; next potash ; last nitrogen. 



2. Has ground bone, burnt bone or dissolved 

 bone been used (at any rate if often used) then 

 have the fertilizer richest in potash ; next 

 nitrogen ; last, perhaps not at all in extreme 

 cases, phosphoric acid. 



3. Has guano been used repeatedly, then 

 potash may be the only one required ; if any 

 other ingredient is wanted let it be phosphoric 

 acid in smaller quantity. 



4. If the potash salts have been used hereto- 

 fore, then apply some fertilizer rich in nitro- 

 gen and phosphoric acid, such as guano ; but 

 there is one potash salt, nitrate of potash, 

 (salt petre) that is rich in both nitrogen and 

 potash, and if this has been much used, apply 

 something rich in phosphoric acid, such as 

 burnt lione or bone dust. 



5. As a general rule apply that fertilizer or 

 manure which is rich in those ingredients 

 which the others have lacked. 



The course of reasoning pursued would 

 seem to be right, but in practice, in the appli- 

 cation of fertilizers, like in many other things, 

 the results do not correspond with the assumed 

 theory, not that there is anything wrong in 

 the theory; but the points and bearings are 

 not all known, or are overlooked, but of this 

 we may be assured that when practice follows 

 theory as far as the latter is known, the 

 chances of failure are much less than when 

 we go ahead in a hap-hazard, it-may-do 

 fashion. — A. B. Kise. 



OUR LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS. 



Proceedings of the Lancaster County Agricul- 

 tural and Horticultural Society. 

 The reguLar moiitlily meeting of the Lancaster 

 County Airricultural and Horticultural Society was 

 held Monday afternoon, March ith, at 2 o'clock, in 

 the Athenneura rooms. 



The following is but a partial list of the members 

 and visitors present: Calvin Cooper (president), 

 East Lamoeter; Joseph F. Witmer (secretary), 

 Paradise ; Levi W. Groff, West Earl ; Simon P. Eby, 

 city; Casper Hiller, Conestoga; Daniel Smeyeh, 

 city ; Ephraim Hoover, Manheim ; Johnson Miller, 

 Warwick; D. L. Resh, Bird-in-Hand ; J. M. .John- 

 ston, city ; Jacob Bollinger, Warwick ; Henry Wolf, 

 Warwick ; John C. Linville, Salisbury; A. B. Groff, 

 West Earl ; M. B. Eshleman, Newport, Perry county ; 

 E.W. Eshleman, Paradise; W. H. Brosius, Dru- 

 more; Ambrose Pownall, Sadsbury; John M. Steb- 

 man. East Herapfield; C. S. Kauttman, Columbia; 

 M. D. Kendig, Manor; Peter S. Reist, Litiz ; Peter 

 Hiller, J. G. Rush, Willow Street; Christian R. 

 Landis, Isaac Bushong, East Lampeter; F. R. DifT- 

 enderli'er, city; Clare Carpenter, city; Christian 

 Coble, Mount" Joy ; Adam R. Bear, Lancaster twp.; 

 William .McComsey, city; Prof. S. S. Rathvon, city ; 

 John H. Landis, Manor; John I. Carter, West 

 Grove ; Franklin Sutton, Manheim ; C. L. Hunsecker, 

 Manheim ; Levi S. Reist, Manheim ; Walter Sutton, 

 Manheim. 



The society was called to order by the President, 

 Calvin Cooper, Esq. 



On motion, the reading of the minutes of last 

 meeting was dispensed with. 



Report of Special Committees. 

 The committee appointed to confer with City 

 Councils about making arrangements for permanent- 

 ly renting the room, reported progress through their 

 chairman, S. P. Eby, and were continued. - 



Crop Reports. ■ 



Johnson Miller said the wheat fields look well; 

 the young clover is lifted out by the frost, but lie did 

 not think it was much hurt. Farmers are preparing 

 for spring work. But little tobacco has been sold. 



jAcoi! BoLLixGEU Said some of his wheat was 

 hurt by the fly in the fall, but seems to be looking 

 better now. But little tobacco sold ; all are ready 

 to sell. 



Mr. Linville said wheat looked very well. Clover 

 also looks well. The tobacco is moving slowly. 



Mk. Brosius also reported wheat as being unusu- 

 ally fine. Grass also looks well. 



Ephkaim Hoover said a friend reported that 

 peaches would be a failure in his neiirhborhood. 



The President reported peaches all right in his dis- 

 trict. The wheat has recovered from the ravages of 

 the fly, and now promises well. 



Jos. F. Wither also reported wheat as good. So 

 also the young clover ; it was lifted out by the frost, 

 but will get over that. But little tobacco has been 

 sold, although farmers are very desirous of selling. 



