58 



THE LANCASTER FARMER. 



[April, 



ful to vegetation and producing useful com- 

 pounds in tlie soil. It also acts mechanically 

 on the soil to its advantage. 



Magnesia is contained in large quantities in 

 sulphate of magnesia (Epsom salts,) and has 

 been applied as a fertilizer, but more, I think, 

 for the sulphuric acid than for the magnesia 

 itself. The seeds of plants, wliich compose 

 the greatest part of tlie produce sold from 

 many farms, contain from two to twenty times 

 as much magnesia as lime, and I do not see 

 why the former sliould not be replaced, from 

 time to time, as well as tlie latter and other 

 plant-foods. 



Sulphuric acid is supplied cheapest in ])las- 

 ter (gypsum), there being forty-four pounds 

 of acid in every hundred pounds of plaster. 

 Where quick action is wanted the sulphate of 

 magnesia may be used, being so very soluljle 

 it acts sooner than the less soluble plaster. 

 The cost in this case is, however, mucli higher, 

 the acid costing in the plaster only about one 

 cent per pound, while in 60 per cent, of mag- 

 nesia the cost would be somewhat over five 

 cents per pound. 



Soda is often found in fertilizers and consti- 

 tutes 3.5 per cent, of nitrate of soda, now so 

 highly recommended for oats. 



Oxide of iron and silica are also necessary 

 ingredients of the soil, but it is not supposed 

 that the minute quantity taken up in i>lant- 

 growth will ever exhaust the quantity con- 

 tained in all soils, though there are fertilizers 

 now on the market containing silica in solu- 

 ble forms. 



What is the reason that in The Farmer, 

 for March, in a crop of 50 bushels of corn you 

 have larger amounts of ammonia, &c., than 

 Prof Carter ? 



Prof. Carter calculates for only 4,000 pounds 

 of fodder, (stems and leaves.) while my calcu- 

 lation is for over 5,000 pounds. Besides, the 

 amounts themselves vary somewhat, so that 

 no two chemists exactly agree, and while the 

 writer of one article may take a certain 

 chemist for authority the other one may take 

 the analysis of some other chemist. 



Do you believe in trials to determine what 

 ingredients are lacking in the soil V 



Yes, providing there is any profit in using 

 chemical and other fertilizers, but not in the 

 way generally recommended. I would make 

 the trials in the iisual manner on a part of 

 the field, but on the part I would apply a 

 complete fertilizer or one specially prepared 

 for the crop, and thus make one year's addi- 

 tional profit. 

 Do you believe in special fertilizers ? 

 To some extent, on the score of present 

 economy. In some plants, as onions and cot- 

 ton, the amomits of phosphoric acid and pot- 

 ash contained are nearly the same ; in others, 

 as beets and tobacco, the potash amounts to 

 five times that of phosphoric acid ; the amount 

 of nitrogen also varies from 11 to 4 times that 

 of phosi)horic acid. The Ville formula gives 

 the proportions for a complete fertilizer, as 

 ammonia, 7.09 ; phosphoric acid, 5.00 ; pot- 

 ash, 7.59; for clover, ammonia, 2.55; phos- 

 phoric acid, 5.09 ; potash, 9.1.3 ; for potatoes, 

 ammonia, 4. .50 ; phosphoric acid, 5.97 ; pota.sh, 

 13.64. From this we see that Prof. Ville con- 

 sidered that potash is needed in nearly twice 

 as great a jiroportion in comi)arison with 

 phosphoric acid in a ])Otato as in a com])!ete 

 fertilizer, and that the amount of ammonia, 

 as compared with phosphoric acid, is just re- 

 versed. If we now get a fertilizer specially 

 prepared for potatoes we can make a heavier 

 application for the same money, as 2^ fts. of 

 potash can be purchased for every pound of 

 ammonia saved. Where large quauties are 

 used the saving, by purchasing special fertil- 

 izers, will be quite an important item. 



Mr. Henderson, in "Gardening for Pleas- 

 ure," ridicules the idea of special manures, 

 not that he has a "reason to say that the ven- 

 der of these fertilizers was a quack," but he 

 thinks that it makes no difference what kind 

 is applied only so that a sufficieiit quantiti/ is 

 used. It is a well-known fact that market 

 gardeners use enormous quantities of concen- 

 trated fertilizers, as much aa one ton to the 



acre. Of course such quantities will bring 

 large crops and very early, the latter being 

 the great desideratum with market gardeners. 

 Mr. H. would find that where profits notch so 

 close as in regular farming, and where a few 

 days, earlier or later, in the maturing of a crop 

 does not make any difierence in the money 

 value, that some study on the application of 

 of manures and fertilizers was necessary. 

 His experience, as given in "Gardening for 

 Profit," shows that he also uses fertilizers in 

 a special sense, for he has found that the same 

 fertilizer will not bring as large or as early 

 crops after tvi'O years' successive use, and that 

 he has to change to some other kind. The 

 plain facts are, that he has perhaps used a 

 bone preparation which contained only phos- 

 phoric acid, or phosphoric acid and nitrogen. 

 The heavy crops produced exhaused the pot- 

 ash in the soil ; be now, perhaps, used some 

 fertilizer with a liberal proportion of potash, 

 which was just what his soil needed, and he, 

 of course, raised as good crops as at first. 

 Had he used a special fertilizer I am under 

 the impression that he would have found that 

 his soil could have been cropped from year to 

 year without any diminution in the crop. 



But will not the soil be exhausted by using 

 fertilizers ? A great many farmers think 

 phosphate and other stuffs run out their land 

 in a few years. 



The use of concentrated (soluble) fertilizers 

 will run out any common soil in a short time 

 when such fertilizer is used in small quantities. 

 Many farmers put on but one-half, or even 

 only one-fourth' the amount needed to perfect 

 the crop ; the fertilizer being, perhaps, very 

 soluble gives the crop a good start, so that it 

 is carried through ; but, of course, the soil 

 has been impoverished by just as much as the 

 fertilizer lacked the amount of ingredients 

 taken by the crop out of the soil. This manner 

 of apiilying is a very common one, and lias 

 tended in a greater degree to bring approbium 

 on fertilizers than perhaps anything else, ex- 

 cept that of applying one that has only one or 

 two of the ingredients needed by the plant as 

 food. 



Can we not bring up our soils at least cost 

 by green manuring ? 



The plowing under of green vegetable mat- 

 ter is by some considered as the way to bring 

 up worn out farms to pristine fertility. 



Although a very good thing in itself, yet 

 there are a number of serious objections against 

 plowing under green crops. 



In the first place, the expense is too much 

 if it prevents a crop being taken oft' in the 

 regular rotation. Clover is considered the best 

 for this purpose, but if there is any profit in 

 feeding cattle, or making butter, or if the 

 clover hay can be sold for more than it would 

 cost to replace the amount of plant-food taken 

 up, then would it be best to use or sell the hay 

 and purchase the fertilizer. 



It is urged that our soils need hunuis, and 

 I have no doubt they are benefitted by it, but 

 I also believe that with the aid of a good fer- 

 tilizer a crop can be raised that will leave 

 enough roots in the sod to fully supply the 

 humus needed. The trials of Lawes and Gil- 

 bert seem to bear this out ; they raise crop 

 aftercrop on the same soil, by the help of arti- 

 ficial fertilizers, and sell the whole crop, never 

 applying stable manure, and the only Immus 

 the soil can possibly have is from the stubbles 

 and roots. I have no data at hand now, but 

 I am under the impression that their crops 

 average higlier now than they did at first. 



It is not clear to my mind that humus is 

 absolutely necessary, but do not deny but 

 what it has a favorable action on plant-growth. 

 If we would apply the plant-food ingredients 

 contained in the humus, as so much nitrogen, 

 phosphoric acid and potash, the eflect might 

 be the same. In the experiments on "water 

 culture," and "artificial .soils," the humus is 

 omitted, at least in the former'case and gen- 

 erally in the latter, and yet the plants raised 

 are as healthy and prolific as if grown in a 

 natural soil. 



Another error is, the supposition that green 

 manuring increases the amount of plant-food 



ingredients in the soil. Nitrogen alone is sup- 

 posed to be derived partly from the air, and 

 this then is the only ingredient of the soil that 

 would be increased in amount, the phosphoric 

 acid and potash remaining the same. We 

 have, however, to take into consideration that 

 deep-rooted plants, like red clover, will, with 

 long slim roots, appropriate whatever they 

 find in the sdbsoil and store the materials in 

 the thickened roots above, The crop above 

 ground and roots below will, of course, make 

 a bulk of decaying vegetable m'atter that will 

 carry any crop through. But the subsoil is 

 not inexhaustable, and sooner or later it will 

 also be in the same condition that the sur- 

 face soil is — exhausted of plant-food below 

 the minimum amount needed for healthy 

 plant growth. 



Do you think then that all farms will at last 

 lie run out ¥ Your argument seems to point 

 that way. 



I believe that any farm will run out in time, 

 no matter how well it is taken care of, if any 

 part of the produce, vegetable or animal, is sold 

 off and nothiny brought from some foreign 

 source, to replace the plant-food that was re- 

 quired to grow such produce. It may be slow 

 in many cases, but the exhaustion is none tlie 

 less certain. 



Where will the enormous quantity of fertil- 

 izers come from at last if this theory is ac- 

 cepted '? 



Nitrogen and phosphoric acid are supplied 

 by Peruvian guano, fish scrap and bones of 

 animals ; phosphoric acid is found in a rock 

 called appatite ; phosphoric acid is also found 

 in large quantities in the extensive deposits 

 in South Carolina, known as phosphate rock ; 

 impure potash salts are mined at difEerent 

 places, the largest being situated in Germany, 

 from whence a great part of what is consumed 

 by us is brought. 



I have no doubt that many other large de- 

 posits will be found in time, yielding the es- 

 sential plant-food materials, and should even 

 beds now in existence be eventually exhausted, 

 I have no doubt nature is preparing fresh beds 

 that will be then available. — A. B. K. 



CORRECTION FOR MARCH. 



In the article, "Fertilizers, &c.,'' com- 

 mencing on page 43 of The Farmer, for 

 March, for "19| ttis. ammonia," read "85 lbs. 

 ammonia." In the words color average strike 

 out the word "color." 



OUR LOCAT^ ORGANIZATIONS. 



Proceedings of the Lancaster County Agricul- 

 tural and Horticultural Society. 



The Lancaster County AsricuUural and Horticul- 

 tural Society met in the Athenaeum rooms on Mon- 

 day, April 8. Present: Messrs. M. D. Keudig:, 

 Manor; Levi W. Groff, West Earl; H. M. Engle, 

 Marietta; S. S. Kathvon, city; Henry Kurtz, Mount 

 Joy ; Casper Hiller, Conestoga ; W. H. Brosius, 

 Drumore ; Johnson Miller, Warwick; Wm. Mc- 

 Comsey, city; L. N. Hunsecker, Eden; Joseph F. 

 Witmer, Paradise ; Elias Becker, Warwick ; John 

 Huber, Warwick ; David G. Swartz, city; Peter S. 

 Keist, Litiz; John H. Landis, Manor; J. G. Kesh, 

 Willow Street ; A. B. Grofl', W<?st Earl ; J. B. Weis- 

 garber, city; Simon A. Hershey, Salunga; I. L. 

 Landis, Manheim ; Major Spera, Ephrata ; Jacob- 

 BoUinger, Levi S. Reist, Manheim ; Jacob B. Gar- 

 ber, e; H. Hoover, Manheim; W. W. Griest, city; 

 F. R. Ditrendertfer, city ; J. M. Johnston, city; C. 

 Carpenter, city. 



In the absence of the President, M. D. Kendig 

 called the meeting to order. 



The reading of the minutes of the previous meet- 

 ing was dispensed with. 



Mr. Henkt Kurtz stated that arrangements 

 have been made to secure quarters in the building of 

 the Young Men's Christian Association. Mr. S. P. 

 F,by, who had the matter in charge, was not present, 

 but had authorized him to make this statement. 

 Crop Reports. 



Mr. KtTRTZ said that in the winter it was thought 

 that the wheat crop would be injured to a great 

 extent by the Hessian fly, but this fear has happily 

 |)roven unfounded, as the wheat looks unusually 

 well. In fact it never gave better promise than at 

 present. Grass crop also favorable. 



Mr. Hiller said the weather is and has been very 

 unfavorable for fruit. 



Mr. Engle also reported on the fruit crop. At 

 one time during the cold snap they were in despair. 



