1878.] 



THE LANCASTER FARMER. 



IBB 



its action is less effective, though, perhaps, 

 more lasting. 



Cheini.sts dift'er as to tlie moans by which 

 nitric acid is produced in the soil. Mr. J. ]$. 

 Lawes, of England, undoubtedly one of tlie 

 most sciontilic farmers of tlie age, asserts that 

 after the completion of growth of certain crops 

 the nitrogen coinbiues with oxygen, and pro- 

 duces nitric acid. 



In corroboration of this statement he cites 

 that waters flowing from lields before the crop 

 has matured, are free from nitric acid, and 

 that the same waters after the crop has ma- 

 tured contain an aiipreciable quantity of nitric 

 acid. Carefully conducted exjieriments, which 

 we have made through a series of years, have 

 led us to an entirely different conclusion. 

 Electricity, we believe, is the cause of nitric 

 acid being ifound in waters later in the sea.son. 

 A molecule of anhydrous nitric acid consists 

 of two atomsof nitrogen and five atoms of o.kv- 

 gen. These are the two elements which, 

 mixed, constitute the atmosphere ; when nim- 

 bined, nitric acid. AVe have frequently found 

 nitric acid in the first portion of a severe 

 thunder shower, the electricity combining the 

 necessary elements. These storms, coming 

 after crops have almost matured their growth, 

 we think, have ranch to do witli the presence 

 of nitric acid in waters percolating through 

 the soil late in the growing season. The ex- 

 periiuents of Boussingault, Cloez, Jolinson, 

 and Schloesing, all go to prove that hot 

 weather, moisture, and the presence of soda, 

 potash or lime, are the requisites in tlie pro- 

 cess of nitrification. 



Ploughing down an abundant growth of 

 vegetable matter aids nitrification, and adds 

 to the fertility of the .soil. 



Method of Apphjing Nitroijen. — From the 

 volatile nature of ammonia, it should be ap- 

 plied to the soil very shcjrtly before depositing 

 the seed, at a considerable deptli in the soil 

 rather tlian near the surface, and if the soil 

 be of a sandy, porous nature, rather in some 

 organic form of nitrogen, than the nitrates or 

 ammonia. Ammonia, however, is always 

 profitable, if not as plant-food, by furnishing 

 plant-food from the insoluble iiotash and 

 phosphates existing in all soils, which it does 

 by rendering them solulile. 



The great virtue of ammonia, therefore, 

 consists in its power of doing double duty — 

 feeding and furnishing food. 



Phosphoric Arid. — This compound exLsts 

 more widely diffused than any other one that 

 enters into the formation of plant-life. In the 

 animal kingdom it is found in bones princi- 

 parlly ; in tlie vegetable kingdom, in the .■feeds 

 of all plants, and in the mineral kingdom, as 

 apatite, phosphorite, phosphaiic guanos (f) and 

 coproUtes. Widely as it is diffused, it exists 

 almost always in a form that is not assimilable 

 by the plant. Tlie process by which the .soil 

 converts it into the soluble bi-jihosphate is a 

 slow one, and even after convinsion, if not 

 used by the plant, it will revert to the in.solu- 

 ble tri-basic condition. Herein consists the 

 imjiortance of applying those powerful chemi- 

 cal means by which we can render available 

 these constant sources of phosphoric acid. 



It is well that fiod has rendered this form 

 of plant-food naturally so largely insoluble. 

 otherwise the eternal hills, the foundation of 

 the earth, would slowly but surely waste 

 away ; the bones of our body, by the hot 

 blood coursing through our arteries and veins, 

 and those other powerful solvents, would 

 melt, dissolve away, and proud, erect man 

 would become as frail as the slug we uninten- 

 tionally crush beneath our feet. 



Sources from Which Ifost Bcailihj Ob- 

 tained. — Superphosphate of lime, ammoniated 

 phosphate, raw bone, dissolved, and Peruvian 

 guano. 



Lands rich in carbonate of lime or iron, 

 cannot be profitably improved by the use of 

 phosphates, although excellent crops may be 

 raised by their application. A portion of 

 phosphate is rendered insoluble by the jiro- 

 duction of sulphate of lime and an insoluble 

 phosphate of iron. The only profitable appli- 

 cation of phosphate upon soils of such a nature, 



would be as nearly to the growing crop as can 

 be done with safety, for the purpose of plant- 

 food alone. 



Raw bone, from its slow decomposition does 

 not sliow immediate action, but tliat it will 

 gradually and pennanently improve all soils 

 we have not the least doubt. 



Peruvian guano, from its rich supply of 

 nitrogen and phos|ilioric ac-id, we look upon 

 as one of the most available forms of fertili- 

 zers. It not only furnishes an aliuiidant siip- 

 jily of ammoriia and |)liosphoiic acid, liut it 

 renders availaliU^ the potash in the soil, and 

 also forms phosiiliate of ammonia and piios- 

 phate of soda. 



We must not forget that phosphoric acid 

 lierforms the double duty of food and food- 

 furnisher. Tlu'ough the agency of tlie grow- 

 ing crop it converts nitrogen into ammonia, 

 and the latter unlocks tlie supply of potash 

 and other in.soluble minerals and converts 

 them into plant-food. 



The various forms of mineral or rock-phos- 

 phate are made up so largely of carbonate of 

 lime, oxyd of iron or saiul and silica, or all of 

 these combined, and the.se substances being 

 insoluble, therefore useless, we could not 

 recommend their use without the pliosphale 

 be rendered soluble by sulphuric acid. The 

 thorough admixture of the acids is such a 

 difficult process that we would advise an ex- 

 Iierimental use of them for various crops until 

 their real value be discovered. 



Potash. — Next to phosiihoric acid in inipor 

 tance stands potash. Virgin soils contain 

 this suVistance in suHicient quant iti<'s, but our 

 long-farmed lands are greatly deficient in it. 

 The vegetable world furnishes it by the com- 

 bustion or decay of vegetable matter. Where 

 crops of grass have annually decayed, to be 

 succee<U'd by others passing away in like man- 

 ner, we find an abundance of potash in the 

 soil. Such is the condition of, and by such 

 means have been formed, the vast fertile prai- 

 ries of the west. 



But each successive crop removed from the 

 soil robs it of a certain amount of potash, and 

 if this be not restored by a projier system of 

 manuring, the most fertile soil must become 

 sterile and poverty-stricken. The cheapest 

 and most reliable form in which this alkali 

 can be used is as sulphate of jiotasli, made 

 from the muriate by means of sulphuric acid. 

 Immense quantities are ira[iorted from the 

 inexhaustible mines of Prussia, the richer 

 being known as "Kainitc," and the jioorer 

 quality as " Stassfiist Dungsalt. " The latter 

 consists largely of magnesia, lime, chlorine 

 and soda, in connection with potash, .some of 

 wliicli are valuable fertilizers. No one neeil 

 remain long in doubt as to the value of jiotash. 

 After the ground for a certain crop has re- 

 ceived all the manure or other fertilizer de- 

 signed for it, stake off a certain portion of it, 

 conforming as closely to the general average 

 as possible, apply at the rate of two hundred 

 pounds of sul]iiiate of jiotash per acre, harrow 

 thoroughly, and compare the croji by weight 

 or measure, depending upon its natur(% with 

 an e(iual area selected from the best portion 

 not thus treated, and the result will jirove if 

 the a]iplication of potash be necessary or pro- 

 fitable. 



By way of parenthesis, we may add that 

 this is the best form of " soil analysis," aiul 

 that it may be extended with little trouble to 

 all the varicnis substances that add to the fer- 

 tility of the soil. 



Sodei. — This alkali is not as abundant as 

 jiotash in any soil designed for agricultural 

 purposes in general, nor is it required by any 

 cereal in as great quantity. TIk; anah'sis of 

 oats shows it to be pre-eminently in excess in 

 that cereal, and we doubt not a special ajipli- 

 catiou for that crop would prove a profitable 

 investment. 



The sources of supply are both cheai) and 

 abundant ; nitrate of soda (Chili saltpetre) 

 and chloride of sodium (common salt). Tlie 

 former wcmld furnish a rich su|)ply of nitro- 

 gen ; the latter, chlorliydric acid (conviTtilile 

 into chlorine), and a portion of the salt in 

 connection with the ammonia would unlock 



tlie stores of insoluble pliosphate. Experience 

 has convinced us that salt ajiplied to heavily 

 manured land will generally prevent the 

 lodging of wheat, perhaps by the formation of 

 silicate of soda. 



{To be continued.) 



THE WOOLPRODUCT OF THE WORLD. 



From an interesting artich; on tlio wool 

 trade of the Pacific coast, imblished in a recent 

 miniber of the San Francisco ./ournid of ('ont- 

 merrc, we learn that the number of sheep in 

 lh(f world is now estimateil at from four hun- 

 dred and eighty-four to six hundred millions, 

 of which the ifnited States lias about :)ii,0(Xl,- 

 000, and tJreat Britain the .same number. 

 From IKtil to ISTo the wool clip of (iieat 

 Britain and Ireland increiused from it4,0<K),0U0 

 to:i2.">,U(J0,(MJ(l pounds. Tliat of France has 

 increa.sed almost as rapidly, though the wool 

 is finer, as a rule, and lience the superiority of 

 the French cloths. Australia produces nearly 

 as much wool as tlie jiarent country— Great 

 Britain. The United States product increased 

 from very little at the beginning of the cen- 

 tury to about •Jdd.dOII.OIll) pounds at the pres- 

 ent time. Of this California has ]iroduced 

 al)out one-fourth, and the Pacific ('oast as a 

 whole almost one-third. If the ratio of growth 

 shown in the past prevails in the future, tlie 

 day is not far distant when tlie Pacific coa.st 

 will produc(! at least one-half the wool pro- 

 duced in the United States, as not only Cali- 

 fornia and Oregon, but also Washington, 

 Idaho, Montana, Utah and New Mexico are 

 well adapted to its pHKhiction. The wool clip 

 of Australia is about 2S4, 00(1,000 pounds ; that 

 of Buenos Ayres and the river Plata, 222, ."lOO,- 

 000 pounds ; other countries not jireviously 

 given, 40:!, 000,000 pound.s. The total clip of 

 the world last year was about I,4'.i7.."i0ll,000 

 pounds, \vortli" $1.")0.000,000. This when 

 scoured would yield about 825,000,000 pounds 

 of clean wool. 



OUR LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS. 



Proceedings of the Lancaster County Agricul- 

 tural and Horticultural Society. 



Tlie LaiK-astcr County Aerii'Ultural mid Horticul- 

 tural Society held itB ref,'ular meeting on .Monday 

 afternoon, Octolicr Tth. President Cooper called the 

 inoetin^ to order with the followin^j meinlierp present: 



Calvin Cooper, I'reBident, Hird-inlland ; .loseph 

 F. VVitiner, Seeretary, Paradise ; Daniel Sineyeh, 

 eity; Levi W. firoff, West Karl; Henry M. Kni;)e, 

 Marietta; C. D. Hostetter, Kden ; Johnson Miller, 

 Warwick; S. I,cm. Fry, Kphrata; J. Hiillinirer, 

 \Varwicl< ; Dr. S. .S. Kathvon, city; Henry Kurtz, 

 .Mount .Joy; .1. IS. Garber, Columhia ; C. H. Linville, 

 Salisbury; John H. Landis, Millersvllle ; William 

 .McCoinsey, city; John .M. Stehfiian, liohrerstown ; 

 M. D. Kemlig, Manor; CasiHT Killer, t'nnestoea ; 

 -lohn Iletli, Willow Street ; Henry Krh, Manlieim 

 township ; Henry Shitfncr, Leaeocli ; Levi S. Keist, 

 Manlieim; C. L. Hunsecker, Manlieim ; Washin^on 

 h. Hershey, Kapho; Peter S. Kelsl, I.itiz ; I. D. 

 I.audis, city ; Walter Kietfer, city ; Clare Carpenter, 

 city. 



il. M. F,U(rle, of Marietta: Dry weather has 

 riiiened the corn ; It cut better In his district than 

 was expected. Some of the wheat will be Irrei^ular 

 in Its growth because of the drought. A c;ood deal 

 of plow inj; must be done yet. liainfall for Aucust 

 2 14-lfi inches ; for September II4 inches. The first 

 frost of the season was seen this roorning along the 

 river. 



S. Lem. Fry, Ephrata : In conversation with far- 

 mers and ot hers iu the northern section he learned 

 that the corn crop turned out better than was ex- 

 pected six weeks or two months ago. There will be 

 more than half a crop where not half a croji was ex- 

 pected, and considerably belter than half. One 

 stream near Adamstown is nearly dried up. The 

 mill near llcinhold's Station Is not able to grind 

 grain for tlie immediate nelL'hborhood ; so at Union 

 Station. At Hahnstown wells arc dry that have not 

 been dry for sixty years. Some farmers go a mile to 

 get their stock watered. The pasture is brown; he 

 did not see a green field on his way to Lancaster. 

 Grain is mostly sowed, and some is doing well, al- 

 though farmers predict the hot sun will dry It up. 



M. D. Kcndiir, .Manor: His report was very similar 

 to that of Mr. Fry. There Is great sulTering from the 

 drought. He had re|Kirled half acrop of corn before, 

 but would now report three-fourths of a crop. Grain 

 looks yellow, and a good deal of it Is not up yet. 

 Rainfall for September, 1 810 Inches. 



J. C. Linville, Salisbury : Some wheat sown three 

 weeks ago is up right ulcelj ; that sown two weeks 



