1880.] 



THE LANCASTER FARMER. 



37 



to cut the bran fine. In conclusion I would 

 say I do not expect to make converts to Gra- 

 ham diet, but trust there can be no liarm in 

 agitutiiiK the importance of hygienic Hvinj;. 

 If it could Ije made as fashionuhli^ as so mucli 

 improper diet now is, it would tell largely foi" 

 ihe better upon the risinj; generation. Tliere 

 is no question in the mind of the writer that 

 the excessive use of the many spices and con- 

 diments so eonmion on the tables at present, 

 cause more than auythiug else the cravings for, 

 and indulgence in stronger stimulants, such 

 as tobacco, opium and ardent drinks, in addi- 

 tion to diseases of various types.— J/. M. E. 



For The Lancaster Farmeb. 

 WHAT FERTILIZER SHALL WE USE. 



{Conlinucfl from Fehritary Xo.) 

 If we were entirely sure as to which one in- 

 gredient the .soil lacks, the application of the 

 fertilizer would be both simple and profitable 

 on all crops. Where two are lacking, even if 

 positively known which two, the application 

 might not l)e i)rofitablc on some crops, as the 

 prices are too low, the clieap lands and fertile 

 soils of the west reducing the prices. Where 

 all three are wanting, or what might be called 

 poor or worn out soils, the application of a 

 sufficient (piantity would Ije profitable only on 

 tobacco at present prices, or where trucking 

 was Virisk, as near .some city. 



Those that advocate the use of complete 

 fertilizers may be divided into two classes; 

 one would have his fertilizer comjiounded so 

 as to have the ingredients in about the rela- 

 tive proportions as found in stable manure, 

 the other would have them according to the 

 supposed needs of the crop to which it is to be 

 applied. 



That the latter class may be in the right is 

 not to be disputed, but oiily in such cases as 

 where the same crop is repeatedly removed, 

 or in any other case where a fertilizer is ap- 

 plied to each crop. But where a fertilizer is 

 applied to one crop and then a regular rota- 

 tion of crops following, without further appli- 

 cation, then I would believe in and apply a 

 "complete" fertilizer instead of a "crop" fer- 

 tilizer. 



But we have this further to bear in mind 

 that while phosphoric acid and polash usually 

 remain in the soil until removed by cropping, 

 this is not the ease with nitrogen, either as a 

 nitrate or in the form of ammonia salts. In 

 all good fertilizers the nitrogen is in a very 

 soluble slate, it is soon washed out of the soil 

 or beyond the reach of the roots, or it may 

 imite with some element in the soil and escape 

 into the air. In stable manure it is not so 

 soluble, and is given slowly to the soil as 

 the manure decays. It might be advi.sable 

 therefore to apply less nitrogen at a time, and 

 apply it oftencr. 



We will now see from what sources the 

 different ingredients may be derived. 



Xitrogen or ammonia is supplied by the 

 followiug : Nitrate of soda contains 1.5i per 

 cent, of nitrogen; price .5 cents per pound. 

 8nl(iliale of ammonia contains 2U per cent, of 

 nitrogen; price 4| cents per jwund. Both the 

 above are very soluble and should be applied 

 at the latest possible moment before the time 

 at which it is to act. 



Peruvian guano contains as high as LS per 

 cent, of nitrogen; it also contains a high per- 

 centage of phosphoric acid, in some cases as 

 high as -20 per cent. ; the price ranges from 

 $.")().00 to S6.").00 per ton, according to the 

 percentage of nitrogen, phosphoric acid and 

 potash; it also contaiiung from 2 to 3 per 

 cent, of the latter. 



Nitrate of potash, saltpetre, contains about 

 12i per cent, of nitrogen and 42^ per cent, 

 potash. It is too high in price to warrant its 

 use in the field, the price being about 0^ cents 

 per pound. 



Dried blood and dried flesh contain from 11 

 to 12 per cent, of nitrogen and are used to a 

 considerable extent in trucking. The dried 

 blood sells at from §40.00 to Si.'j.OO per ton. 



Phosphoric .acid is found in the following : 

 "Acid phosphate," "acididated rook phos- 

 phate," &c. are all about the .saiue thing, 

 being South Carolina or other rock phos- 



phates, and treated with sulpuric acid. I 

 believe they contain alxnit 11 per cent, oi sulu- 

 blr phosjihoric acid when properly prepared. 

 The price is about $25.00"per ton. 



.'^llperphosphate prepared from burnt bone, 

 "dissolved bone black," contains about Iti i)er 

 cent, of available phosplioric acid, but I do 

 not know how much is nohihle. The price is 

 about $35.00 per ton. 



Superphosphate prejiared from ground raw 

 bones contains about ItU per cent, of phos- 

 phoric acid. Manufacturers claim all the 

 way from 10 to 10 per cent, as soluble and 

 available. This is the so-called "phospiiate" 

 and is manufactured over the whole country, 

 each maker claiming his as a standard article. 

 It is well to know the reputation of the 

 parties oflering it, as it is so often greatly 

 adulterated. It is hoped our present law will 

 do away with much of the trash heretofore 

 offered. The, price varies from S;3I?.00 to 

 $4."). 00 with the different manufacturers. 



Soluble Pacific guano is rich in phosphoric 

 acid, and also yields about 2^ per cent, nitro- 

 gen, ('ii per cent, ammonia) and about 2 per 

 cent potash. Unlike the Peruvian guano a 

 heavy application is not likely to injure the 

 growing plant, being without that" caustic 

 (burning) quality for which the Peruvian ;is 

 sometimes dreaded. 



Potash is obtained from the following : The 

 sulphate of potash when a good article is ob- 

 tained, contains about 44 per cent, of i)otash, 

 costing about $70.00 per ton, or nearly 8 cents 

 per pound for the potash. A lower grade can 

 be purchased at $30.00 to $35.00 per ton, in 

 which the potash costs only about 7 cents 

 cents per potmd. 



German potash salts (kainit) can be pur- 

 chased at from $12.00 to .S18.00 per ton, ac- 

 cording to the percentage of potash cojitained. 

 The latter price is asked for an article con- 

 taining about 15 per cent, of potash, making 

 the cost of the potash cents per pound. 



Muriate of potash contains about 50 per 

 cent, of potash, and is worth $40.00 to $45.00 

 per ton, the potash thus costing from 4 to 4i 

 cents per pound, but unfortunately it dare not 

 be applied to all crops, tobacco, potatoes and 

 sugar beets (for sugar) being, however, only 

 the important crops that are injured by it. It 

 is supposed to injure the burning quality of 

 the tobacco, lessen the amount of ."(tarch 

 in potatoes, and diminishes the amount of 

 sugar in the sugar beets. 



Ashes supply potash of the best quality and 

 to the amount of 10. per cent, of their weight, 

 except in pine and other evergreen wood, 

 where the percentage is only 6. A bushel of 

 unleached aslies would thus contain respect- 

 ively about 5 and 3 pounds of potash; when 

 leached they contain only about one-fourth of 

 this amount. They also contain about 4^ per 

 cent, phosphoric acid from evergreen wood, 

 and per cent or more in deciduous woods, 

 and this amount is diminished little or noth- 

 ing in leaching. As they impart these ingre- 

 dients very slowly to the soil, heavy applica- 

 tions can 1)6 made without danger, applica- 

 tions of a hundred bushels of leached ashes 

 being known; in the unleached twenty bushels 

 and upwards arc often applied. 



Miin)' farmers make objections against the 

 use of fertilizers, contending that it "runs 

 down" the land so that the soil will not pro- 

 duce any crop except by a fresh application, 

 and that at last even the heaviest applications 

 will not respond. Now this is contrary to 

 theory and is also contrary to experience when 

 that experience is the result of a systematic 

 and common sense method. 



Though it is very well known that ii ferti- 

 lizer must contain three certain ingredients, 

 yet many a|>ply a plain suiieri)hospliate made 

 from burnt bone or rock pliosphate, that con- 

 tains absolutely nothing but phosphoric acid. 

 Repeated applications of tliis may at first 

 bring good crops, but in time the nitrogen and 

 the potash in the soil will be reduced to so 

 small a quantity that the roots can not find 

 enough for the needs of the plant, and the 

 result will be feeble and stunted plants incap- 

 able of perfecting a crop. The only way to 



get a full crop again is to apply a fertilizer 

 that contains those ingredients that the other 

 lacked. 



Another cause of "running out" is by ap- 

 plying a fertilizer, though it may be a per- 

 fect one, in insnllicienl quantity. They being 

 usually very soluble, and the roots therefore 

 having easy access, it follows tliat the better 

 the fertilizers the (piicker the crop is pushed 

 in its first stages, and after a certain growth 

 is attained it is able to push on to perfection 

 by using the ingredients that may have been 

 in the soil after that supplied by the fertilizer 

 has been exhauste^^. In a good season this 

 way of applying will be aggravated by the 

 more than ordinary strain put on the soil in 

 perfecting the greater cioj). 



In the use of incomplete fertilizers some 

 crops are most benefited by a certain element 

 of plant food and others tiy a different one. 

 Such element is said to be the dominant ele- 

 ment required for that crop. 



Wlieat, rye, oats and all the grasses seem 

 most benefitted by nitrogen. This element is 

 supplied by the nitrate of soda, and is applied 

 to wheat in the fall to make a quick and 

 strong growth; in the sjiring to all the other 

 crops the usual application being 100 to 150 

 pounds per .acre. 



Corn and turnips hare phosphoric acid as 

 their dominant element. There seems to be 

 no fertilizer that has been more uniformly suc- 

 cessful with corn than a superphosphate from 

 raw bone, but it must not be inferred that 

 paying crops always result from its u.se. The 

 season and the soil are factors that make or 

 mar crops, for which oftentimes no intelligent 

 reason can be given. 



Tobacco, potatoes, clover and fodder corn 

 are the more prominent farm crops that re- 

 qinre potash in abundance. Tlie truck and 

 garden crops that are greatly benefited by 

 potash arc cabbage, peas and beans. 



Any one wishing to use a complete ferti- 

 lizer will be rather" bewildered if he asks two 

 or more manufacturers as to the best combina- 

 tion, the ratio of the elements varying with 

 each manufacturer. Prof. Ville, not a manu- 

 facturer, fixed the ratio at about 0| for nitro- 

 gen, 5 for phosphoric acid and 74 for potash. 

 In well rotted barnyard manure the ratio is 

 in the order as above, resi)ectively about 6, 3 

 and 5 wtiicli correponds pretty closely with 

 the Ville formula, except in nitrogen, and as 

 the nitrogen in the latter is more soluble it is 

 no doubt as near correct as it can be made. 



If fertilizers are used it; may be well to 

 make some experiments in soil tests at the 

 same time, but go slow until you find out 

 what crops you can raise profitably by their 

 use. — A. B. K. 



Selections. 



TOBACCO CULTURE. 



How our Growers Raise the Weed — Tobacco 



From the Seed Bed to the Warehouse 



— A Practical Essay. 



The enormous proportions attained by the 

 tobacco crop of Lancaster county, its rapidly 

 increasing importance, the vast wealth it is 

 pouring into the pockets of our farmers, and 

 the large profits it returns to the growers, 

 have drawn the attention of all persons inter- 

 ested in the trade, either as consumers or 

 planters. 



In response to a request, we publish below 

 the subjoined directions, intended to aid be- 

 ginners in growing tobacco. They will be 

 found sulliciently minute for all practical 

 puqioses, and if strict regard is paid to the 

 methods here laid down, the result will, no 

 doubt, be found satisfactory. Mr. Frantz is 

 one of our most experienced and intelligent 

 growers, and speaks from many years of 

 actual experience. His methods, as here laid 

 down, embrace the practice of our most suc- 

 cessful planters, and when strictly adhered 

 to, will no doubt give as good results else- 

 where as they have done here, soil and cli- 

 mate being favorable. Experience, however, 

 is the great teacher; careful instructions will 



