42 



THE LANCASTER FARMER. 



[March, 



organs of the large blossoms are nicely envel- 

 oped within the corolla until nearly the time 

 for fertilization to take place, while, on the 

 other hand, the organs of the smaller bloss- 

 oming varieties are exposed to the elements a 

 number of days before the general expansion 

 of the blossom. 



Had Crawford's Late the power of with- 

 standing or resisting cold as greatly as some 

 of our more- hardy varieties,, the peach grow- 

 ers in this county alone, the past season, 

 would have reaped prohts of thousands of 

 dollars where they did not reap hundreds. 



Here is a field well worthy of serious inves- 

 tigation, and our botanical friends can assist 

 us. 



Many of our fruit growers have a mama for 

 extreme earliness. This is right in its place, 

 but let us not overlook other desirable points 

 in our craft by striving alone for earlir ass. 

 Let us take with us fruitfulness and hardi- 

 ness as well as size, color and flavor. We have 

 varieties that will ripen in succession from 

 the very earliest to the very latest, having the 

 size and color of the Crawford, shipping qual- 

 ities of the Smock, and fruitfulness and har- 

 diness of the Stalway. We may be years in 

 attaining these points, but by proper hybridi- 

 zation, cross-fertilization and observation, 

 they will eventually be attained. We have 

 already in our land varieties that have been 

 brought into existence by intelligent hybridi- 

 zation, such as Wilder, Downing, Saunders, 

 Louise and Rivers. This proves that by the 

 assistance of an intelligent mind, new varie- 

 ties having desirable qualities can be pro- 

 duced. 



Let us take a glance at what our enterpris- 

 ing stock breeders are doing. They are 

 breeding their animals to the size and shape 

 of the mirror, to the splash on the forehead, 

 color of the feet, or tip of the tail. 



Our brother apiarians are breeding to the 

 length of the bee's tongue in order to enhance 

 their profits, by getting honey from flowers 

 that the common bee cannot reach. Can't 

 we as peach growers keep pace with our 

 brethren in other industries ? I think we can. 

 While they may have some advantage over us, 

 in directly controlling their subjects, nature, 

 on the other hand, off'ers us many advantages 

 that they have not, by proffering in her boun- 

 teous efforts, thousands of natural seedlings, 

 which we, by judicious care, can take from 

 her storehouse of variety the very objects 

 that we are desirous of obtaining, 



I have placed in my nursery varieties that 

 my atrention has been du-ected to by their 

 having desirable qualities. One of them hav- 

 ing the size and color of Crawford's Late, one 

 week later in ripening and a more regular 

 bearer. 



Let us ever be on the alert for new seed- 

 lings, and if any have escaped the severity of 

 the past winter note them well. So long as 

 there are desirable points to be attained, so 

 long can we aff'ord to test new seedlings. We 

 cannot by any means, succeed in producing 

 varieties that will withstand the severity of 

 any winter, or the effects of a very late severe 

 frost, but there is room to improve greatly on 

 the hardiness of many varieties. 



I have been frequently asked the reason 

 why peaches fail more frequently now, than 

 30 or 40 years ago V I invariably reply, that 

 in our efforts to increase earliness, size and 

 quality, we have in a measure iost sight of 

 hardiness. The old natural varieties our an- 

 cestors propagated in the fence corners and 

 by the way sides, were in fact nearly all of 

 the large blooming kinds, and these natural 

 sorts yet ofttiraes produce fruit when all 

 others fail. It is true, that we are advancing 

 rapidly in peach growing. Twenty-five years 

 ago August 10th was considered, in this lati- 

 tude, an early date for peaches to ripen. Now, 

 July 1st is the opening of the season. Then 

 September 25th quite late ; now October 15th 

 is the closing of the season. Then an orchard 

 could scarce'ly be found that ripened its ft-uit 

 in stmession tor a period of 6 weeks ; now 14 

 or 15 weeks is not considered more than an 

 ordinary achievement, and yet we are on the 



lower rounds of the ladder. There are still 

 many above us, all of which we can surmount 

 by close investigation and intelligent applica- 

 tion. 



Let us be vigilant, be active and unwearied 

 in our labors, in one of the delightful fle Ids 

 that God has created for man. 



•NITROGENOUS ELEMENTS OF 

 PLANT FOOD. 



I. Almost all, if not all, the nitrogen con- 

 tents of all vegetation, is derived by the plant 

 from or through the soil. It has been main- 

 tained by some, that certain orders of plants, 

 particularly from among agricultural vegeta- 

 tion, the broad-leaved root crops derive at 

 least a small portion of their nitrogen through 

 their leaves, from the atmospheric nitrogen or 

 nitrogenous compounds. This, to say the 

 least, is extremely doubtful. 



II. Nitrogen exists in the .soil in three 

 classes of condition : 



(a.) Those compounds which are insoluble, 

 and are the intermediate products of vege- 

 table decay— classed as nitrogenous organic 

 bodies, etc. 



(6.) The soluble compounds of nitrogen, in- 

 cluding ammoniacal and nitrate salts. 



(c.) Free nitrogen held in solution in soil 

 water or in the air, held in the pores or con- 

 densed on thelsurfaces of the pores of the soil. 



HI. The nitrogen of the soil is derived from 

 the four sources : 



(a. ) From the decay of former vegetation 

 as stored in the soil. 



(6.) From the air carried down as am- 

 monia, nitrates and organic dust in solution, 

 or suspension In falling rain, snow and dew. 



(c.) From the circulation of air through the 

 pores of the soil. 



(cZ.) From additions in the form of barn- 

 yard manure or chemical artificial fertilizers. 



IV. Nitrogen in the insoluble form, and as 

 free nitrogen, can not be assimilated by the 

 plant. Hence the two food forms of nitrogen 

 are ammoniacal and nitrate salts, and in the 

 light of our information on the subject, it 

 seems very probable that it is in the latter 

 form, or as nitrates, that the plant finds the 

 conditions in which it is best able to avail 

 itself of nitrogenous food offered to it. 



Here, as in many other cases where we at- 

 tempt to question the processes of nature, we 

 find ourselves unable to obtain a definite an- 

 swer to our query. In this instance there are 

 on record certain admirable experiments, 

 some quite recent, which seem to indicate, 

 that in some cases, with certain plants under 

 certain conditions of age and treatment, the 

 plant is best able to avail itself of the nitrogen 

 oftered in the form of ammonia. But the 

 general statement given above, is expressive 

 of the most successful practice and experi- 

 ment. 



V. The soil has, to a certain extent, the 

 power of retaining within itself the soluble 

 nitrogen compounds, (ammonia and nitrates,) 

 by partly physical, but more by chemical ab- 

 sorption. 



VI. But, in consequence of their solubility, 

 these same assimilable forms of nitrogen are, 

 also, likely to be lost by the action of the per- 

 colating waters. 



A discussion of these principles would be 

 interesting, but we pass this by, to the con- 

 sideration of several inquiries which these 

 principles render of extreme practical import- 

 ance. 



(a.) What is the relation of atmospheric 

 nitrogen to the food supply, through the soil ? 



(6.) What conditions are favorable for ren- 

 dering tlie nitrogen of the soil, stored or 

 added, assimilable ? 



(c.) What conditions are favorable to the 

 retention of assimilable nitrogen in the soil, 

 and bringing it to those layers of the soil 

 through which the main portion of the roots 

 ramify ? 



{d.) What relations do different kinds of 

 crops bear to the food supply of nitrogen ? 



'Delivered before the State Board of Agrieulture at 

 Gfettyaburg, by Prop. Reidenbach, at the annual meet- 

 ing, Januarry, 1881. 



(e.) If nitrogen is to be added in fertilizers, 

 in what form is it most conveniently and 

 cheaply applied ? 



In other words, we inquire, "How can we 

 bring the nitrogen of the soil into condition 

 favorable to plant growth'? How prevent its 

 undue loss ? How arrange our crops to most 

 economically utilize the nitrogen in the soil ? 

 And how can we add nitrogen to the best ad- 

 vantage ?" 



I must repeat here, that I can only give but 

 a brief outline of tlie answer to each topic. 



(a.) What is the relation of atmospheric ni- 

 trogen, to the food siqiply through the soU. 



You are aware that about four-fifths 

 (79,100) of the atmosphere by volume, and 

 slightly less bweight, (77-100,) is free nirro- 

 gen, which is inert, and, as free nitrogen, is not 

 available for plaut nutrition. In addition to 

 the free nitrogen, the atmosphere also con- 

 tains traces of nitrogen, in the form of am- 

 monia and nitrates, formed by action of de- 

 cay, and carried into the air", and, also, by 

 other processes. Ammonia is barely in excess 

 over the nitrates. These compounds being 

 soluble in water, are carried down, by rain 

 and dew, into the soil. Careful determina- 

 tions show that the amount thus obtained 

 from the measured fall, that is, from rain and 

 snow alone, is from eight to ten pounds per 

 acre, on the average, for each year. The 

 amount carried down by dew has not been as- 

 certained, but is probably an important 

 amount. Indeed, it may often be very con- 

 siderable. To this we must add the atmos- 

 pheric source of nitrogen, free or compound, 

 fixed and retained by the soil, by some chem- 

 ical action with which we are not acquainted, 

 brought into the soil by circulation of tlie at- 

 mosphere through its pores. Experiments 

 made at Rothamstead, England, by Gilbert 

 and Lawes, indicate this as a very important 

 source of nitrogen for plant food. 



We thus see that the atmosphere not only 

 supplies all the carbon of the plant, and the 

 water necessary, but, also, is a reservoir of 

 nitrogen, from which there is a certain, 

 though variable, supply given to the soil. 



How far this supply of nitrogen is sufficient 

 is an important and as yet unanswered in- 

 quiry. 



(6.) What conditions are favorable for ren- 

 dering the nitrogen of the soil, stored or added, 

 assimilable f 



We have already referred to the nitrogen in 

 the soil in two classes of conditions, available 

 and not available, for the plant. It is of 

 value to the farmer to know if he can assist 

 nature in bringing the unavailable nitrogen 

 into an assimilable or available form. 



I briefly mention some of the leading condi- 

 tions for bringing about this change. 



The presence of mineral fertilizers, particu- 

 larly of potash, and carbonate and sulphate 

 of calcium ; that is, limestone and gypsum. 



The presence of oxygen of the air, and such 

 substance as can supply oxygen, among which 

 are red oxide of iron as found in our Adams 

 county red shale, sulphates as gypsum. 

 Moisture acts as an agent of change. 



A free circulation of the air also promotes 

 the same change. Among other reasons why 

 these conditions are favorable to our purpose, 

 they tend to promote the conversion of other 

 nitrogen compounds into nitrates, the process 

 known as nitrification. Tlie mineral fertil- 

 izers, phosphates and potash salts, facilitate 

 to a wonderful, degree, particularly on clover 

 and other leguminous plants, the bringing of 

 the nitrogen of the air into a condition of 

 availability. 



On the other band the presence of caustic 

 lime causes a serious loss of available nitrogen 

 in converting even the already formed nitrates 

 into ammonia and preventing their formation, 

 ammonia thus formed passing into the air. 



It is hardly necessary to add that the phy- 

 sical condition of the soil has much to do with 

 this same nitrification; such treatment as pro- 

 motes moisture during dry, hot weather and 

 renders the soil friable, are important ad- 

 juncts, also the presence of sand and marl. 



I also add a condition which we are not able 



