54 



THE LANCASTER FARMER. 



[April, 



Selections. 



COMMERCIAL FERTILIZERS. 



More than once since the passage of the 

 act to regulate the manufacture and sale of 

 commercial fertilizers, (Act of June 28th, 

 1879), a doubt has been expressed as to tlie 

 reliability of chemical analyses as a test for 

 commercial fertilizers. Not having any record 

 of such a test, and being in a position to give 

 the matter a fair trial, it was decided to di- 

 vide homogeneous samples among six of our 

 best cliemists, vs^ho should make an analysis 

 without knowing that such a test was in pro- 

 gress. A quart of acidulated South Carolina 

 rock was carefully selected from a large pile 

 and after it had been thoroughly pulverized, 

 in a mortar, to ensure a thorough mixing, 

 sealed samples were sent to the following 

 chemists, who are all recognized as experts in 

 chemical analyses, viz.: F. A. Genth, of Pliila- 

 delphia ; S. W. Johnson, of Connecticut ; W. 

 H. Jordan, of Pennsylvania; G. A. Leibig, 

 of Maryland ; S. P. Sharpies, of Massachu- 

 setts ; T. U. Wolfl", of Delaware. Of course, 

 with a sample of dissolved South Carolina 

 rock nothing was detected but phosphoric 

 acid, and of this in the order above named, 

 these authorities gave the following results : 

 16.32 percent., 16.34 per cent., 16.39 per cent., 

 16.37 per cent., 16.33 per cent, and 16.00 per 

 cent. These results show the greatest varia- 

 tion. to have been thirty-nine hundredths of a 

 pound to eacli hundred of fertilizer, or a trifle 

 over seven and three-quarters pounds of phos- 

 phoric acid to a ton of fertilizer. The great- 

 est variation for an average was twenty-nine 

 hundredth of a pound to one hundred of fer- 

 tilizer, or at tlie rate of a little more than five 

 and three-quarters of a pound per ton of fer- 

 tilizer. 



It was well known that all chemists do not 

 follow the same method, lience two who were 

 known to pursue exactly the same process 

 were selected and another sample of a differ- 

 ent selection sent to each. In order that 

 your readers may better note the variation in 

 results I give them in full : 



No. 1. Soluble phosphoric acid 9.95, re- 

 verted 2 15, insoluable 4.03, total phosphoric 

 acid 16.13, available phosphoric acid 12.10, 

 estimated value per ton $27.47. 



No. 2. Soluble phosphoric acid 9. .58, re- 

 verted 2.7(i, insoluble 3.82, total phosphoric 

 acid 16.16, available phosphoric acid 12.34, 

 estimated value per ton $27.59. 



To the first example tlie above five chem- 

 ists assigned the following values per ton ; 

 $29.01, $29.53, $29.6S, $29.46. In all cases 

 the value is calculated from tlie standard oU 

 the Connecticut experiment station. 



The efiect of the law has been to raise the 

 actual value of fertilizers even in tlie face of 

 a decrease in selling price, and we think our 

 records prove that the increase has been more 

 than three dollars per ton, and good judges 

 have estimated it at five dollars per ton. At 

 the former figures it means a saving of over 

 $2,000,000 annually to the farmers of Penn- 

 sylvania who use this class of goods. 

 Respectfully, 



Thomas J. Edge, Secretary. 



THE TWO CATALPAS. 



A few weeks ago we quoted the opinion of 

 Mr. A. S. Fuller, to the effect that Catalpa 

 speciosa was not a distinct species, but only a 

 Western variety of the Catalpa bignonioides, 

 the form generally seen at the East. In op- 

 position to this view it was stated that Dr. 

 Eugelmann, one of the highest authorities, 

 agreed with Dr. Warder in considering it a 

 true species, and that this judgment was en- 

 doised by Professor Sargent and accepted by 

 Dr. Gray. Aside from this question of bo- 

 tanical interest there remained one of practi- 

 cal importance as to the relative value of the 

 two trees for economic planting, and we ac- 

 cepted on this point the experience of Mr. 

 Robert Douglas, the most extensive grower 

 of seedling forest trees in the country. Mr. 

 Douglas considers the speciosa, from its su- 

 perior hardiness, its greater rapidity of 

 growth and its habit of running up into a 

 larger trunk, altogether superior to the other 

 as a timber tree. 



We have received several communications 

 from persons whose opinions on the subject 

 are worth recording. Several of them are 

 given below. All the writers agree in pro- 

 nouncing the Western Catalpa preferable for 

 forest planting, although Professor Meehan 

 says that, in the absence of any tests made in 

 the East, he would as soon plant tlie Eastern 

 species here. On the botanical question Pro- 

 fessor Budd, an excellent observer, differs 

 from the other authorities and holds that the 

 Western form, although a hardier tree, if not 

 a good species. 



Professor William R. Lazenby, of the 

 Ohio State fhniversity, without going into de- 

 tail, writes that the " position taken by the 

 Press, in regard to the hardy catalpa, is cor- 

 rect." 



Professor W. J. Beal, of the Michigan 

 Agricultural College, writes: "In Central 

 Michigan we have both species of catalpa in 

 cultivation, and both have fruited for some 

 years. Catalpa s^Kciosa is a trifle the most 

 hardy, though this lias been somewhat in- 

 jured by some of our winters when the ther- 

 mometer goes to 22° to 30° below zero. 

 Catalpa speciosa grows most rapidly and is 

 much less inclined to make a spreading top, 

 i. e., it runs up slim. There is some differ- 

 ence in the fruit and seeds. From all the 

 specimens I have seen I feel certain they are 

 distinct, and as much entitled to rank as two 

 species as are white ash and black ash, silver 

 maple and red maple, white oak and burr 

 oak, black walnut and butternut. Catalpa 

 speciosa is much more suitable for planting as 

 a timber tree." 



Professor Thos. Meehan botanist of the 

 Pennsylvania Board of Agriculture, writes 

 that he was led to look indifferently, in the 

 first instance, on the claims of the Western 

 form of this tree to distinctiveness solely be- 

 cause of what he considered a trade trick in 

 calling it the "Hardy Catalpa." When the 

 Western men came to "boom" their new- 

 found variety by insinuating that the rapidly- 

 growing, hardy Eastern species, with its dura- 

 ble timber, was utterly worthless, it is no 

 wonder that those unacquainted with the 

 actual facts came to regard the difference be- 

 tween the two as a matter of no practical im- 

 portance. " But," he adds, "one in my posi- 



tion has to lake special pains to divest him- 

 self of prejudice, and 1 have endeavored to 

 get at the actual facts. I have no doubt but 

 the Western plant is a distinct species, as 

 species is generally understood by botanists. 

 I feel sure that on the Western plains the 

 trunk grows straighter in C. speciosa, and in 

 this respect it is a better timber tree for that 

 region than 0. bignonioides. Its constitution 

 is better suited to dry, cold winds, and it 

 would grow betier under these circumstances 

 than the Eastern species." Dr. Meelian, in 

 conclusion, objects to the name " Hardy 

 Catalpa," as implying that of "Tender 

 Catalpa " for the other. He would prefer the 

 terms "Western Catalpa" and "Eastern 

 Catalpa." 



Professor Budd, of Iowa, considers the 

 marked difference in the constitution of these 

 trees as one of climatic adaptation. The 

 Western catalpa is, no doubt, the tree for the 

 Mississippi Valley, but he sees no need of 

 making a new species of it. The Menzies 

 spruce from the east and west sides of the 

 Rockies is botanically one, and yet this spruce 

 from the Eastern side of the divide is the 

 hardiest of conifers in Iowa, and from the 

 Western side it is tender as a peach. The 

 Western box-elder has proved hardy at Ab- 

 bottsford and Quebec, where the Eastern 

 form would not live a year.' 



Mr. Suel Foster, of Muscatine, Iowa, 

 writes an interesting letter containing a his- 

 tory of the discovery of the new species — 

 many details of which were published in the 

 article of Mr. Douglas in these colums. The 

 winter of 1855-6 was exceptionally severe, 

 and in the spring, out of several hundred 

 young catalpas in his nursery from seed gath- 

 ered in different place, only half of them sur- 

 vived. Some Catalpa bignonioides, ten years 

 old, were also killed to the ground. As the 

 sprouts from the roots came up in the spring, 

 the difference between those which were win- 

 ter killed and those which survived the frost 

 was noted and soon all practical planters in 

 the West learned to select the species native 

 to that region. 



Mr. George L. Miller, of Omaha, an 

 extensive and successful planter, writes from 

 a practical standpoint : "Several years ex- 

 perience with the hardy variety, through a 

 succession of severe winters and trying spring 

 changes of climate, including long continued 

 cold and severe drouth, enables me to say 

 that out of many thousands of these trees 

 transplanted from the nurseries of Mr. 

 Douglas I have not lost one from cold. Mr. 

 Douglas believes, and I agree with him, that 

 the speciosa can be planted as far North as 

 43°. My own planting is in the latitude of 

 41^°. 



Ex-Governor Robert W. Furnas writes 

 from Nebraska : "That the speciosa is dis- 

 tinct from the biguoniodes I have no doubt. 

 All in the West who have given thought and 

 study to the subject agree. There is a 

 marked dift'erence in the leaf, bloom, time of 

 blooming, bark, wood and general appearance 

 of the trees, as can be seen by comparison. 

 Here, in the West, the speciosa is as hardy 

 as the oak. The common, or bignoniodes, is 

 tender, and will not pass our mildest winters. 

 As to the durability of the common I know 

 nothing, not having tested it, or know of it 



