690 
THt tRD1*VCAL agriculturist. 
[March i, 1892, 
tained only when potash is used in conjunction with 
phosplioric acid; sour meadow's likewise Jiced a sup- 
ply of lime. A normal amount of fertilizer per acre 
la 400 to 600 pounds of kainit(thia salt is preferable 
for meadowa) and 550 to ;i50 pounda of 12 per cent, 
acid pliosphato. This application should be repeated 
every year, while the amount of phosphate siven per 
acre may last for two years. The host time of 
applying is the fall. The best effect of fertilizers 
upon meadows rarely appears the first season, but 
one should not become discouraged for the benefit is 
a lasting, which will show more in tho second than 
in the first season. 
Cloveh, Peas, Lupines, and otukk Lf.ou.mes. — 
Potash-phosphate fertilization will sumco to supply 
the needs of these plants which directly acinjire their 
nitrogen from tho air. They should rocolvo 400 
to .500 pounds ofkainit per acre (or 'l(K) to 130 of 
muriate) and 300 to 400 pounds of 12 per cent, acid 
nhosnliato. Tho lupine needs no phosphoric acid for 
fertilization ; tho power of tho roots of tins plant to 
assimilate phosphoric acid from the soil is so great, 
that a phosphate fertization is apparently without 
effect, and potash alone will produce large crops. 
Potatoes.— Care should be exercised in applying 
potash salts to the potato crop, othorwiso damage 
will ensue by tho chlorine, lessening the amount of 
starch contained in the mature tuber. This in- 
jury can he avoided either by using tho more ex- 
pensive sulphate of potash, or by applying tho potash 
fertilizer to tlie preceding crop, or it can be lessened 
by spreading broadcast the previous autumn, by 
which the chlorine has time to wash into the subsoii 
during the winter. An average potato fertilizer is 
tho following; 110 pounda of aulphaie of potash (27- 
por cent, potash), 3U0 pounds acid phosphate (12 per- 
cent ), 125 to 250 pounda nitrate of soda, or 250 to .500 
pounds of cotton-aoed meal. 
ToBAtco.— What has been said about tho potato 
applies eijually to tho tobacco, /. z., that chlorine 
works injury to the ipiality in respect to coinbusti-- 
bility and llavor. Tho difhculty is to be avoided in 
the same manner as in that of the potato, while no 
really good tobacco can be grown without the use of 
potash. The quantity per acre is 275 pounds sulphate 
of potash (low grade), 250 pounds acid phosphate (12 
per cent.), 100 pounds sulphate of ammonia. 
^ Gabpen Chops anp VEiiETAiinEs.— Potash is im- 
portant in gardening, especially upon sandy soil. 
The requiremouts of different crops and soil are so 
varying' that no universal formula can bo given. For 
asparagus it is well to note that a heavy application 
of kainit( 1,000 pounds per acre) together with a large 
amount of nitrate of soda has yielded large profits of 
a largo and excellent crop. . 
FiiuiT TiiEF.B.— Potash fertilization pays well in 
fruit culture as is well understood by every intelli- 
gent prodneer, and upon sandy soil a marketable 
OTtiole Is impossible without it. The quantity may 
be varied as conditions vary ; on an average 500 to 
1 000 pounds of kttinit (or 130 to 2.50 pounds of muriate 
of potash, or 240 to 470 pounda of low grade sulphate.) 
The quantity of acid phosphate (12 per cent.) may bo 
varied from SI'O to 61K) pounds per acre. Nitrogen is 
chiefly supplied to orchards by manuring with lugumi- 
nous pants (cow peas, vetch, oriiiiBon clover) combined 
with an occasional liming. N Itrogen fertilizers must ho 
used where green manuring cannot bo practiced — in 
strawberry culture, for example. 
POTASH SALTS As MANUBE I'KUSEllVES. 
All kinds of animal manure when exposed 
to tho elemonts lose a considerable imrt of their 
organic matter and nitrogen by decomposition. 
This loss, which usually amounts to about 25 per coot, 
of the nitrogen, can be entirely prevented by the use 
of kainit, which has tho property of absorbing and 
retaining nitrogen and preventing a harmful fermen- 
tation which likewise causes a loss of organic mat- 
ter In the use of kainit for this purpose, it is to 
be 'sprinkled daily in the stable, 4 to 2 pounds for 
every full-grown animal being a fair average. By 
this proceeding not only a largo amount of organic 
matter and valnablo nitrogen is retained, but tho 
manure produced is also ouriohed by potash. 
I'OTAKI! SALTS AS INSnilTlCIllES AND FUNGICinES. 
Tho Experiment Stations of Texas, Louisiana and 
North Carolina and many observant farmers 
have directed attention to tho use of kainit upon 
cotton fields, and its effect in materially checking 
the much dreaded disease of cotton blight. Some 
fruit growers think that the use of potash salts 
prevents rot and certain fungus diseases of the peach 
and orange. An interesting bulletin of the New 
.Jersey Experiment Station (Bulletin No. 75) lately 
issued, gives tho results of experiments, indicating 
that potash salts, and kainit in particular, destroys 
scales upon pear trees, grubs and cntworiiis in corn, 
plant lice, wire worms in potatoes, and cabbage mag- 
gots, and that no injury follows their judicious use. 
WOOD ASHES, COTTON SEED HULL ASHES AGP TOBACCO 
STEMS AS I'OTASU FEnTILlZKRS. 
These materials are valuable for their coiitonts of 
potasli, and may bo used as souroca of this plant 
food in place of Strassfurt Salts. An objection to 
their iiso consists in tho inequality of tho composi- 
tion, especially that of wood ashes. Their contents 
in potash varies from .3 to H per cent., while there 
is no difference in appearance to indicate the differ- 
ence ill quality. The contents of potash in cotton 
seed hull ashes range from 17 to 42 per cent., that 
of tobacco stems from 4 to 9 per cent. Tho great 
variability in composition of these fertilizers should 
therefore caution the farmer to buy only from tho 
basis of a chemical analysis. 
B. VON Hesff. 
Washington, 1). C. 
— h'loriihl . it/ lie ultii rint. 
« 
Mb. D. Hoopbb, the Government Quinolopiel, baa 
drawn attention to a report sent to the Board of 
Kovenue on the Vinca pusiUn. This plant is allied 
to the British Periwinkle and is callect in Tamil 
Mukikapuondoo It is said to be an excellent remedy 
for lumbago and is used largely on the western 
coast as an external remedy for fuoh. The ryots 
of the South Aroot Dislriot say that if cattle grsze 
upon it they become giddy and die. The sample 
forwarded by the Board for analysis to Mr. Hooper 
proved that the poisonous property of the herb 
was an alkaloid. Vicine is proposed by Mr Hooper 
as the name of this new alkaloid. — Madras Times, 
Feb. Kith. 
Chkwing Tea in Upper Siam. — In the paper 
read by Mr. Ernest Satow, c.M a , before the hooiety 
of Arts on 12th Jan., on “The Laos States of 
Upper Siam,” tho following occurs : — 
.fust at the bottom of tho hill wo passed a plan- 
tation of micHg, or Lao tea. The natives call these 
plantations yiia-uiiswg, or tea-forest, if pa be rendered 
literally, this term causing it to bo generally sup- 
posed that the uiciup grows wild. Laos tell yon that 
it is found growing in coiiimixturo with other trees, 
which are out down, leaving the tea-tree to benefit 
by the additional ait and sun. But this account 
seems doubtful. It is possible that tho Laos ol 
Chiongmai, when the country was resettled, foun^ 
old tea-trtoB growing in this way, and cltarod then' 
from tho jungle whioh enveloped them, but ttf 
arrangement of the trees is too regular to allow 
our supposing that they were planted by the iiF''® 
hand of nature. Many were twelve to fifteen fc?“ 
high, with stems two-and-a-half to three inches i,” 
diameter, and they wore evidently not pruned' 
Soino wore in bndor llower, and others bore the h'* *' 
ripe berry. The leaf is longer and more pointed 
that of tho Japanese tea-plant, and tho foliug*' ‘ 
less dense. But of its being a species of tea 
can be no doubt whatever. The Laos do not 
tho infusion, but prepare the leaf for chewing "J 
burying it in pita, and it isono of their indisponsac 
luxuries. Yousoo a man put a lump of tho fo'^n'S''Ve 
leaves in ouo cheek, which he loaves there 
proc eda to chew hotel or smoke a cigarette, lo^i^ 
fur all the world as if his face were distorteu ■> 
tho mumps. 
