86 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST 
[March, 
Good Things Free. 
Our Readers are reminded that the val« 
uable assortment of Useful and Desirable 
Articles, offered in October, are still avail¬ 
able to all of them. A few hours, often as 
many minutes, will secure as many Dol¬ 
lars worth of just what one wants. Dur¬ 
ing every month of MARCH, for many 
years, Hundreds of our readers have ob¬ 
tained these valuable articles without 
expense. We can not spare space to give 
even the catalogue of these articles, but 
will be happy to send a list, with fnll de¬ 
scription of each article offered, to any 
and every one desiring it, who will simply 
give us his or her address by postal card, 
and say on it, “Send me Illustrated Pre¬ 
mium hist.” Over 20,000 of our readers 
have received these premium articles 
with great satisfaction. Thousands may 
do the same this month. 
Important Advertisements, impor¬ 
tant especially to all who are on the lookout for seeds, 
plants, implements, fertilizers, etc., occupy the space al¬ 
ways well filled this month. We have tried to admit 
none but good, trustworthy parties. It is well for every 
reader, whether in need of anything or not, to carefully 
go through these business announcements, learn what 
is offered, by whom, and how it is done. One is likely 
to get some business hint useful to himself, by seeing 
what others say, and how they say it. When correspond¬ 
ing with any of these advertisers, sending for their cir¬ 
culars, or otherwise, it is well to let them know that you 
belong to the great army of intelligent readers of the 
American Agriculturist. 
Is ¥onr Life Insured ?— Every man 
having others dependent upon his life, whether his own 
family, or creditors, or who is liable to have his business 
or property sacrificed by his death, for want of a little 
ready money, is in duty bound to make the best pro¬ 
vision possible against such contingency. A small sum 
paid annually for what is termed “life insurance”—a 
form of expression that is misleading to some minds, 
for it is really an insurance against a business emer¬ 
gency—will make one's family secure. A man thus pro¬ 
vided will be far less worried in sickness, and his chance of 
recovery will be greatly increased. In this respect, it is 
life insurance. The failure of some Companies has 
made the people distrustful of all; but a perusal of the 
exhibit of the N. Y. Life Ins. Co., on page 109, will show 
at least one Company where a man can go with the ut¬ 
most reliance. A request sent to the Company will bring 
such particulars as any one may desire to obtain. 
A Most Desirable Residence, for a 
well-to-do family, in a delightful New England rural City, 
with superior advantages for Education, Good Society, 
etc., is advertised on page 113. 
A Boole for the Garden.— Probably no 
Book ever published on garden matters lias been so use¬ 
ful, lias made so large returns to the purchaser, as “ Gar¬ 
dening for Profit ,” by Peter Henderson. It is the first 
book ever published in this country giving the practice 
of those who followed gardening fora living. The meth¬ 
ods of market-gardeners, who do everything in the best 
and most economical manner, are generally such as may 
be profitably adopted by those who raise vegetables for 
their own use. Gardening for Profit does not necessarily 
mean market gardening, for one who has only a small 
private garden wishes to work it most profitably in mak¬ 
ing it yield the best returns for the least labor. Every 
one who has a garden, whether he sells produce or not, 
every villager, and every farmer, who can raise vege¬ 
tables at all, can not afford to do without “ Gardening for 
Profit.” Sent from this office, post-paid, for $1.50. 
Ciitrdenigt^' bgs Hue Country.—A large 
number of our readers pass the winter in cities, and go 
to the country for the summer. These wish some work 
which will tell them something about vegetables, about 
fruit, and about flowers. Also there are many who live 
in the country permanently who wish a single book that 
will cover all these subjects. We know of no Book 
which will meet the wants of both these classes, as well 
as those of rural residents generally, so well as “ Garden¬ 
ing for Pleasure ,” by Peter Henderson, which, besides 
the subjects mentioned, is very full as to parlor and win¬ 
dow gardening. Sent, post-paid, for $1.50. 
A Fruit Book for Farmers.— If one 
is to make fruit culture of any kind an important part of 
his business, he will, as one of the most profitable invest¬ 
ments he can make, procure all the works devoted to the 
subject. If strawberries, grapes, or other fruits are to be 
raised for market, he will need the treatises on those 
special cultures. On the other hand, those who grow 
fruit mainly for home consumption, and sensibly supply 
their families with all the kinds that may be readily culti¬ 
vated, wish to have one hook, that will treat sufficiently 
on all kinds of fruit, and will give them some account of 
the best varieties with plain directions for their cultiva¬ 
tion. Precisely such a work as this is to be found in 
Barry’s “Fruit Garden.” We have many times regretted 
that the author choose just this title, as it to many con¬ 
veys the idea that it is devoted to small fruits, and does 
not treat of the orchard. There is no other work within 
our knowledge that so completely meets the wants of the 
fruit-growing farmer as this. Its distinguishing feature 
is that it takes the farmer into the nursery, and shows 
him how fruit trees are, so to speak, made from the raw 
material, beginning at the very beginning, and taking 
him through every step, to the picking of the fruit in the 
orchard, and all told so plainly and minutely, that any 
one can follow its directions. As with fruit trees, so 
with all other fruit-bearing plants. We doubt if there is 
an operation to he performed on fruit trees and plants 
that is not here clearly described. Grafting, budding, 
pruning, are all fully illustrated, and it is shown there is 
no mystery about them—nothing but what any intelligent 
person may do. Select lists of each kind of fruit for early 
and late, are given, with sufficient of description. Young 
men who find farm-life monotonous, can find an abundant 
variety in raising fruit, and we know of no work that is 
so complete a guide as this. Possibly some may not, be 
aware of tiie fact that the author is of the great, nursery 
firm of Eliwanger & Barry. 1100,1168161'. N. Y.. and the 
same P. Barry, Esq., who is President, of the Western N. 
Y. Horticultural Society, and Chairman of tlic most im¬ 
portant committee of the American Pomological Society. 
Tiie work is a thick 12mo., of nearly 500 pages, abundant¬ 
ly illustrated, and sent from this office, by mail, for $2.50. 
Important Farm Experiments. 
How Every Farmer taking tiie American 
Agriculturist, can Itave an “ Experiment 
Station.”—“ Science Applied to Farm¬ 
ing” by tlte Farmer Himself. 
No intelligent farmer, who cares to increase the yield 
of his crops, can have read the results of experiments 
with fertilizers, given by Prof. Atwater last month, on 
pp. 50 and 61, and this month, on p. 91, without feeling a 
strong desire to do something of the kind himself. 
Prof. Atwater, in a private note to the editors says : “ If 
you were to hear some of the farmers talk, who made 
these experiments last season, you would surely get en¬ 
thusiastic yourselves.”—That wc did get “ enthusiastic ” 
in our own way, without hearing the “ farmers talk,” but 
over the more powerful eloquence of their figures, is 
shown by an editorial note, “ Important Farm Experi¬ 
ment,” on p. 49, last month. A letter just at hand from 
an intelligent correspondent in Somerset Co., N. J., asks 
our advice, whether a young farmer should become “ suf¬ 
ficiently educated in agricultural chemistry, to enable 
him to analyze his soils, and thus solve the problem: 
‘ Wliat Fertilizer can S Use to the Rest 
Advantage?’” 
Our reply was in effect: Chemistry will be of great use 
to him, but not “for the analysis of soils." Chemis¬ 
try lias taught us a better method, and he was referred to 
Prof. Atwater’s article last month. Two or more years 
ago, in our first account of the Connecticut Agr. Ex¬ 
periment Station, we stated that, though the Station it¬ 
self was local, its benefits would be widespread and 
general. There should not only be one Experiment Sta¬ 
tion in every State, but, in some States it would he well to 
have one in every county. Tiie question of fertilizers is 
hut one of the many that an Experiment Station should 
work at. Legislative bodies move too slowly, at least in 
useful directions, and while they are considering, and as 
often refusing, the establishment of Agricultural Experi¬ 
ment Stations, we propose to establish an 
American Agriculturist Experiment 
Station, 
not in this or that State or County, hut on every farm in 
America, where the owner wishes it. That, with the ex¬ 
ception of new land, and some specially fertile regions, 
our soils need, for the best, resnlts—for profitable farming 
—more manure than our farms furnish, requires no argu¬ 
ment. The fact that farmers have expended millions of 
dollars , in the attempt to supply this deficiency, shows 
that they know of its existence, and are in earnest iu 
their endeavor to supply it. 
But Millions have been Wasted, 
or well nigh so, in part, in the purchase of worthless fer¬ 
tilizers, and those in the purchase of good one3—but of 
the wrong kind. The want of fertilizers being admitted, 
the next question naturally follows: 
“Wliat Fertilizers Shall I Apply?” 
Having readied this point, hundreds of farmers every 
spring and fall write to the American Agriculturist, em¬ 
bodying the above question. Here is the great oversight. 
Instead of asking ns, or any other journal; instead of 
sending a sample of soil for analysis to find out what it 
lacks—a waste of time and money, as any honest chemist 
will admit; instead of reading over the certificates of 
this or that fertilizer, go directly to headquarters, and 
Ask tl»e Soil Itself, “What Do You Want?” 
Among the various projects the American Agriculturist 
has set on foot for the benefit of its readers, none has 
had more practical value, or will be so far-reaching in 
results, as the plan we now propose, of enabling the 
farmer to address the above question to his soil himself, 
and to show him how to interpret the answers. Those 
who have read the articles by Prof. Atwater last month 
and this, will have an idea of wliat we propose. The 
questions are to he put directly to the soil, in the form of 
fertilizers, which present the most essential ingredients, 
viz., nitrogen, phosphoric acid, potash, sulphuric acid, 
and lime, in the best forms, both singly, and in various 
combinations, i. e., these several constituents alone, and 
in pairs, and all together. To do this satisfactorily, each 
constituent, must, be afforded in an available form, and 
Of Tested Quality, 
in order that the resnlts may have a positive value. Our 
plan is in brief, this—and it is simply doing on a larger 
scale — for the country at large—wliat the Conn. Agr. 
Experiment Station did last spring—with most beneficent 
resnlts, for a few farmers in its vicinity. For so doing 
we are fortunate in having the hearty co-operation of the 
Mapes Formula and Peruvian Guano Co., with whom ar¬ 
rangements have been made to furnish a series of ferti¬ 
lizers for carrying out experiments such as have been 
referred to. These will be of the best quality, as shown 
by analyses by Prof. Atwater, and will be accompanied 
by full directions for making the experiments, and by 
blanks for noting the results, so that the latter may be 
preserved, and the best use made of them. Each article 
will he put up in quantity proper for one-tenth of an 
acre. The area recommended for an experiment—an 
acre—is to he planted with corn, potatoes, or whatever 
crop may be selected for the experiment, is to be divided 
into ten equal plots. Provision is made to apply the fer¬ 
tilizers to seven of these plots; the other three of the ten 
to he on the same crop, lint, without any fertilizer. The 
set of experimental fertilizers, A , to be used for this ex¬ 
periment is shown in the table, which indicates by num¬ 
bers the article to be applied to each plot, the quantity 
to be applied, the constituent or kind of plant-food it is 
intended to supply, and finally the cost of each This 
“set A" is to he sent complete. The fertilizers will 
each he put up in a separate bag, and labelled. These 
small bags will then be enclosed in a larger one, which 
will also include a pamphlet carefully and especially pre¬ 
pared by Prof. Atwater, giving useful information about 
fertilizers in general, and about these in particular, and 
will also give full directions for making these experi¬ 
ments in order that each farmer may best learn what 
constituents are most, needed 
For His Own Soil, and His Own Crops, 
and how he may afterwards supply them most econom¬ 
ically. The farmer’s question to his soil will thus be, 
“ Wliat do you most need that I should give you, iu order 
that you shall give me the best yield of such and such 
crops ? ’’—The what is to be answered by the experi¬ 
ments with set A. This may be as far as many will care 
to go in the first experiment. But some will wish to 
learn also in what form they can purchase nitrogen, 
phosphoric acid, and potash, most economically for their 
particnlar soils and crops, and what ones of the ordinary 
fertilizers in the market they can use most profitably. 
The following table of “Extras” shows, as before, the 
commercial articles that may be used, the quantity for 
one-tenth of an acre, the important ingredient, and the 
cost. Set A must he ordered unbroken. Any of tho 
articles, under “ Extras,” one or more, can be ordered by 
their numbers at the prices opposite. Individual articles 
of Set A can be ordered with the Extras at the prices 
named, provided not less than six in all are ordered to¬ 
gether. Suggestions as to the nse of these extras will 
also be given in the pamphlet accompanying the sample. 
How to Get the Experimental Fertilizers. 
Note.— As not one cent of profit accrues to us, and at 
the enterprise will involve the expense of extra clerks. 
