128 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[April, 
pay ? On soils needing all their elements, they will 
pay, if not sold at too high a price. They very 
often pay even when only one of their ingredients 
is actually needed, but by no means always. The 
“ complete fertilizers ” have been somewhat popu¬ 
lar, because, having all the most valuable ingre¬ 
dients of plant-food, they seldom fail entirely, 
and they often do very good service to the crops. 
What our Soils Need. 
But soils are so variable, even on the same farm, 
that it is next to impossible bo say, without actual 
trial, that for a particular crop, this soil wants pot¬ 
ash, that one wants phosphate, this one wants ni¬ 
trogen, that one wants plaster, this one wants 
lime, and so on. Novices in agricultural science, 
and certain quacks, a few years since claimed that 
a chemical analysis of the soil would reveal its de¬ 
fects. This is not now claimed. A few—pity there 
are so few—earnest, conscientious, thorough inves¬ 
tigators, are pushing their inquiries, and from ob¬ 
servation they are able already to give a fair guess 
as to the most probable wants in certain cases, and 
science is now doing for agriculture what it has 
long been doing for other industries. These men 
have already stopped an immense amount of fraud, 
by exumining fertilizers and securing laws that re¬ 
quire makers and dealers in fertilizers to describe 
what they sell, and sell what they profess to. Large 
reputable establishments have grown up, and it is 
now easy to get what we want—instead of guano, 
phosphates, etc., adulterated with a-large proportion 
of colored earth, or other useless material to give 
bulk and weight. Scientific men are also discover¬ 
ing new sources of potash, phosphoric acid, etc. 
The practical question before us now, this spring, 
is, what fertilizers shall we buy. We are met by the 
announcement of two classes, viz.: “ Complete fer¬ 
tilizers,” and “Special fertilizers,” and other ar¬ 
ticles, as guano, superphosphates, potash salts, etc., 
all offered by reliable dealers who have a reputation 
to sustain. If one’s own experience, or that of neigh¬ 
bors on similar soils, will afford any guide, it is best 
to follow that. Without such help, it is a good deal 
of a guess-work. The “ Complete fertilizers ” will 
not be likely to prove an entire failure in any case. 
It is true, that we are likely in these to buy a good 
deal that our soils do not need. If they happen to 
need all the ingredients, we shall find decided 
profit in them. It is generally safe to try good 
guano, or finely ground unbunied bones. On the 
other hand, the “ special fertilizers ” for particular 
crops, as made by the best dealers, are very like¬ 
ly to meet the case ; and so there is not much to 
choose, by those without experience of themselves 
or others as a guide. It is hardly w T ortli while to 
Bit down in doubt and do nothing. “ Nothing ven¬ 
ture, nothing have.” Try experiments, and watch 
results. Save a year by at once going to work to 
Settle this Uncertainty Yourself. 
Ask Questions of the Soil! This seems to us as one 
of the most important things for every farmer to 
do, and at once—this year, not next. It can be done 
on a small scale at a trifling expense, or on a larger 
scale with greater benefit. Suppose we desire to 
learn which one of six fertilizers will most benefit 
corn on our soil at the least expense. Selecting a 
field as nearly like the rest of the farm as we can, 
and a level plot of uniform soil in that field, we 
mark it out with stakes, say into seven plots thus : 
A. Superphosphate. 
B. Muriate of Potash, or unleached Ashes. 
C. Plaster. 
0... No Fertilizer. 
D. Some Complete Fertilizer, or Corn Fertilizer. 
E... Wood Ashes. 
F... Barn-yard Manure. 
leaving one plot without manure. These plots may 
be 2 rods wide and 8 rods long, or 1 rod wide and 
16 rods long, which will give one-tenth of an acre to 
each. Prepare the land well by plowing and har¬ 
rowing, and work into each plot a given number of 
pounds of the fertilizers indicated. If the plots be 
one-tenth acre each, a good plan will be to put upon 
each plot as much of the fertili^jfis $1 will buy at 
the ton price—or at the rate or $10 per acre. This 
experiment would thus cost $6. The expense can 
be reduced either by using smaller plots, or apply¬ 
ing less quantity of each of the different fertilizers. 
Now plant corn uniformly over the whole, includ¬ 
ing the “ no fertilizer” plot, and treat the whole 
in the same manner through the summer. Watch 
the action of each fertilizer, and in autumn test the 
result by measuring the yield on each plot, and 
weighing or estimating the fodder. The same ex¬ 
periment may be tried with wheat, oats, potatoes, 
grass, or any crop most grown on any farm; or the 
the right or left half of the above plots may be put 
in one crop, and the other half in some other crop. 
This we call putting questions to the soil. And 
we shall certainly get valuable answers. A com¬ 
parison of the different plots will tell us which of 
the fertilizers that soil most needed ; which one 
pays best; which, if any, of them pays its expenses 
ora profit, as compared with “no fertilizer.” 
Will not such an experiment furnish most impor¬ 
tant information for future guidance, on that soil, 
and others just like it, on the same farm ? If neigh¬ 
bors having very similar soils also try the same ex¬ 
periments, and obtain the same results, it will be 
confirmatory. If such experiments be continued 
two or three years, so as to bring into account the 
effects in different seasons, we shall get at still 
more satisfactory conclusions. The experiments 
may well be varied from our simple plan, by more 
or less plots, by applying the fertilizers singly, and 
on some plots mixed two and two, and all together. 
We urgently advise every cultivator to make a 
beginning this year. Make some trials, even if it be 
with only two or three small plots, with one or two 
of the leading crops, and with the fertilizers most 
accessible at each place. We are very sure that if 
ouly half a dozen farmers in each neighborhood 
would carry out such experiments for two or three 
years, the information gained would be worth to 
themselves and their neighbors ahundred times the 
cost, and to the country untold millions of dollars. 
Important Farm Experiments, 
So Simple tliat Every Farmer cam 
Understand and Hlake Tltem—tliat 
will Pay those who do Make them, 
and he of great Value to the Conn- 
try in the Information tlnus "allied. 
We ask every cultivator to read carefully the pre¬ 
ceding article. Since writing it, three w r eeks ago, 
we have been planning and investigating the sub¬ 
ject, trying to devise and arrange for a system of 
experiments, so simple and inexpensive that every 
farmer can understand and carry them out at a 
very small expense. The experiments hitherto pro¬ 
posed have usually been somewhat complicated, 
and expressed in scientific terms and plans, and 
involved so much expense, that the great majority 
of plain farmers have been unwilling to undertake 
them, even when convinced of their importance. 
We now propose a plan that all can take hold of with 
interest, and profit. Let us premise that we have not 
a single penny of pecuniary interest in the matter, 
direct or indirect, and that the cost will only cover 
actual expenses of fertilizers, bags, and necessary 
incidental expenses ; and further that, besides the 
large amount of most useful information gained by 
each farmer who makes these experiments, we ex¬ 
pect, as a rule, the increase of crop will go far to¬ 
wards, and very often more than meet the expense. 
Arrangement for the Experiments. 
We have arranged a choice of three sets of ex¬ 
periments, as described below. The fertilizers may 
be obtained wherever any farmer can best get 
them of reliable and known quality. We have not 
the slightest preference for any one trustworthy 
dealer over another, and dealers throughout 
the country will find it useful for the future, 
to the public at least, to help forward the 
enterprise. As we can only undertake the super¬ 
vision of supplies that are immediately at hand, 
we have arranged with three leading houses, hav¬ 
ing depots near us, to put up certain Sets of Ex¬ 
perimental Fertilizers of our own planning. (See 
their names and address on next page.) The differ¬ 
ent fertilizers are to be put in separate bags. These 
will be marked, A, B, C, etc. Each bag will have a 
label showing just what it contains, so that every 
one will understand it. The smaller bags of each 
Set are to be enclosed together in a larger one, and 
delivered, cartage free, to any railroad, steamboat, 
or express. Those going to Eastern New Eng¬ 
land, will be shipped in the same way from Bos¬ 
ton, Mass. It will be well for several neighboring 
farmers to combine and have their separate Sets 
come together in one lot, addressed to one of their 
number, as freight. It should be attended to at 
once, so as to give lime to have the fertilizers put 
up, forwarded, and delivered, ready to use when 
the time arrives. We have arranged with Profes¬ 
sor W. O. Atwater, Middletown, Conn., to ana¬ 
lyze the fertilizers, and see that they are of pure 
and standard quality; to furnish printed instruc¬ 
tions and suggestions ; to prepare a pamphlet tell¬ 
ing about the fertilizers, and how to make the ex¬ 
periments, and giving the results of last year’s 
experiments ; to watch and report upon the experi¬ 
ments of this year and their results, and help to 
make them as useful as possible to every experi¬ 
menter himself, and also to the country at large. 
AMERICAN AGEIC ULTURIST I IK7 „ 
; FERTILIZER EXPERIMENTS, i" 
No. .—A Quarter-Acre Plot. 
: Cost of Set of Fertilizers, in bags, shipped, $3.00. : 
This will consist of four bags, A, B, C, O, to be 
used on four plots. Select a piece of uniform 
soil, as nearly like the rest of the farm as may be. 
It can be marked out in any field prepared for a 
crop. It should be nearly level, so that one plot 
will not receive the washings from another. When 
plowed and harrowed well, mark off with stakes, 
five plots, one for each bag, calling them plots, A, 
EIGHT RODS LONG. 
Plot A — Nitrogen. 
Bag A, containing 10 lbs. of Nitrate of Soda. 
*_ 
Plot B — Phosphoric Acid. 
Bag B, containing 15 lbs. of Superphosphate. 
Plot 0 —No fertilizer to be applied ; left 
unmanured for comparison. 
Plot C — Potash. 
| Bag C, containing 10 lbs. of Muriate of Potash. 
fc--- 
Plot G... . Nitrogen, Phosphoric Acid.Potash. 
I ( containing lbs. of Nitrate of Soda. 
I Ba S G, Sure gf i 15 lbs - of Superphosphate. 
<lmxtuie ol 1 10 lbg of Ml i ria ' te ot > Potash 
The Stars along the sides show where to set Stakes. 
B, 0, C, G, for the bags with the same marks. Sow 
each bag of fertilizer uniformly over its own plot; 
that is, bag A, on plot A, etc. (the fertilizers are all 
finely ground and dry).*—Harrow the fertilizers well 
into the soil, running the harrow lengthwise of the 
plot, taking care to confine each fertilizer to its 
own plot. Then plant or sow corn, potatoes, or 
any other crop over the whole, the same amount on 
each plot, running rows lengthwise of the plots, 
and cultivate and treat the whole alike during the 
season. N. B.—Those who wish, can divide the 
whole plot across into halves, planting, say corn on 
the left-hand half, and potatoes or other crop on 
the right-hand half, so that each crop shall extend 
across the fertilized strips. It may even be divided 
into three or four plots, but for so small a plot as 
i acre, we advise to have only one crop. It is im¬ 
portant to select worn out soils for soil tests, that 
