1388 
injustice  had  been  piling  up  in  llio  brains  of  farm¬ 
ers  and  producers,  That  old  fanner  at  the  fruit 
meeting  never  thought  of  himself  as  a  statesman  or 
prophet,  yet  his  phrase,  “the  35-ceut  dollar,”  has  had 
as  much  to  do  as  any  other  single  thing  in  putting 
the  truth  of  their  industrial  condition  into  the  minds 
of  farmers.  The  struggle  to  add  fairly  to  the  35 
cents  will  lead  to  the  greatest  pub]ic  issue  this  coun¬ 
try  lias  known  since  the  Civil  War. 
Soil  Fermentation  and  Feeding  of  Crops 
The  Use  of  Sulphur  and  Raw  Phosphate 
Part  IT. 
CID  PHOSPHATE— Just  as  the  acids  produced 
by  soil  bacteria  and  other  micro-organisms  out 
of  nitrogen  are  stronger  than  the  acids  produced 
out  of  carbon,  so  sulphuric  acid  produced  by  micro¬ 
organisms  out  of  sulphur  is  stronger  than  the  ni¬ 
trogen  acids.  It  is  well  known  that  sulphuric  acid 
is  used  extensively  in  the  manufacture  of  commercial 
fertilizers,  and  largely  for  the  purpose  of  making 
available  the  phosphoric  acid  of  ground  phosphate 
rook,  bone  meat  or  bone  tankage.  Long  experience 
in  Europe  and  America  lias  shown  that  the  phos¬ 
phoric  acid  in  ground  phosphate  rock  or  in  ground 
bone  is  not  quickly  available.  For  this  reason,  it 
was  suggested  by  Leibig  in  1S40  that  bone  be  treat¬ 
ed  with  acid  to  make  its  phosphoric  acid  more  readi¬ 
ly  soluble  in  soil  moisture.  Soon  after  that,  Lawes, 
of  England,  suggested  the  use  of  sulphuric  acid  for 
similarly  treating  ground  phosphate  rock.  The  process 
of  making  so-called  acid  phosphate  or  superphos¬ 
phate  has  become  one  of  great  commercial  import¬ 
ance.  Thus,  in  1914,  there  were  used  in  the  United 
States  about  2.000,000  tons  of  sulphuric  acid  for 
treating  2.000.000  tons  of  ground  phosphate  rock. 
This  resulted  in  the  production  of  about  4.000,000 
tons  of  so-called  acid  phosphate  or  its  equivalent. 
INCREASING  COSTS. — Enormous  quantities  of 
sulphuric  acid  are  manufactured  out  of  pyrites  or 
sulphur  for  use  in  the  fertilizer  industry.  Under 
normal  conditions,  a  ton  of  sulphuric  acid,  contain¬ 
ing,  by  weight,  about  one-tliird  sulphur  and  two- 
thirds  other  chemical  elements,  may  be  purchased 
for  about  .$5  a  ton.  The  abnormal  situation  cre¬ 
ated  by  the  European  war  and  tbe  great  demand  for 
sulphuric  acid  for  use  in  the  explosives  industry 
has  led  to  a  trebling  of  the  cost  of  sulphuric  acid, 
and  was  followed  in  turn  by  an  increase  in  the  cost 
of  acid  phosphate, 
FARM-MADE  ACID  NTOSniATE.— The  abnor¬ 
mal  conditions  thus  created  led  the  writer  to  sug¬ 
gest  that  the  farmers  make  their  own  acid  phos¬ 
phate  by  utilizing  the  micro-organisms  which  change 
sulphur  into  sulphuric  acid.  Now.  if  a  quantity  of 
sulphur  be  mixed  with  fertile  soil,  the  bacteria  and 
other  micro-organisms  present  in  the  soil  will  act 
on  the  sulphur  and  change  it  into  sulphuric  acid. 
If  this  soil  be  rich  in  lime,  the  sulphuric  acid  formed 
would  combine  with  it  to  form  sulphate  of  lime.  If 
basic  lime  or  magnesia  are  absent,  the  sulphuric 
acid  might  combine  with  iron,  alumina  or  other 
compounds  to  form  acid  salts.  Rut,  when  ground 
phosphate  rock  is  added  to  the  mixture  of  soil  and 
sulphur,  the  sulphuric  acid  made  by  the  soil  micro¬ 
organisms!  out.  of  the  sulphur  would  act  on  the 
ground. phosphate  rock,  would  combine  with  some  yf 
its  lime  and  would  thereby  make  it  more  soluble  in 
soil  moisture.  In  other  words,  instead  of  making 
the  sulphuric  acid  in  the  acid  chambers,  the  sul¬ 
phuric  acid  may  be  made  in  the  soil  itself  by  micro¬ 
organisms,  and  caused  to  act  on  ground  phosphate 
rock  much  as  the  sulphuric  acid  is  made  to  act  on 
ground  phosphate  rock  in  the  fertilizer  factories. 
DIRECT  APPLICATION. — It  might  he  suggested 
that  a  mixture  of  sulphur  and  ground  phosphate 
rock  be  applied  directly  to  the  soil.  There  is  no 
doubt  that,  in  this  manner,  the  availability  of  the 
phosphoric  acid  in  the  ground  phosphate  rock  can 
be  increased.  It  should  be  remembered,  however, 
that,  in  applying  the  sulphur  and  phosphate  rock 
directly  to  the  soil,  relatively  small  amounts  of 
these  materials  would  be  distributed  in  a  relatively 
very  large  quantity  of  soil.  The  sulphuric  acid 
formed  out  of  the  sulphur  would  not  have  an  op¬ 
portunity  to  come  in  intimate  contact  with  the 
ground  phosphate  rock,  and  might  react  instead 
with  lime,  iron  and  other  soil  compounds.  On  the 
other  hand,  if  relatively  large  amounts  of  sulphur 
and  ground  phosphate  rock  are  mixed  with  relative¬ 
ly  small  amounts  of  soil,  as  is  done  in  the  compost 
heap,  the  action  would  be  expedited,  and  sulphuric 
acid  formed  out  of  the  sulphur  would  be  sufficiently 
concentrated  to  change  the  insoluble  phosphate  of 
the  ground  rock  into  available  forms  more  or  less 
thoroughly.  Hence,  for  practical  purposes,  the 
ZT>6<?  RURAL.  NEW-YORKER 
writer  has  suggested  that  the  mixture  be  made  up 
as  follows: 
1G00  lbs.  fertile  soil;  100  lbs.  well-rotted  manure; 
200  lbs.  ground  phosphate  rock;  100  lbs.  sulphur. 
Tf  desirable,  the  mixture  may  be  made  even  more 
concentrated  and  may  he  made  to  contain 
600  lbs.  fertile  soil;  100  lbs.  well-rotted  manure;  200 
lbs.  ground  phosphate  rock;  100  lbs.  sulphur. 
In  the  first  instance,  the  composted  material 
would  he  spread  at  the  rate  of  one  ton  per  acre; 
in  the  second  instance,  at.  the  rate  of  1000  pounds 
per  acre.  The  land  would  then  receive  an  equiva¬ 
lent  of  400  pounds  of  acid  phosphate  per  acre. 
PREPARING  COMPOST.— After  the  different  in¬ 
gredients  are  thoroughly  mixed,  water  should  he 
added  to  the  compost  so  that  it  is  moist  but  not 
saturated.  If  the  compost  heaps  are  small  and 
show  a  tendency  to  dry  out,  water  may  be  added 
from  time  to  time.  But,  as  long  as  the  compost 
mixture  remains  moist,  the  bacteria  will  continue 
to  be  active,  and  will  change  the  sulphur  into  sul¬ 
phuric  acid.  Such  compost  heaps  could  be  made 
up  in  the  early  Fall,  and  could  he  applied  in  the 
following  Spring  much  as  well-composted  manure  is 
applied.  Where  concentrated  composts  are  used, 
they  may  be  spread  out  in  a  thin  layer  and  allowed 
to  diy  out.  The  granulated  material  could  then  be 
applied  by  means  of  a  fertilizer  drill. 
CONCERNING  NITROGEN.— The  writer  feels 
that  the  process  proposed  by  him  is  desirable  not 
alone  because  it  would  enable  the  farmer  to  make 
available  phosphates  on  the  farm,  but  because  it 
would  enable  him  to  conserve  much  nitrogen  which 
is  now  wasted,  and  also  'to  add  to  his  land  annual¬ 
ly  large  quantities  of  active  acid-forming  bacteria 
which  would  stimulate  fermentation  in  the  soil. 
The  home  manufacture  of  available  plant  food 
would  be  certain  to  give  the  landowner  a.  clearer 
understanding  of  the  principles  of  soil  fertility,  and 
would  emphasize  to  him  the  importance  of  soil  fer¬ 
mentation,  soil  humus  and  the  more  or  less  regular 
use  of  lime  for  maintaining  in  the  soil  a  suitable 
environment  for  the  life  and  activities  of  his  invisi¬ 
ble  friends. 
FLOATS  AND  MANURE.— In  conclusion,  it 
should  be  stated  that  efforts  to  make  available 
phosphoric  acid  by  composting  floats  with  manure 
have  not  met  with  success.  The  amount  of  acid  ac¬ 
cumulated  in  ordinary  manure  heaps  is  not  adequate 
for  allowing  the  accumulation  of  available  phos¬ 
phoric  acid.  On  the  other  hand,  the  process  out¬ 
lined  here  does  provide  for  the  accumulation  of 
available  phosphoric  acid  through  the  action  of  sul¬ 
phuric  acid  which  is  manufactured  by  micro-or¬ 
ganisms  out  of  sulphur  added  to  the  compost. 
JACOB  G.  LIPMAN. 
New  Jersey  Experiment  Station. 
Who  Gets  the  Milk  Money 
I  ENCLOSE  an  advertised  price  list  of  dairy  pro¬ 
ducts  that  I  clipped  from  a  New  York  paper. 
Upon  reading  same  I  started  a  little  figuring,  that 
interested  me,  and  may  perhaps  interest  others. 
They  advertise  route  cream,  which  is  a  20% 
cream,  at  11  cents  a  half  pint,  and  it  takes  3  1-3 
pints  of  20%  cream  to  make  one  pound  of  butter; 
3  1-3  pints  of  cream,  or  one  pound  butter.  73  cents. 
ITow  many  farmers  would  sell  milk  if  they  could 
get  73  cents  a  pound  for  butter? 
The  September  price  to  producer  for  milk  test¬ 
ing  4%  was  $1,81  per  100  lbs. ;  in  4%  milk  there  are 
two  gallons  or  32  half  pints  of  cream.  At  11  cents 
per  half  pint  it  equals  $3.52  plus  the  sldm-milk. 
Perhaps  this  percentage  of  profit  to  the  distributor 
is  necessary  to  pay  dividends  on  watered  stock.  It 
also  shows  why  the  so-called  clarifier  (separator) 
is  used  at  many  milk  receiving  stations,  and  who 
receives  the  benefit  of  its  use,  the  distributor,  or 
consumer. 
During  the  recent  controversy  one  of  the  largest 
distributors,  in  advertisements  as  a  sort  of  pap  to 
the  consumers,  related  how  at  enormous  expense 
his  concern  installed  apparatus  for  pasteurizing 
milk,  so  as  to  make  it  safe  for  human  consumption; 
still  at  that  time  when  no  law  called  for  milk  to  be 
pasteurized,  and  the  enormous  expense  incurred,  it 
was  not  necessary  to  increase  the  price  of  milk  to 
the  consumer.  But  as  soon  as  tbe  health  department 
issued  orders  prohibiting  raw  milk  to  be  sold,  many 
small  dealers  were  absorbed  by  the  big  companies, 
or  driven  out  of  business,  then  when  much  compe¬ 
tition  was  eliminated  the  price  of  milk  was  advanced 
to  the  consumer,  but  the  producer  who  had  added 
expenses  to  bring  his  barns  and  equipment  up  to 
new  requirements  received  no  more  for  Iris  milk. 
After  visiting  a  few  milk  stations  and  seeing  all 
milk  separated,  and  then  remixed  to  conform  to 
►State  requirements,  and  the  surplus  cream,  which 
was  bought  as  milk  at  ZYz  cents  per  quart  bottled 
November  4.  191G. 
and  shipped  to  be  sold  at  40  cents  per  quart,  it 
occurred  to  me  that  once  milk  was  separated,  it  did 
not  possess  the  keeping  qualities  of  whole  milk, 
hence  pasteurization  as  a  means  of  preserving  the 
milk  that  went  through  the  skimming,  or  so-called 
clarifying  process,  and  also  as  a  weapon  that  pre¬ 
vented  the  producers  from  marketing  milk  except 
I  h  rough  the  trust. 
To  my  mind  there  are  only  two  courses  for  the 
farmers  to  pursue,  petition  the  Legislature  to 
amend  the  law  so  as  to  admit  raw  milk  to  be  placed 
on  sale  in  New  York  through  the  Department  of 
Foods  and  Markets,  or  each  dairy  section  erect  its 
own  plant  and  install  apparatus  to  treat  milk  as 
the  big  distributors  do.  I  believe  grade  B  milk 
could  reach  the  consumer  through  independent  deal¬ 
ers  at  eight  cents  per  quart.  Such  a  movement 
would  he  of  mutual  benefit  to  consumer,  and  pro¬ 
ducer,  and  be  a  direct  and  effective  means  of  re¬ 
ducing  dividends  on  much  watered  stock. 
In  conclusion  I  would  urge  every  farmer  produc¬ 
ing  milk  to  enroll  in  the  Dairymen’s  League,  as  I 
believe  the  time  is  not  far  distant  when  the  League 
will  have  a  voice  in  the  feed  question.  I  wish  you 
every  success  for  your  active  interest  in  behalf  of 
your  fellow  men.  •  t.  j.  owens. 
Connecticut. 
New  Supply  of  Sweet  Clover  Seed 
PORTABLE  thrashing  floor  is  now  being  op¬ 
erated  along  the  great  spoil  hanks  stretching 
the  length  of  the  gixty-million-dollar  drainage  canal 
in  Chicago.  This  floor  is  being  used  for  an  odd  but 
very  interesting  purpose.  Hundreds  of  bushels  of 
►Sweet  clover  seed  is  being  beaten  out  to  be  used  in 
experiments  in  Nebraska  and  South  Dakota  and 
other  cattle-producing  States.  The  movable  floor  is 
nothing  more  than  a  big  stone  boat  drawn  by  a 
single  mule.  The  boat  moves  along  rows  of  clover 
straw  that  has  been  cut  from  the  banks  and  from 
adjoining  land.  A  couple  of  forkfuls  of  the  straw 
is  laid  on  the  boat  platform,  and  with  the  forks  the 
brush  is  beaten  in  the  process  of  cleaning  the  seed. 
When  there  is  a  big  bed  of  the  flailed  stuff,  it.  is 
sacked  and  conveyed  to  a  liuller,  and  finally  emerges 
in  the  shape  of  the  cleanest,  brightest  seed  ever  ob¬ 
tained  from  the  plant 
An  energetic  observing  agricultural  student  who 
lives  in  the  canal  region  noticed  that  on  patches  of 
land  adjoining  the  spoil  hanks,  from  which  the  sod 
and  black  soil  had  been  removed  for  lawn  improve¬ 
ment,  became  seeded  with  Sweet  clover,  the  seed 
having  been  blown  from  the  plants  on  the  banks. 
After  the  plant  had  yielded  a  crop  of  seed  and  then 
died,  leaving  the  roots  to  decay  in  the  clay,  produc¬ 
ing  a  thick  bed  of  vegetable  mold,  the  subsoil  seemed 
to  become  vitalized  and  produced  a  variety  of  crops. 
The  Chicago  &  Northwestern  railroad  has  be¬ 
come  interested  in  some  experiments  now  being 
made  by  the  agricultural  student,  who  this  year  is 
harvesting  about  100  sacks  of  the  seed.  In  por¬ 
tions  of  cattle  raising  country  along  tin  railroad  this 
seed  obtained  from  spoil  banks  will  be  sown  on 
patches  of  land  that  refused  to  produce  either  clover 
or  other  varieties  or  Alfalfa.  Oue  object  will  be  to 
raise  the  first  or  young  crop  for  forage.  Tt  is  claimed 
that  stock  gradually  will  acquire  a  taste  for  it,  but 
the  most  important  object  is  to  fertilize  vast 
tracts  of  land  that  ultimately  may  become  pro¬ 
ducing  fields  insead  of  barren  wastes.  Tbe  seed  is 
now  being  thrashed  out  in  places  where  it  would  be 
impossible  to  handle  it  through  a  thrashei*.  The 
cost  in  this  crude  way  is  considerable,  but  it  is 
claimed  it  will  be  valuable  for  the  experimental 
purpose  named.  J.  r,.  graff. 
When  to  Use  Lime 
E  are  glad  to  have  the  Ohio  ►Station  take  the 
position  that  lime  should  not  he  used  in  Win¬ 
ter.  The  best  time  to  use  lime  is  always  when  it  can 
be  worked  into  the  soil  and  while  the  soil  is  reason¬ 
ably  warm. 
While  it  is  better  to  use  lime  on  acid  soils  at  any 
time  of  the  year  than  not  to  apply  any,  soil  specialists 
at  the  Ohio  Experiment  Station  recommend  that  this 
material  he  used  after  plowing  for  some  cultivated 
Spring  crop.  The  lime  can  then  perform  its  full  func¬ 
tion  in  promoting  the  growth  of  the  bacteria  that,  grow 
on  clover  roots.  These  countless  bacteria,  so  helpful  to 
clover  crops,  work  only  in  the  dark  and  require  both 
water  and  air  for  their  existence.  Also,  they  can  live 
only  in  soils  either  naturally  or  artificially  supplied  with 
lime. 
Lime  spread  on  the  surface  and  not  stirred  into  the 
soil  can  help  the  bacteria  but  little.  They  would  die 
there  for  lack  of  moisture,  and  the  lime  would  be  dis¬ 
solved  and  carried  into  the  soil  only  after  a  long  time. 
Lime  plowed  under  is  also  out  of  reach  of  the  bac¬ 
teria,  which  live  chiefly  in  the  upper  three  or  four  inch¬ 
es  of  soil  where  air  is  plentiful,  lienee,  applying  lime 
after  plowing  in  the  Spring  and  mixing  it  by  cultiva¬ 
tion  into  the  soil  during  the  Bummer  make  conditions 
most  favorable  for  the  clover  crops  later. 
