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CHEMICAL AND OTHER MANURES. 
SOME INQUIRIES ANSWERED. 
BY CONRAD WILSON • 
A writer who signs himself “A Farmer," 
refers in (ho Rural of Sept. 8, to one of my ar¬ 
ticles on the wheat crop, aud inquires for further 
information on two or three important points. 
IliH remarks are so intelligent, and his percep¬ 
tion of the main question so clear, as to make 
it evident he is both a progressive farmer and a 
practical man. Having also received similar 
questions from other parties, an answer to one 
will perhaps, sufficiently cover the Inquiries of 
all. The writer referred to, inquires what man- 
urial elements are generally most deficient in 
land of average quality, how they can bo most 
economically supplied, and also what fertilizers 
are most needed for exhausted soils ? 
It is the opinion of some scientific men that 
three or four plant elements are all that need to 
be supplied to the soil, and that when the farmer 
makes sure of those, nature will take care of the 
rest. Rut this inference docs not always follow. 
It is of course, proper and right to supply first 
the ingredient s most essential to crops, and most, 
often deficient. Rut after these are supplied, if 
any other constituent is still lacking, itn absence 
is fatal to success, and what is more, even its 
presence is not alone sufficient, unless in a form 
that is available to the crop. A given field, for 
example, may contain tons of magnesia or soda 
Rat the question still remains, arc those mater¬ 
ials locked up in such combination as to with¬ 
hold them from the growing plant, or are they 
free, and soluble, and ready to bo absorbed by 
the crop ? 
In view of the uncertainty on this point, the 
safest way for farmers is to make Hurc of sup¬ 
plying. in one form or another, whatever ingre¬ 
dients are at all likely, or oven possible, to be 
found deficient. Though it is true that a large 
majority of plant constituents arc contained, as 
a rule, in average soils, yet to assume that all 
but threo or four are invariably present, aud in 
the right condition, and to limit the supply in 
all cases to these few, is to tako for granted what 
has never been proved, and to run the risk of a 
minimum crop. 
The chemical manures deemed most essential 
are nitrogen, potash, ami phosphoric acid, but 
most formulas contain, in addition, sulphuric 
acid and lirno. These five elements, if supplied 
in the right proportion, will meet the probable 
requirement of the crop in a majority of soils, 
aud in some cases, no doubt, will give a maxi¬ 
mum yield, if other conditions are right. Yet 
it is well for farmers to remember that magnesia 
and soda also are important elements of plant- 
l'ood, and though seldom abseut from the soil, 
are not always in the right condition, and fur¬ 
ther that when addod in a soluble form, their 
indirect influence on other elements in the soil 
gives them a value not to he overlooked. 
In suggesting tins variety of chemical ele¬ 
ments, it is not intended to imply that all of 
them, or even most of them, are over likely to 
bo wanting at one and the same time. In truth 
it frequently happens that two or three of them 
only are required to ho added in order to fit the 
land for a maximum crop; and it is eve® found 
in some casos that a single element, rightly add¬ 
ed, will produce this result, as Prof. Cook dis¬ 
covered when, with a moderate addition of pot¬ 
ash to the soil, ho got 100 bushels of corn per 
acre. Yet so long as there iB a possibility that 
either a part or all of these eloments, may bo so 
deficient as to prevent a fair yield, it is clear 
that no formula from which any one of them 
is excluded, can bo considered entirely reliable, 
and no farmer who is earnestly bout on getting 
host results cau safely omit any one of them, 
unless he already knows by experience just what 
plant food his laud contains, and what it does 
not. 
Rut the list of chemicals here named, although 
seven in number, is not by any moans as formid¬ 
able as it seems, aud if right ly managed, need 
not bo expensive. More than one of them is 
contained in land plaster, several of thorn in 
soot, several also in a good brand of superphos¬ 
phate, four or five in Peruvian Guano, five in 
wood-ashes unleached, and finally all of them 
are found in barn-yard manure. There are also 
of course, many other fertilizers that can be 
used in supplying tl*se essential eloments, such 
as nitrate of soda, sulphate of ammonia, nitrate 
of potash, animal dust eto, but the ohjeot of 
the farmer is to get his elements from inexpens¬ 
ive sourcos, and if he is well posted in prices, 
and combines his materials with judgement, ho 
can prepare a variety of manures adapted to 
various crops on a scale of expense that will in¬ 
crease the profit no loss than the yield. 
In regard to the inquiry about exhausted soils, 
the case is very simple. It is only necessary to 
determine what eloments have been withdrawn 
from the soil in each case, and then see that they 
are duly restored iu sufficient quantity, and in 
the right condition, according to the principles 
above indicated. 
THOUGHTS FROM A FARM. 
let the farm remain unknown for the present ano 
THE WRITER REMAIN INCOGNITO. 
Writers, in alluding to their own farms, cropB, 
and stock, generally give accounts of their pros¬ 
perous affairs, but aro silent respecting losses 
and misfortunes. Some, however, are candid 
enough to give a true version of mistakes and 
bad management. 
It is thought, in the present instance, right to 
Bay that our thinker is afraid this long-continued 
dry weather will spoil a fine piece of yellow Alier- 
deen turnips ; for the leaves are drying up, and 
all the outside ones are absolutely dying, fie 
thinks a tenth, at least, will rot even if rain 
should come immediately. His swedes arc not. 
so badly affected, but their prosperity has re¬ 
ceived a very serious check. He has a few rows 
of common, strap-leaved turnips which, although 
treated the same as the others in every respect, 
are not nearly so ranch hurt by tho drought, lie 
thinks, that as pastures are getting bare, it will 
be well to haul a load of the turnips, per day, to 
tho sheep, by Hub means preventing them from 
cropping the grass so very close, aud also keep¬ 
ing them from eating much hay so early in the 
Bcason. 
He baH an English shepherd who tells him that 
salt given freely to owes, has caused abortion ; 
so that breeding sbeep never have salt excepting 
large blocks of rock salt put for them to lick; 
hut he says those fattening have salt without 
etiut, and it doos them good. It is astonishing 
how many sheep are kept on English farms and 
more so to find tho great quantity of mutton 
consumed there, also the price it brings and the 
great weight of the carcasses. He believes the 
steadily increasing exportation of the best mut¬ 
ton to England will have an extraordinary effect 
on sheep husbandry in the United States; for it 
caunot fall to create a much greater demand for 
good mutton-rams. Consequently, those who 
breed pure - breds — especially Cotswolds and 
Downs—should bold on to all their owes and pro¬ 
duce an many rams for tbo next year or two as 
they possibly can. As mutton is well known to 
be the most wholesome of any meat generally 
sold by butchers, aud as this exportation to En¬ 
gland will open the eyes of the public with re¬ 
gard to the difference between good and had 
mutton and create a greater demaud for the 
prime article, there will bo quite a Btir in the 
mutton trade and prices will rule high for a long 
time, especially for that which is ripe. 
There is mutton in Now York City, in large 
stores and in the markets, that is dear at ton 
cents, and some that is cheap at 20 cents per lb. 
He thinks that all tho live stock on a farm should 
bo at once put upon a systematic course of breed¬ 
ing, so that every kiud of animal required for 
any purpose, might he produced as if created for 
that special object. There would then be no out¬ 
lay in buying, and a regular annual sale of sur¬ 
plus stock would bring in a certain income with¬ 
out deduction. An uncertain, miserable chang¬ 
ing of animals, when depending on the commis¬ 
sion dealer, is certain loss and destruction to any 
man who has a living to get, and a foolish loss to 
those who farm for pleasure. If a man, therefore 
must be buying and selling, let him attend mark¬ 
ets himself aH the English do, and keep posted as 
to prices. Ho cau then take advantage of low aud 
high prices, save commission, aud often a good 
deal besides. By using none but the best pure¬ 
bred males in every variety of stock, aud saving 
the best females in order to breed from them, a 
system would be introduced that would be much 
more remunerative than that now in vogue, and 
the whole of the stock could then be depended 
upon. 
This caunot be done under the shifting and 
changing plan at present far too general; for 
everything you buy or have bought for you has, 
as a rule, been sold for some fault. Often breachy 
cattle and breaohy Bhcep are disposed of by 
those who cannot stand the nuisance any longer; 
and truly there is but one thing worse than un¬ 
ruly animals, and that is, having fields with such 
miserable old fencos that, stock cannot be kept 
apart so that each field might be grazed or treat¬ 
ed as might seem best, lie has thought much 
about Hie different varieties of thoroughbreds, 
aud would like very much to see Borne account 
of their experiences from readers of tho Rural 
who have beou trying pure-bred sheep or cows, 
so that the returns may show the advantages to 
be derived from pure-blooded stock over scrubs 
and mongrels. Let breeders give truthful re¬ 
ports of their prosperity, and the public will be 
able to form opinions as to the propriety of buy¬ 
ing. It would be interesting to see a report of 
the milkiug aud beef-producing qualities of, for 
instance, say the Red Norfolks. 
There might be a great deal more profit m 
raising mutton aud wool where the weather 
throughout the winter will admit of Bbeep being 
out at pasture most of the time, and where some 
rootB from heaps made and covered in the field 
could be fed to them during sharp spoils. But 
as such parts are farther from the best markets 
or from the points from which vessel h take meat 
for England, the advantage from this cheaper way 
of raising mutton would be counterbalanced by 
the lower price obtained for it j hut, doubtless, 
very soon vessels will take meat from more 
Southern ports, or probably take the animals 
alive. It iB plain enough for any thoughtful man 
to Bee that there is a very great advantage in 
wintering sheep where there is never any snow 
that lies more than a day or two, and where frost 
is not severe enough to require general protec¬ 
tion from it. 
JIo thinks sheep will very soon he estimated 
at their real value, as the improvements being 
made for the transportation of all kinds of meat 
will bo sure to raise the price of prime mnttoD ; 
ho that every one will soon bo satisfied that sheep 
will pay better than aught elBe, He lias already 
knowledge of ladies who have foreseen how thiB 
new trade wiU affect the price of mutton, and 
who are entering on a pastoral life for amuse¬ 
ment and profit combined. One of these ladies 
is an invalid, but she haw determined to dovote 
a portion of her wealth to promote the advance¬ 
ment of a good system of sheep husbandry. 
This shows how strong a mind she possesses, and 
it will prove on this side of the Atlautio what has 
twice twin decided in linglaud, that, when a wo¬ 
man dots Bet about farming, she is superior to 
men; for twice has the first premium for the 
best farmer been there carried off by widows. 
Ho thinks these American ladies will direct tho 
tnanagemeut and feoding of their Hocks in such 
a way that men will bo put to shame; for the 
latter are apt to rely too much on their strong 
arm, and pay more attention to raising crops for 
sale than for feeding (locks and herds. Conse¬ 
quently, their soil wears out with their strength, 
w hereas tho opposite sex roly more on brain- 
work, bo ordering affairs that in fattening meat for 
bringing iu a present income, the food consumed 
in growing a fine quality also feeds the land, so 
as to increase, year after year, the crops of grain 
and grass. • 
ELECTRICITY 
AND ATMOSPHERIC 
TROGEN. 
BY WM. J. FOWLER. 
For more than a year I have been studying 
the question how to use the nitrogen constituting 
four-fifths of the air as plant-food. It was at 
one time doubted whether plants derived any 
nitrogenous matter from the atmosphere, but it 
is now held that they do, but not through their 
leaveB, as carbon is absorbed. If nitrogen of 
the air cau be taken up by the roots of plants, it 
is highly important to know how aud under what 
conditions it is done. I have to propose a theory 
which I am trying to test and hope others will 
do likewise. It is this: Sulphuric, acid and its 
compounds, of which gypsum-sulphate of lime 
.—is the most common specimen, has the power, 
under proper conditions, of making the nitrogen 
of tho air available as plant-food. Oue of these 
conditions I believe to he electricity, and with¬ 
out doubt, water is another, as it is in combina¬ 
tion with water that nitrogen forms ammonia. 
Everyone knows tho stimulating effect of a 
thunder shower upon vegetation, aud the rain 
which then falls is particularly rich in ammouia. 
It is a well-known fact among farmers that gyp¬ 
sum produces its most decided effects if sown 
j ust before a thunder shower. I have some facts 
drawn from experiments made this summer, 
which confirm this theory; hut of course, 
many facts under various circumstances are 
needed to establish it. All I need say is, that 
tho subject is a very promising one, and experi¬ 
ments will prove interesting if not profitable. 
In connection with I’rofessor S. IE Lattimore, 
of the University of Rochester, I propose to 
havo some tests with chemical analyses made 
under ae many conditions as possible. It is 
especially desirable to discover why plaster pro¬ 
duces no effect on wet, heavy and mucky soils. 
The humic acid which usually abounds in hucU 
soils, is known to be poisonous to plants. Has 
it also a specific, effect in making the sulphuric 
acid in gypsum ineffective ? It is commonly 
said that “ sour” land is not helped by plaster or 
gypsum. May it not be because such soil lias 
already too much acid, and that sulphuric acid 
caunot dissolve the nitrogen of tho air into 
ammonia, where there is too much crude car¬ 
bon? Those and many other questions will 
naturally suggost themselves to investigators, 
and from the experiments and discussion which 
the suggestion of this subject will excite, much 
good may be expected. 
--- 
NORTH CAROLINA FERTILIZERS. 
New York, Sept. 10. 
An item in your issue of the 8th inst., says : 
<• North Carolina has paid for fertilizers within 
the twelve past months throe millions of dollars 
and Georgia two millions of dollars. The Com¬ 
missioner of Agriculture for the State of Geor¬ 
gia, in his recent report, gives the number of 
tons passed under inspection during the winter 
and 6pring, 1876-7, as 75,825 tons. Of this 
quantity 62.982 tons wore ammoniated super¬ 
phosphate and 12,842 tons were acid phosphates 
which were used in composting with homo 
manures. The average price of the whole, 
when Bold on time, was $55.97 per ton. The 
average cash price, $43.70 per ton. 
Almost twenty per cent, is sold for cash, and 
the rest on time—that is payable in November— 
about eight months after the purchase. T his 
would make the cost of tho fertilizers, used by 
the people of that Slate, something more than 
four millions of dollars, as shown by official 
records. I have no exact information as to the 
quantity of fertilizers used in North Carolina, 
but they cost less than a million and a-half, and 
probably less than a million of dollars. 
G. e. w. 
paini ljusbanimr. 
TURNING DAIRY STOCK IN FALL. 
BY X. A. WILLARD. 
The plan of transporting fresh beef from this 
country to England in ships fitted up with refrig¬ 
erators, is pronounced a success, and is likely to 
have an important influence on the meat trade of 
this country. England for a long time has not 
produced a sufficient supply of meat for her 
own consumption, and immense numbers of cat¬ 
tle are annually imported into the kingdom for 
slaughter. Tbo cattle come from various parts 
of the continent of Europe, and a visit to tho 
great cattle market at Islington, London, is in¬ 
teresting, not only for the large number of ani¬ 
mals exposed there for sale, but also for tho 
great variety of breeds coming from tho differ¬ 
ent countries on tho Continent. Monts aro very 
expensive in England, and the plan of exporting 
the carcass iu refrigerators, so that, it arrives in 
England fresh aud without change, is said to af¬ 
ford a considerable profit to the shippers. The 
American Grocer in alluding to the refrigerators 
in use on. tho Ocean Steamers says: "Those 
now in use are built just opposite the main 
hatchway in what is called the stcorage, or orlop 
dock. The ice-house is an air-tight compartment 
about 70 feet long, 12 feet wide and in bight 
from deck to deck. The floor is covered with 
zinc, and the iron side of the Steamer hoarded 
over so as to form a compartment. Tho wood¬ 
work is covered with thick material to insure the 
box being air-tight. In the center of tho floor 
is a trough to carry off the waste water irorn 
tho melting ice. In filliug tho box with ice, 
large quantities of rock Balt are packed with it. 
In oue corner ia a revolving fan, which forces 
the cold air into tho meat box at the top, and 
draws it hack at the bottom. This meat box is 
about 24 foot by 35 feet, ou which the beef car¬ 
casses are hung. About 200 carcasses aro sent 
every week aud so successfnl has the venture 
proved, that tho quantity sent is only limited by 
the want of freight room. 1 * It is said the English 
market will take all the meat that obtainable 
freight-room will permit being seut. There can 
lie no doubt that this trade will be largely in¬ 
creased, and with a constant increase in the home 
demand, beef is likely to bear a price that will 
pay our farmers well for producing. In view 
then of the comparative scarcity, aud increased 
demand for fat cattle, the question occurs 
whether it will not pay dairymen in putting 
stock to he turned in good order, instead of sell¬ 
ing it at the ruinously low rate that is custorn- 
The plan now followed by dairymen, and which 
has been iu operation for many years, is to soli 
off iu fall, all animals that do not prove profita¬ 
ble for milk. No attention is paid to putting 
these animals in condition for tho shambles. 
The prices paid for this kind of stock is usually 
very low, ranging from eight to fifteen dollars 
per head for animals in ordinary flesh, and 
twenty to twenty-five dollars for large-sized cows 
for the butcher. Good sized youngerly animals, 
thin in flesh, are put off at the lowest rates 
named—Some of the auimals are well along in 
years and the whole lot for sale is geneiall) 
“ lumped off " to the buyers dealing in this kind 
of stock at buyers’ prices. In years past, the 
poorer specimens of this kind of stock have 
been slaughtered merely for the rounds and the 
hide, aud the remaining part of the carcass 
throwu away. Many an animal that in spring 
cost the dairyman from $50 to $60, while 
proving unprofitable for milk has been sold in 
the fall at from eight to ten dollars, or for.such 
rates as could be obtained. Now, the cause of 
these low prices comes from the poor condition 
of the stock. It is not fit for marketable beef, 
the farmer thinks it mil not pay to winter it, 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
SEPT. 22 
