SEPT 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
wholesale and mix them at home. The prac¬ 
tice brings a saving and very gratifying 
yields. Home mixture of chemical fertilizers 
tendR to popularize and extend their use, and 
farmers by this means get information which 
assists them In purchasing the ingredients, as 
well as complete, fully prepared fertilizers. 
Though the demand for chemical fertilizers 
must, increase,the increased production of food 
required by an increasing population, must 
create more refuse and many more fertilizing 
stuffs. Moreover,there is a natural tendency to 
increase the amount of farm yard manure,and 
to be less neglectful of waste. Geological 
discoveries have aided agriculture by furn¬ 
ishing an enlarged supply of plant food, and 
more may be expected. But the most hope¬ 
ful speculation upon the production of superi 
or fertilizers which will sell at lower prices 
than these now in the market, is to be based 
upon probable chemical discoveries. Chemis¬ 
try has already, (n a number of instances, re¬ 
duced the price of &ome substances from many 
dollars,and even bund reds of dollars per pound 
to less than a dollar, making what were form¬ 
erly the rarest chemicals common and cheap. 
Wayne Co., N. Y. 
SPECIAL VIEWS. 
GKO. CLENDON, JR. 
No. G. Will it pay the farmec to pur¬ 
chase fertilizer ingredients at wholesale and 
mix his own fertilizers? 
Not usually. It will not pay the farmer to 
make superphosphate. It is a dangerous 
operation, and the ordinary farmer will al¬ 
most surely have an accident, undeveu if suc¬ 
cessful, he will find he could have bought it 
ready made for less than his has cost him. It 
may pay the farmer to mix his own fertilizers,if 
he cannot buy what he wants already mixed 
at a fair price. For instance, 1 buy raw 
South Carolina phosphate, and mix or sow 
separately nitrogenous matter as wanted, 
because, all ammoniated phosphates in mar¬ 
ket contain bone and potash, neither of which 
am I w illing to pay for. So far. potash does 
my soil no good, and I flud the cheapest form 
of phosphate of lime is as good as the dourest. 
12. What is the bast way for the farmer to 
reduce whole bones to bone meal or flour? 
Crush the bones roughly with a hammer, 
so that the largest places will not be more 
than two inches long. Mix them with good 
hard-wood ushus and moisten. The bones will 
be softened and can readily be mashed with 
a shovel. The operation can bo performed 
in barrels or in a pit in the ground. Care 
must be taken to merely moisten the usbos. 
The lye must be retained in the tub, and not 
bo allowed to run away, as in making soup. 
In a small way. 1 have been successful; but 
somehow I have never found time to soften 
I>ones ou a scale largo enough to do much 
good. But it can l»e done. 
15. What is the value of South Carolina 
rock superphosphate, compared with boue 
superphosphate? 
As fur as soluble phosphoric acid is con¬ 
cerned, a superphosphate is of the same 
value whether rnudo from apatite, a haid 
crystallized phosphate, bones, raw, burned 
or charred, or from South Carolina phosphate. 
But usually superphosphates contain un 
reduced phosphate, and the trade values of 
these differ* Bones, too, contain nitrogen, 
and a superphosphate made from them is 
worth more (If you want nitrogen), tbau one 
made from a mineral phosphate. If I wanted 
a superphosphate I should buy the one con¬ 
taining the most soluble phosphoric acid, 
and pay nothing for stuff I did not want. 
10. Is it economy to dissolve South Caro¬ 
lina rock In sulphuric acid? 
Decidedly no, as far as my experiments go; 
an account of which was given in the R. N-Y. 
for Sept. 0, 1883. Before and since my ex- 
perimt nts commenced, over a dozen years 
ago, others have experimented with mineral 
phosphates versus mineral superphosphates. 
Prof. Jamieson in Scotland, M. Grandeau 
in France, Dr. liavenel m South Carolina, 
ui.d the Experimental Farm of the Univer¬ 
sity of Virginia, all bear testimony to 
the efficacy and economy of the raw, finely 
powdered phosphate. 1 flud that it materially 
helps corn, the small grains and grasses, and 
has a wonderful effect on clover. Tried side 
by tide with a good uuammoniated superphos 
ptaate, it is equally good, while its staying 
powers are the subject of daily remark. 
Patches fertilized with it in 1871 and 1872, 
grow to-day an increased crop with sharply 
deflned lines, showing exactly where the phos¬ 
phate was spread. There is not a shadow of 
doubt as to the efficacy and economy of this 
cheap fertilizer. 
This is no new discovery, although when I 
first used it 1 did not know it had been suc¬ 
cessfully applied. 1 find, however, that in 
IBM & massive rock phosphate was imported 
into England and used successfully on turnips 
and barley. Why this valuable manure fell 
into disuse is an interesting inquiry. Perhaps 
English farmers and chemists were influenced 
too strongly by Liebig, who first recommend¬ 
ed the use of superphosphate; but 40 years ago 
a successful teBt was made as to the virtues of 
a raw, untreated, rock phosphate, and no 
counts of the experiments may be found in 
the Journal of the Royal Agricultural Society 
Vol. VI. page 380. 
Prof. Voeleker tells us that soluble acid 
phosphate is hurtful to the roots of the young 
turnip plant on soils containing but little lime, 
and recommends for such a soil that the sol¬ 
uble phosphate be mixed with ashes or lime 
l efore application. According to this high 
authority, a soluble phosphate must be made 
insoluble to be efficacious. In soils abound¬ 
ing iu lime, this is speedily done in the soil It¬ 
self; but how much cheaper to use the raw 
phosphate in the first place. 
Great stress is laid on the necessity of re¬ 
ducing the rock phosphate to a fine powder. 
Of course, a fine powder is best; but one of 
my most successful experiments was made 
with the ordinary powdered rock, such ns was 
used in making superphosphate, and not nearly 
so fine as the “floats" now sold. The soil is a 
good crucible, aud the roots of plants are 
good solvents. It* that valuable little work of 
Prof. Johnson’s, “How Crops Feed,” pages 140, 
142 aud 32G, uiay be found reports of experi¬ 
ments, showing that roots and even root 
hairs roughen and corrode the rocks on which 
they rest. Basalt, one of the hardest und 
toughest rocks known, limestones and phos¬ 
phate of lime were attacked aud dissolved by 
these tender little mosses of cellular tissue. 
Many experiments have been made in the 
chemist’s laboratory, showing the slight, 
solubility of phosphate of lime iu water, or in 
water charged with carbonic acid; hut living 
plants successfully solve the problem, and the 
phosphate too. 
Louisa Co., Va. 
NO DIFFERENCE. 
My experience with commercial fertilizers 
Is quite limited, aud very unsatisfactory. I 
have used ground hone and Gcrrnau kainit 
applied to raspberries, strawberries, etc., at 
the rate of 800 pounds per aero. I applied 
the mixture to four rows aud thou skipped 
four, through the field. I could perceive no 
difference in the rows to whio-K. this composi¬ 
tion had been applied, and would bo willing to 
pay a bounty to auy person who could. 1 also 
sowed a round patch In a grass field, but with 
no perceptible result. My laud is strong 
shale, verv rich, but not so rich but that barn¬ 
yard manure shows good effects every lime, 
lien manure (of which 1 use a large quantity) 
proves most satisfactory. 
Onondaga Co., N. Y. nelson hitter. 
COMPLETE MANURES ON WORN-OUT 
NEW JERSEY FARMS. 
Having heard so much of what chemical 
fertilizers have done for the farmers ou the 
worn-out lands of New Jersey, we decided to 
go down and see how much of it was true. 
We selected Monmouth County as the place 
to visit, and stopped at Freehold. The land 
about here is of a reddish color, and of all 
grades from a light sand to a quite heavy 
clay, easy to work and naturally very rich 
and productive. But being so near to New 
York, Newark aud Elizabeth, and other large 
cities, nearly everything raised has been sold 
from the farms, and, as a natural result, the 
laud has become so poor that it would hardly 
pay for cultivation, and many farms were 
turned out to commons, and would not pro¬ 
duce even good pasturage for the roving stock. 
Since the discovery and use of marl, the land 
has improved much; but still the average 
farm, without other fertilizer, scarcely pays 
the cost of cultivation. The principal crops 
grown are wheat, corn, potatoes and garden 
truck; but the overshadowing crop is potatoes 
grown for the city markets. 
Inquiring for the most noted instances of 
funning solely by the use of chemical man¬ 
ures, wo wore directed to the funusof Mr. B. 
Cottrell und Dr. W. 8. Combs. We first 
visited Mr. Cottrell, who lives a mile or two 
cast of the town. We found Mr. C, to be a 
very pleasant, intelligent man, who came 
here some seven years ago from Virginia aud 
bought a worn out farm ut a rnoreJy nominal 
price, and when he proposed to cultivate and 
raise crops upon it, he was courteously in¬ 
formed by the neighbors that, out of kindness, 
they felt it a duty to inform him that in work 
ing that laud he would merely bo throwing 
away his time and labor. Most of the farm 
had lain to common und been used as a race 
track. He showed us the field which he first 
cropped; the previous year it had been bowh 
to rye, which had not yielded enough to pay 
for harvesting, and the year before that it had 
not grown five bushels of very poor corn to 
the acre. Five years ago he plowed aud 
planted this field, using 500 pounds of Mapes’ 
Corn Manure per acre, broadcast. The yield 
was 50 bushels of shelled corn per acre. That 
Fall he sowed it to wheat, applying 500 pounds 
of Mapes’ A Brand superphosphate per acre. 
The yield was 28 bushels per acre of flue grain. 
In the Spring, three years ago, it was seeded 
to clover and Timothy; ho cut two tons per 
acre, and two years ago he cut a fair crop of 
Timothy hay; he did not weigh it, but he 
thinks there was more than a ton per acre. 
One year ago he planted it to potatoes, using 
800 pounds of potato fertilizer per acre 
—400 pounds broadcast aud 100 pounds in 
the drills at planting. He sold from the 18 
acres an average or 100 barrels per acre. 
After the potatoes, he sowed wheat last Fall, 
using 500 pounds of the A Brand super¬ 
phosphate; though considerably winter killed 
the wheat was fine, though it hud not yet 
been thrashed, and the clover and Timothy 
following were rank and green, giving a 
fair promise of a very heavy hay crop next 
year. 
Here was a field that, as long as can be re¬ 
membered, had not received uny barn-yard 
manure, which in six years has received 2,800 
pounds of special manures, costing $50.70 per 
acre, and in tbut time has produced crops 
which sold, ut home, for $205 per acre, giving 
a balance of $244.30 per acre for labor, seed, 
rent of land and profit, besides a field now 
covered with rank grass rich enough to give 
two heavy crops of hay without further man¬ 
uring. Surely on this field complete manures 
have paid, and this Held was ouly a fair sam¬ 
ple of the whole farm. The corn was very 
promising on nuothor field not far away. 
Our next call was at Dr. Combs, whose furm 
is about the same distance from town in the 
opposite direction. His soil is a clay loam, 
ami a little heavier than Mr. Cottrell’s, and 
the farm had been better treated. The Doc¬ 
tor says that with marl he hud been able to 
grow crops much better than before its use, 
but not good enough to be at all satisfactory. 
20 bushels of wheat and 40 barrels of potatoes 
being the best yields he could obtuin. Asa 
sample of what he is doing on the farm, we 
selected a field which adjoins the road and con¬ 
tains 10 acres. Six years ago, In wheat with¬ 
out manure it produced only 18 busnels per 
acre. Iu 1878 it was agaiu sowed to wheat 
with 500 pounds of the A Brand phos¬ 
phate; the yield was 37 bushels par acre. In 
1881 it was planted to corn with 1)00 pounds of 
corn manure per acre. The yield was 70 
bushels of shelled corn per acre. In 1882 it 
was planted to potatoes, 700 pounds of 
potato fertilizer per acre being used; tho yield 
was 72 barrels per acre, of very fine, market¬ 
able potatoes. In 1888 and 1884 it cut one 
very hoavy, aud, owing to the attacks of 
worms, one light crop of hay, averaging four 
tons per acre iu both crops. 
This year it was planted to corn with 900 
pounds of MapeB* A Brand superphosphate 
per acre. At the time of our visit the crop 
was nearly ready to cut, was remarkably 
heavy, and cannot yield less than 75 bushels 
of shelled corn per acre. In the six years 
this field has received 3,(NX) pounds of fertili¬ 
zer per acre, costing $00, and in the same 
time has produced crops of the value of $335.- 
25 per acre, estimating only the present corn 
crop. The history of this field is the history 
of tho whole farm, there being now 20 acres 
of potatoes growing in an adjoining field, 
whoso vigorous health and rauk growth cov¬ 
ering the entire surface, would make glad 
the heart of any farmer. 
Whatever complete fertilizers may do iu 
other sections, they are certainly a success in 
this part of New Jersey, and their use is 
rapidly increasing. 
^orticultmral. 
RAIBING 8KEDL1NG STRAWBERRIES. 
For a number of years past we have raised 
a little lot of straw berries from the best berries 
of the season. Our way has been (as often 
explained) to crush the berries, let the pulp 
drv aud sow the seeds in little boxes, or 
flower pots. This rnay be done at auy time. Iu 
Spring the little plants are pricked out, and 
set in suitable soil, just the same as with any 
strawberry plants. 
Two years ago the soil was taken from where 
a manure heap had remained for several 
mouths. The seed germinated freely enough; 
but all died except 15 plants. As a survival 
of the fittest, it was supposed that these might 
prove to have unusually strong constitutions, 
a supposition fully borne out by their vigor¬ 
ous health since. It is never safe to judge of 
tho value of a new strawberry until it has 
been tried for several years, and in several 
different places; still tho weakly plants may 
safely be discarded at once. Tho seedlings of 
which we are writing are of pistillate origin, 
and the plants were strikingly dissimilar, The 
one presented at Fig. 405 (first page) was the 
stroDgest-growing of any; the fruit was large 
and quite abundant, and the quality good. 
Of all the sepdling strawberries we have 
raised, this seems tho most promising. 
Tho easiest method of raising seedling straw¬ 
berries is to let them sow themselves. The 
plants will spring up by the hundreds between 
the rows, if the soil is mellow and kept clean. 
They may be transplanted to permanent beds 
in July. 
RURAL LIFE NOTES. 
I had grapes fully ripe on my white Lady 
vines on August 15th, and I am more pleased 
than ever with this excellent variety. It is 
fruiting handsomely this year, bunches large 
and compact, grapes large and without defect, 
vine vigorous ami not a single diseased leaf. If 
that is not a formidable certificate of char¬ 
acter and value, then it must be difficult to 
frame one. I like it even for its flavor, and 
agree with John Saul, of Washington, who, 
at tho Philadelphia meeting of tho American 
Bornological Society, Baid it was “delicious, 
and one of the very best early grapes.” My 
friend Muna in, iu his Texas report, on the 
same occasion, used the terms “superb, earli¬ 
est white.” So on the whole, I guess the So¬ 
ciety made no mistake in rating the Lady iu 
its last catalogue? 
Now, speaking of the Concord, I would say 
that I have beheaded it in my garden. For 
six years 1 have been nimble to get it properly 
ripe on my low, rich, heavy bottom soil. 
Prune it as closely as I would, the vines were 
determined to grow beyond all restriction, 
and most of the time tho grapes would not 
even half color ; so this Spring every vine 
was cut off below the ground, and cions of 
the Ulster Prolific were Inserted. Some were 
put in by the old cleft method, and the others 
by the old Kerf plan, so well illustrated in the 
Rural last Winter. AJ1 grew, and most of 
them splendidly. Some of the ennos are now 
seven or eight feet long, three to a vine, thick 
and vigorous. Had I not pinched out the 
laterals, the whole trellis would have been 
covered with tho new growth. The Kerf 
grafts seem a trifle in advance iu vigor, and I 
am inclined to favor that plan, the union of 
stock and cion being more rapid and perfect. 
So far, then, my experiment has not secured 
diminished growth. Now, next season we 
shall see about the fruit. 
I have some lino buuehes of the Vergennes. 
The grapes are large, but still very hard and 
without sign of color. I fear it is too late for 
this region. The vines seem hardy and 
the foliage clean and vigorous. 
A few bunches of the much lauded Prentiss 
are yet small and apparently without thought 
of ripouiug. My vine is four or five years 
planted, now In its first Trait, and my sym¬ 
pathy and tender solicitude are rapidly curd¬ 
ling into despair or disgust, I hardly know 
which. By reference to the Society's catalogue 
1 find it has one lone star from the Lone Star 
Stale. Now if it is iu reality worthless, let it be 
known, no mutter whom it hits or hurts. If 
somebody hud tho power to wipe out of exist¬ 
ence about three quarters of our list of grapes, 
and knew just which to destroy, it would be a 
beneficent act to exercise it. The Duchess is free 
from rot or auy disease so far in my garden, 
and gives promise of some fine fruit. Who 
will build it larger and not detract from its 
delicious tluvor? He can make the vine as 
much hardier as he is able. 
The Manchester Strawberry has behaved 
handsomely with me the past season, and 1 
have replanted it for family use. Tho leaves 
scalded badly last year,and it looked as though 
we would have to give it up. But there was 
uo trace of that constitutional weakness this 
season. Thu plants were loaded with fruit 
und every berry ripened completely. Of how 
many varieties can as much be said? I honor 
the Manchester for its large, smooth uniform, 
fine-shaped berries: and their beautiful color. 
It never ripens in sections, but comes iuto per¬ 
fection unanimously from tip to core. A 
shade more acid, perhaps than some others, 
but pleasing enough to my taste. I have 
it planted indiscriminately among other vari¬ 
eties bearing perfect and imperfect flowers, 
Laving made no attempt to fertilize it with 
special sorts. It bore a generous load of ex¬ 
cellent fruit, the crop ripening successively 
rather than all at once. 
Ah much caunot ho gleuued from my expe¬ 
rience with the Mrs. Garfield. The plauts 
have grown under protest apparently, uo vig. 
orous constitution is displayed; and tho lorries 
have been few and small, with no attractive 
characteristic in flavor. If it possesses any 
desirable feature as a new sort, I have been 
unable to discover it. 
Un the Hudson. H. H. 
