THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
FEB H 
THE 
RURAL NEW-YORKER, 
A National Journal for Country and Suburban Home 
Conducted by 
ELBERT S. CARMAN. 
Address 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER, 
No. 34 Park Row, New York. 
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 1888. 
A fertilizer which the chemist shows to he 
worth $35 per ton or $60 per ton may he 
worth to one farmer scarcely any thing; to 
another $35/ to another $60/ to another 
$ 100 . 
Those who wish to purchase the raw 
materials of chemical fertilizers and use 
them separately or mix them for them- 
seives are advised to communicate with 
the fertilizer firms whose announcements 
appear in our advertising columns. 
We have no doubt that the future will 
show that the best fertilizers are not those 
which contain a certain form of potash , 
phosphate and nitrogen even though provided 
in their highest-priced and most soluble 
forms; hut, rather, the fertilizer that fur¬ 
nishes the constituents in many different 
forms all of which are available, though, in 
varying degrees , to the varying requirements 
of plants at different stages ot growth. 
Wiiat is the best formula for fertilizers 
for this or that crop? There is no best 
formula. What is the best for one is not 
necessarily the best for another. What 
is an economical fertilizer for one farm 
may be the dearest for another. Study 
your sods, farmers; there is no one to study 
them for you. As there is no such thing 
as a person's educating himself by pr xy, 
so there is no such thing as a farmer's 
learning what lus land needs by following 
the formulas that have proven profitable 
on other farms. 
We do not know of any book in the 
reading of which we have been more in¬ 
terested than in that of a recent publica¬ 
tion written by the Rural’s accomplished 
contributor ot several years ago,Professor 
F. II. Storer, of the Bussey Institution of 
Harvard University, Jamaica Piams, 
Mass. It is in two volumes entitled “Ag¬ 
riculture.” Liberal quotations from it 
will be found in this issue under “What 
Others Say.” We could wish that this 
work were in the hands of every reader 
of the R. N.-Y who is ambit ous and 
progressive enough to aim to excel in his 
work. 
We cannot well teach what we do not 
know. Hundreds of questions come to 
the R. N. Y. every year: “What fertil¬ 
izers shall I use?” \Ve cannot answer. 
The nearest aproach to a judicious an¬ 
swer that can be made is, “If you do not 
know by experience what yourlaud needs, 
use a high-grade complete fertilizer. We 
know what our own land needs from years 
of experimenting. It is a complete fer¬ 
tilizer. If the fertilizer were given to us 
we would not talcethe trouble to spread it on 
the land if it f urnished only potash or phos 
phate or even both, except as they might be 
retained in the soil and help the crops by 
nitrogenous applications in subsequent years. 
What the Rural has found out tor its poor 
land, you, readers, can find out for yours 
and it will pay you to do it. It is merely 
a question ot whether you have the energy 
and desire to do it. 
We can cite instances where, in care¬ 
fully conducted experiments, every plot 
which received phosphoric acid (bone) 
gave large and paying crops. We can 
cite others where potash alone gave prof¬ 
itable returns. And on the very land 
where the phosphate so much increased 
the crop, the poiash gave no appreciable 
return. We can present other instances 
in w r hich neither phosphatic nor potassic 
fertilizers, nor both combined, improved 
the crop, while the addition of nitrogen 
gave full yields. So it is that each farm¬ 
er’s experience may differ from that of his 
neighbors. So it is that while one ex¬ 
perimenter may believe that fertilizers 
are worthless on his land^ having used 
either those which it does not need or 
having failed to use all the constituents 
it does need; another, having ascertained 
what his land needs, is an advocate of the 
use of fertilizers. In the one case we are 
shown the evils of jumping at conclusions, 
in the other the benefits of thought and 
perseverance. 
TRUE ECONOMY IN FEEDING. 
T o prevent farmers from squandering 
their hard earned money on fea-tilizers 
which will not help their crops is the object of 
much that appears in this week's R. N.-Y. 
upon the subject of fertilizers. 
Tnere is no best fertilizer for any crop 
on all soils,and for the reason of the wide 
range of difference in composition of 
soils; nevertheless, the farmer who does 
not know as a result of careful and con¬ 
tinued trials the special difference of his 
land, can best afford to use a complete 
manure adapted on average soils for the 
special crop which he proposes to grow. 
Such a complete manure should not con¬ 
tain an excessive proportion of ammonia, 
for it may not be needed and it is costly; 
but there is little danger of any excess of 
phospnoric acid and for the reason that 
this ingredient, in available forms,is lack¬ 
ing in nearly all soils, even as P of. Hil- 
yard states of the lands of California. If 
any excess should happen to be supplied, 
it will remain in the soil for succeeding 
crops. The same may be said for potash. 
This element, like phosphoric acid, is 
comparatively safe from loss by leaching 
in all soils, excepting a sand bank, and 
is not only lacking in soluble forms in 
most soils but is especially needed for 
potatoes, vegetables, corn, grass, etc. 
With the best complete manures the pro¬ 
portion of potash supplied is based on 
about one-half the requirements of the 
crop, leaving the soil to supply the bal¬ 
ance. It is much better to be sure of 
all the demands of a crop like potatoes in 
a complete manure, even at the risk of 
losing interest on part of the investment 
than to risk failure of the crop by partial 
ineffective feeding. 
THE POULTRY STANDARD. 
T he convention of poultrymen at In¬ 
dianapolis spent cousideiable time 
over the Standard of Excellence. It ap 
{tears that all breeds were slightly changed 
in color marks wnere necessary. Breast 
and body have been separated and given 
a greater number of poin;s, while fewer 
points are given to comb and legs. This 
is a move in the direction of profitable 
breed ng. that will be appreciated. White 
Wyandottes, White Plymouth Rocks, 
Pea-comb Plymouth Rocks, Jersey Blues 
and Miuorcashave been admitted as stand¬ 
ard breeds. Dirigos, Puritans, etc., are 
only other names for Plymouth Rocks, 
and were refused admittance. The points 
of the Minorca and Leghorn have been 
mide so as to separate them as far as 
possible without injuring either. The 
objectionable clause that restricted Lang- 
shans has been removed. The Red Caps 
have b-en admitted also. Judges at 
shows will have instructions laid down 
for their government. The standard will 
be fully revised and carefully edited, so 
as to make the book as reliable as pos¬ 
sible. 
The feather-legged breeds are now 
to be known as Asiatics, while Wyan¬ 
dottes, Plymouth R .cks, Jersey Blues, 
Dominiques, etc., are classed as American 
breeds. Wyandottes are now Silver 
Wyandottes to distinguish them from t e 
Whites. We are glad that steps have 
been taken in the direction of an improve¬ 
ment in the form and table qualities of 
poultry. Those who are interested in 
Jeatheringand “fancy markings” are few. 
Those who never see these markings, but 
who wantonly plump, well-shaped bodies, 
are many. 
PROFESSOR ASA GRAY. 
L ast Monday America lost her greatest 
botanist, and the world one of its 
greatest scientists, by the death of Asa 
Gray, for forty six years Professor of Nat¬ 
ural History at Harvard College, Cam¬ 
bridge, Massachusetts. Asa Gray was 
born at Pans, Oneida County, New York, 
on November 18, 1810. In compliance 
with the wish of his father, he studied 
medicine and graduated as a physician 
at Fairfield College in 1831. He soon, 
however, abandoned the practice of medi¬ 
cine to study botany, which had a pecu¬ 
liar fascination for him from his earliest 
years. In 1834 he became Curator of the 
Lyceum of Natural History in this city, 
a position which gave him ample oppor¬ 
tunity to carry on his botanical studies. 
Here he began the preparation of the first 
of the long series of botanical works with 
which for more than half a century he 
has instructed and charmed the world. 
With great abilities he combined the fac¬ 
ulty of making knowledge attractive to 
all ages, espec ally to beginners, and his 
name is as familiar to the students as to 
the leaders of science all the world over. 
About the year 1835 he was appointed 
botanist to the South Pacific exploring 
expedition, fitted out by the Government 
of the U ited States under command of 
Captain Wilkes, but owing to the delay 
he resigned the position. Shortly after¬ 
wards he visited Europe, and spent some 
time in travel and botanical research. In 
1842 his connection with Harvard began 
and it remained uninterrupted till the 
time of his death, though in 1872 he was 
relieved of all college duties beyond the 
care of the immense herbarium and splen¬ 
did botanical library which he had formed 
and presented to the University A fine 
portrait and lengthy biographical sketch 
of the eminent scientist appeared in the 
Rural of November 8,1879, and the like¬ 
ness was the first ever presented by any 
agricultural paper. His private life was 
noble, amiabie, honest, sincere and benev¬ 
olent, and throughout his long career he 
was as much beloved as he was admired. 
THE ECONOMICAL USE OF FERTIL¬ 
IZERS. 
T he farmer who uses chemical fertilizers 
without knowing from experiments 
what kinds his land most needs, conducts 
his farm at a disadvantage. There is no 
one to guide him. The fertilizer agent 
whatever he may profess to know can of¬ 
fer no valid information upon the sub¬ 
ject. A doctor might almost as well un¬ 
dertake to prescribe medicine fora sick 
person without knowing anything of the 
disease. There is this difference, how¬ 
ever. Complete fertilizers are always 
safe because they give all that plants 
need. But in buying a complete fertiliz¬ 
er we may be buying in part what our land 
is already well supplied with. A single 
ingredient may serve every purpose of all. 
On the other hand, if we buy a potash 
fertilizer or a phosphate or superphosphate 
and our land does not need one or the 
other or does need both, we have for the 
most part thrown our money away. So, 
too, if our land needs all kinds of fertil¬ 
izers and we do not furnish all, the crops 
will not respond. 
What has been said as to chemical fer¬ 
tilizers may in a sense as trulv be said of 
farm manure. This is a so-called “com¬ 
plete” manure, but it is nevertheless a 
more or less ill balanced manure accord¬ 
ing to the crops raised or the rotation 
followed. For instance, if hay, rye, oats 
and potatoes are raised, the proportion of 
potash and phosphate carried • ff has been 
estimated as three to one, while the pro¬ 
portion of potash to phosphate in fresh 
farm-yard manure is about as four and 
one-fifth to one. Thus in certain condi¬ 
tions it is plain that the use of farm ma¬ 
nure might most profitably be supple¬ 
mented with the lacking ash ingredients 
of chemical fertilizers. 
FERTILIZER VALUES. 
I f a fertilizer manufacturer uses bone in 
his mixed fertilizers the insoluble 
phosphoric acid is worth just as much as 
it would be in ground bone, which the 
stations value at from five to six cents, 
according to fineness, per pound. But m 
the mixed fertilizer the phosphoric acid 
is valued by the stations at only thr< e 
cents per pound. While this is only 
about one half its true value when derived 
from bone, it is an extremely liberal one 
—some 50 per cent, above its market 
value—when derived from rock. Those 
manufacturers, therefore, who use rock 
should certaiuly be pleased with the 
stations’ valuations, while those who use 
bone have good cause to complain. 
For instance, the insoluble phosphoric 
acid, say four per cent, in a mixed arti¬ 
cle, is equal to 80 pounds in a ton, which 
at 5i^ cents a pound would amount to 
$4.40. But in figuring this in a mixed 
fertilizer, the stations rate the phospho¬ 
ric acid at only three cents a pound, 
which would amount to omy $2.40 for 
the 80 pounds instead of $4.40—a 
difference against the user of bone of 
$2 a ton, and in favor of toe user of rock 
of some 50 per cent, more than the mar¬ 
ket price of the phosphoric acid in rock. 
The reason why the stations do not make 
a proper distinction in the valuation of 
the bone as compared with the rock, is 
that they do not find it practicable, by 
chemical analysis or any other way, to 
distinguish between the insoluble phos¬ 
phoric acid in the form of rock or bone. 
Therefore, they adopt a compromise fig¬ 
ure of three cents a pound, which is, as 
we have shown, as unjust to the user of 
bone as it is over-liberal to the user of 
rock. 
The same injustice, though even more 
flagrant, is dune in estimating the value 
of insoluble nitrogen in different forms. 
As Prof. Johnson has often said, it is not 
practicable to distinguish in a mixed fer¬ 
tilizer some of the poorest from some of 
the best forms of insoluble nitrogen. It is 
all rated by the stations at 17)^ cents a 
pound. This price, the same as with 
phosphoric acid, may be too low a one 
for the best forms of nitrogen and more 
than double the value of some of the in¬ 
ferior forms. Four per cent, of the 
nitrogen, if from pure dried blood,would 
be worth (80 pounds at 17X cents) $14, 
whereas supplied m the form of hair, 
leather, horn, etc., it would not be worth 
$7 a ton. Thus, we see from the above 
how easy it is for one fertilizer, showing 
by analyses no better than another, to yet 
be worth $7 to $10 per ton more. Cer¬ 
tainly in the case ot insoluble phosphoric 
aci l and nitrogen, the farmer has a right 
to know when they are from rock, bone, hair 
or blood. 
BREVITIES. 
Catalogue notices will be found on page 
97. 
The Rural insists that j'armers can not 
afford to use fertilizers at random. 
The finest portions of many chemical fer¬ 
tilizers are often of the highest value. You 
cannoi- afford to spread them when any ap¬ 
preciable part is carried away by the wind. 
Either wait for a still davor mix the fertilizer 
with moist sand or earth. 
Tf you desire to buy the raw materials and 
mix them yourself here is a formula that will 
probably serve as well as any other that can be 
guessed at: 30:) pounds of sulphate of potash, 
150 rounds of nitrate of soda. 200 pounds of 
superphosphate, 100 pounds of fine bone flour. 
Bones fr sh from the butcher’s are generally 
about four times as rich in nitrogen as bones 
blanched from long exposure. Raw fresh 
bones have ahout four per cent, of nitrogen— 
the other only about one per cent. 
Bone and potash make a “complete” fertil¬ 
izer. but the nitrogen is not so available as 
where nitrate of soda or sulphate of ammonia 
is used Tankings are rich in ammonia and 
phosphoric acid, but experience has shown 
that they fail because they are not in suf¬ 
ficiently available forms. 
It is a simple thing to say: “Select those 
fertilizers which furnish in the best form and 
at the least cost those ingredients of plant 
food which the crops need and the soil fails to 
furnish.” There may be some agents among 
those who sell the goods of fertilizer manu¬ 
facturers who have assurance enough to un¬ 
dertake to do it. But the farmer who will 
allow himself to be guided bv such talk will 
sooner or later have occasion to regret his 
credulity. 
Farm manure is a “comnlete fertilizer,” but 
no one would think of finding fault with it 
because some of its ingredients used alone 
fail, Farm manure often fails but farmers 
know very well that climate, soil, or some¬ 
thing else than the manure is to blame. But 
if a commercial fer ilizer does not bring a 
good crop they are apt t 0 call it. a fraud and 
the seller a cheat. This is sometimes the case, 
but fertilizer manufacturers are quite as 
trustworthy as other tradesmen. 
Several very bitter assaults have lately 
been made in Congress against the Bureau of 
Animal ludustry. It is charged that the Bu¬ 
reau’s agent in Chicago was all the time 
maudlin drunk, and no notice was taken of 
the complaints officially made against him. 
Out of $47,000 spent during the Chicago out¬ 
break. only $16,000 were paid for slaughtered 
animals, while the rest went for salaries and 
expenses. Other grave charges have been 
made, which decidedly merit investigation. 
Some farmers laugh at poult.y keeping. 
Small business, they call it. Yet there is 
hardly an agricultural product, besides sugar, 
which we import to a greater extent than 
eggs. And these importations are increasing 
every year. The more Americans encourage 
these importations by refusing to supply the 
home demand, the easier thev will be made in 
the future. The American hen is all right. 
She does not need protection from the Nation¬ 
al Government. She needs thoughtful and 
humane farmers to take her in charge and let 
her work. 
Some farmers in the neighborhood of the 
Rural Grounds are now spreading farm man¬ 
ure on the snow. Though the land is quite 
level, still we should prefer to spread the man¬ 
ure on the bare soil. There is quite a body of 
snow and this is likely to become ice before it 
passes away. In this case rains may wash 
the manure and the washings instead of sink¬ 
ing into the soil evenly are liable to be carried 
to all the lower parts forming little pools and 
enriching the soil underneath at the expense 
of the rest. 
Prof Atwater summing up in the R. N.- 
Y. of Sep. 12. 1885, the results of several hun¬ 
dred experiments made in this country with 
different fertilizers and manures, says: “The 
complete fertilizers not only brought larger 
yields than the farm manures, but proved 
more certain, as well in favorable seasons as 
in cold, wet, or drought. The quality of the 
crop was generally better with chemicals. 
Potatoes especially were finer in quality and 
less disposed to rot with the artificial fertili¬ 
zers than with the farm manures.” 
The R. N.-Y. desires that all its subscri¬ 
bers should send for and examine the cata¬ 
logues which we are now announcing from 
time to time under “Catalogues, etc., Receiv¬ 
ed.” whether they desire to order seeds or 
other articles catalogued or not. In the lat¬ 
ter case, however, it is but fair that they 
should inclose in their application a few 
stamps as a partial compensation to the firms 
issuing such catalogues. Most of the readers 
of the R. N.-Y. are of a class we are aware, 
that do not need such a reminder. The lead¬ 
ing catalogues of to-day are really beautiful, 
costly publications. 
