“Suppose you were to buru that ton of hay 
or corn, how much would be left of it ?” asked 
Doctor Jones. 
"Not much,” replied the old gentleman. 
“When ray barn full of hay burned up about 
40 odd years ago, I remember there was a very 
small heap of ashes left, and there were five- 
aud-twenty tons of hay at least in it. But 
what has that to do with it ?’’ 
“ Only this, that every ounce of potash, 
phosphoric acid, lime and other minerals in 
those 200 or 300 pounds of fertilizer that go 
into the ton of bRy, you would get back in the 
ashes; and the only part of the fertilizer you 
would lose, would be the ammonia or nitrogen. 
If I remember aright, a ton of hay contains 
133 pounds of miueral matter, or ash, and this 
cousists of 34 pounds of potash. 81 pounds of 
soda, *11 pounds of magnesia, 15$ pounds of 
lime, 8 pounds of phosphoric acid, 7 pounds of 
sulphuric acid, 891 pounds of silica, 10J pounds 
of chlorine, and 31 pounds of sulphur. Of the 
remainder, 31 pounds are nitrogen; and the 
balance cousists of water, carbonic acid and 
hydrogen. The nitrogen is the only one of 
these which it is ueeessary to supply in the 
manure or fertilizer. Now, suppose we make a 
mixture of 150 pounds of sulphate of ammouia, 
75 pounds of muriate of potash, and 50 pounds 
of fine bone-meal, we should have the follow¬ 
ing substances, which we may compare with 
those contained in the hay. We should have 
In the fertilizer, ami in the hay. 
Nitrogen*..,.... .32 pounds 31 pounds. 
Potash.37>4 " 34 
Lime —.14 J4 15M 
Phosphoric acid....... to 8 
Besides these, there would be some sulphuric 
acid, soda, chlorine, silica and magnesia in the 
fertilizer, so that the 275 pounds of mixed 
chemicals would supply all that was required 
to make one ton of hay, without taking any¬ 
thing from the soil at all. Now it seems plain 
euougb to me that it is all right.” 
“You would prescribe for a sick soil just 
as you would for a sick man, I suppose ?” re¬ 
marked the old gentleman. 
“Well, something in the same way that I 
would feed a child, or a man, or a pig, or a 
cow. I don’t see any difference. If you don’t 
feed a pig something out of which it can make 
fat, it never will get fat. that is certain; and if 
you don’t give your crop potash, phosphoric 
acid, nitrogen and the rest of its food, you will 
have none. Now, does it matter whether you 
give a pig peas or corn, oatmeal or barley, so 
loug as it has the elements out of which it can 
make fat ? and if not, does it matter whether 
you give your crops wood ashes, or potash 
salts, phosphates and sulphate of ammonia; 
or barnyard mature iu which the potash, phos¬ 
phoric acid and ammonia are supplied? If 
the crops get these, it matters not iu what 
shape they are provided, so that they get them. ” 
“ 1 like to see a good heap of manure going 
on to the laud,” said the old man; “some¬ 
thing to fill up the ground and make it rich; and 
you may talk and talk, but I never can believe 
a wheel-barrow load of chemical stuff can do the 
good that ten wagon-loads of manure will do.” 
"A good many farmers think as you do,” I 
replied, “ aud a few are beginning to think as 
Doctor Jones does. Blit here is my difficulty, 
aud scores of othera find the same trouble: 
what are we to do where there is no manure to 
he had ? We must then use artificial fertilizers 
for a start, aud after that if we can make 
enough manure we are all right; if not, don’t 
let us cast away the boat which carries us 
safely over the stream, because we think we 
shall have a bridge by-and-bye. It is very clear 
to me that I shall have to make use of fertil¬ 
izers unless you will sell me some manure, and 
the question is, what shall they be ?” 
“I have no manure to spare at any price, 
and no other farmer that I know of lias,” re¬ 
plied the old man. 
“Just so; no farmer eau sell manure; he 
might as well sell his bread aud batter and go 
hungry. Aud when barnyard manure caunot 
be had, some substitute must be provided. We 
have no substitute for manure but artificial 
fertilizers, and without, these my case would 
be hopeless. A poor farm cannot be started ou 
the road to improvement without them, unless 
one has the money to buy stock and feed, and 
then make manure. When the large capital 
needed to do this is not at hand, the only resource 
I can see is. to use some artificial fertilizers. 
There are twenty acres of rye which I have 
just sown. I shall put 200 pouuds per acre of 
fertilizer upon the land, which will contain 10 
pounds of potash, 10 pouuds of phosphoric 
acid, and Hi pouuds of nitrugou. In the spring, 
I shall repeat the application, which, in all, 
should enable tills land to produce at least 35 
bushels of grain and one ton of straw per acre. 
I shall expect to get 20 bushels of grain if the 
season is fair. Twenty bushels of rye and one 
ton of straw, will take from the soil 30 pounds 
of potash. 15 pounds of phosphoric acid, and 
37 pounds of nitrogen. There will be some¬ 
thing left for the grass and clover, but not 
much; and it is a question with me if I ought 
not to use 300 pouuds of the fertilizer instead 
of 200 pouuds. But I shall try 200 pounds, and 
we shall see the result. 
The fact is, that no soil is 60 poor but that 
recognize by the fruit to what variety speci¬ 
mens similar to those sent us actually belonged. 
Mr. 'Ritter says: “The tree is an upright 
grower—more so than the Northern Spy. The 
branches are very stocky, the bark is smooth 
both on branches and stem, resembling that of 
the Red Astrachan iu this partieulai. as it does 
also in its color. The tree is a great bearer 
of both, viz : the mound is not compact enough, 
containing trash, clods, etc., or its sides are 
too sloping, rendering it an easy matter for 
the auimals to walk right up it. Iu nearly 
every instance I have noticed here, the mound? 
are too lo w aud sloping. 
HOW TO MAKE THEM. 
I choose a time for making them when the 
THE CLIMBING HYDRANGEA 
Schlzophragma Hydrangeoiiles. 
ovary where the Hydrangea had only two, 
he felt himself obliged to place it under a new 
genus. So good an authority as Maximowiez 
calls it Hydrangea scan dens, a name by which 
we should very much prefer to have it known 
were not the other by structure the legi¬ 
timate one, The illustration given is a faithful 
copy of the Climbing Hydrangea’s appearance 
as given iu Siebold aud Zuccavin i's great “Flora 
Japouica." Seeing is believing, aud having 
compared a dried specimen of the Climbing 
Hydrangea, sent out by Mr. Maximowiez to 
Mr. Leroy of Columbia College, we can testify 
that Siebold's picture is a correct representa¬ 
tion of the actual plant. 
Mr. J. W. Clarke, lately of the Massachu- 
etts Agricultural College, Bpeaks ot it in a re¬ 
cent letter as follows : “The Schizopbragma has 
leaves, when fully grown, about the size of those 
of the Hydrangea pauicnlata gramlitlora, only 
much more glossy and finely veined, also much 
thicker. If there were no Mowers it would be 
well worth growing for the foliage simply. 
The flower, examined siugly, is not striking, 
but taken in a mass, as it grows about the 
trunks of trees, it is very fine. The flower some¬ 
what resembles that of Viburnum lantauoides. 
If given good ground and not too much shaded, 
its growth is quite rapid.” 
The general character of the illustration pre¬ 
sented, suggests much the same conclusions. 
Unquestionably, the foliage is fine, being ovate, 
almost round sometimes ou the older growth, 
and more pointed and serrated on the young 
leaves, as shown on the piece of elimbing stem 
in the illustration. 
Here also, ou this stem, are evident the nu¬ 
merous adventitious roots or rootlets which 
enable it to cling, like the Ivy or Ampelopsis 
Veitchii, to walls aud slightly rough surfaces. 
We learn from Siebold and others that 
the Japanese value highly the Hydrangea 
scandeus, and cultivate it in their gardens. 
The familiar name for the Climbing Hy¬ 
drangea in Japan, is the Trailing Snow- 
Apple, Tsura Dernari. When seen climbing 
over the front of dwellings in Japan, the effect 
is said to be very pleasing. In a wild state, as 
THE HISTORY OF A POOR FARM 
No. 4. 
Artificial Fertilizers. 
The supply of manure is the first considera¬ 
tion in the improvement of a poor farm. Not¬ 
withstanding the certain effectiveness of arti¬ 
ficial fertilizers, and their convenience in hand¬ 
ling and use. it is by no means advisable to 
trust entirely to them. There was never yet 
an old-established practice that was suddenly 
abolished and displaced by a new method, that 
was so complete an innovation upon old cus¬ 
toms as the substitution of artificial lertilizers 
for barnyard manure; and it is not probable 
that any system of farming by the use of these 
alone will soon become prevalent, let they 
are invaluable as a help to increase the yield 
of our fields by assisting the effects of manure, 
or by stimulating early growth, and thus for¬ 
warding the plants' maturity. Another of 
their invaluable uses is to help to improve such 
a poor farm as this of mine, so as to make a 
beginning aud lay the foundation of the often- 
repeated sequence, “more feed, more cattle; 
more cattle, more manure; more manure, 
more feed,” aud so ou. Without the easily 
procured artificial fertilizers, the “ more feed.” 
with which one must start, would be impossi¬ 
ble, aud a poor farm must ever remain in a 
condition of hopeless sterility. 
MOUND AS TOO OFTEN LEFT. 
I then take away the outer and lower part all 
around by plunging the spade iu, perpendicu¬ 
larly, about six inches from the stem of the 
tree. This leaves a ball standing around the 
stem, the surplus soil being thrown aside. 
Next I " humble” myself, and with my hands 
mold this ball into a pointed or oval shape at 
the top, aud pound it with my fist till it is very 
compact and smooth. 
PROTECTING YOUNG TREES FROM RAB 
BITS. 
WnT SOME MOUNDS DO NOT PROTECT. 
I was highly interested in General Noble's 
account of the treatment given those, old trees. 
One reads so much that savors of profit only, 
iu the management ot fruit trees, that it is a 
treat indeed to an amateur whose object is not 
profit alone, to read of the General’s surgery 
of those old trees, and as he promises more, 
we are in a hurry to hear it. Some apple 
trees have already been ruined by rabbits here 
this winter, and I propose to tell how I pre¬ 
vent their depredations. It is by mounding, 
of course. The Rural has objected to this 
method, but for want of a better preventive, 
aud of suitable appliances on every farm for 
wrapping or encasing the lower pan of the 
stems, we continue the use of the old plan 
hereabouts. In every agricultural paper I 
have ever read. I am accustomed to see many 
inquiries every winter about this matter, many 
claiming they have mounded their young trees 
to no purpose. Now, the trouble is they have 
not done the work right in two respects. The 
principle upon which the little mounds act as 
barriers, is as fixed as the habits and nature of 
the little auimals against -which the trees are 
to be protected. The rabbit will not climb, 
nor will the field mouse, to any considerable 
extent. Neither will the former leave the 
plane of its burrow coursing along just 
beneath the surface, to ascend into a mound : 
nor could it if it would, if the mounds are prop¬ 
erly made. Well, it might, but it does not, 
since the mound is not only compact, but 
frozen through owiug to its complete ex¬ 
posure. But all this many of us understaud, 
still there are many who do not, if we may 
judge from the inquiries frequently made. 
Where mounds have failed, it must have been 
from one of two causes, or maybe on account 
MOUND AFTER CUTTING A WAV OUTER KING. 
I have been tedious, probably, to those who 
do not need any advice, but I do feel sorry for 
those who have nice young trees ruined by 
“ varmints.” Tin- aggregate loss iu the West 
from this cause is enormous every winter. 
My object has been to give those help who 
think they have tried mouuds in vain. Don’t 
give up this plan ; mounds fashioned iu this 
way will “ work." There’s plenty of soil, and 
on many farms the materials for wrapping are 
not at hand. Remove all mounds in spring. 
If this advice \\ ill save one tree, either in this 
or any succeeding whiter, I shall feel re¬ 
warded. Dr. A. C. Williams. 
Douglas Co., Ill. 
THE SWEET WINESAP APPLE 
