3l8 
April 25 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
BRIEF TALKS ABOUT FERTILIZERS. 
Nitrate of Soda Used Alone. 
I'T'Oiii jour answer to a reader of T^uvcIhikI, (.ol., in 
Tuk H. N.-Y'.. of March 2S, on page 230, one would under¬ 
stand that hy the u.'-.e of nitrate of soda he would be 
Us.sening the fertility of his soil instead of increasing it 
as 1 have always supposed. a. b. J. 
Woodford, O. 
Nitrate of soila, used alone, may act upon the soil 
like a whip on a horse to get the last ounce of speed 
or strengih out of him. It supplies only nitrogen to 
the plant and stimulates it to active growth so that it 
makes use of the available potash and phosphoric 
acid already in the soil. Unless these elements are 
supplied in some form there will come a time when 
the crops will not respond even if dou))le quantities 
of nitrate are applied. Tenants sometimes, at the end 
of their lease, use nitrate alone. The plant seeks pot¬ 
ash and phosphoric acid in the soil and produces a 
large trop, but leaves little of these elements still 
available, so that the man who takes the farm next 
must use a complete fertilizer. You may get a good 
day’s work out of a thirsty horse by giving him water 
alone, but unless you feed him well the next day he 
will fail. The question referred to land in fruit, which 
had been well fertilized. The owner wished to get one 
more large crop at light expense and then sell the 
land. Nitrate of soda alone will stimulate that fruit 
and force it to use up the potash and phosphoric acid 
which former manuring has put into the soil. The 
owner will save the cost of this potash and phosphoric 
acid and secure a large crop, but unless the buyer 
uses a complete fertilizer of some sort he will prob¬ 
ably obtain a poor c;rop. We frequently use nitrate 
of soda alone on grass and fruit but are always care¬ 
ful to use potash and phosphoric acid in addition at 
.some time during the year. It is alw’ays safest to use 
a complete fertilizer unless we /nioir that only one or 
tw'O elements are needed. 
The Use of Peruvian Ouano. 
Will Peruvian guano be a good fertilizer for straw¬ 
berries, with nitrate of soda and inuricUe or sulphate of 
potash added? How- much nitrate of soda could I use 
with safety on berries for a home market? ould the 
sulphate of potash give as large a yield :ci5 the nitrate? 
I am offered Peruvian guano at $30 per ton; analysis 
ammonia four, phosphoric acid 20. potash four. 
Elmira, N. Y. 
What sort of a fertilizer is Peruvian guano for pota¬ 
toes? It is .said to analyze 4-5 per cent ammonia, lS-20 per 
cent phosphoric acid and four per cent potash. I’rice 
$27.50 f. o. b. New York. How much iier acre, and what 
should be u.sed with il? The land is a light sandy loam 
and gave about 100 bushels per e.cre corn ears last year, 
and i.s appareiilly Un king in lime, a.s there is much sorrel 
on the stubble. How would it compare with the Mapes 
manures if some muriate of potash was added? k. j. n. 
llackottstown. X. J. 
It is understood, of course, that, this guaiio is a de¬ 
posit found on islands in the South American Pacific 
Ocean. It consists of the excrements of sea fowls and 
the bodies of many that die there. The dry rainless 
climate prevents any great loss of ammonia. This 
deposit is dug up and ground to a fine pow'der. Years 
ago, great quantities of this guano w’ere sent to Eng¬ 
land and to this country. The use of nitrate of soda 
and the low price of phosphoric acid in acid rock 
have nearly driven guano from the market. It is not 
likely that any large quantity is now imported, 
though at the price quoted it is a good bargain. We 
would not use it alo'ne for fruits or potatoes, both of 
which require nitrates—that is nitrogen in the most 
available lorm. We would add to a ton of this guano 
in order to make a suitable mixture for strawberries, 
250 pounds each of nitrate of soda and muriate of 
potash. For our owm use w^e should add also 400 
pounds of acid phosphate, but wmuld not advise it for 
general use. YVe maj'^ compare the guano with the 
potato manure by taking the analysis from the Con¬ 
necticut and New Jersey reports; 
Pounds In One Ton. 
Nitrogen ns nitrates. 
Nitrogen a.s ammonia. 
Organic nitrogen . 
Total nitrogen ... 
Avail.-ible phosphoric acid. 
PoLish . 
Peruvian 
Potato 
guano. 
manure. 
37 
.... 60 
3 
.... 20 
40 
.... SO 
80 
....ISO 
169 
.... 80 
149 
If you are sure that this is a true guano and not a 
mixture wiih tankage and muriate it makes a good 
showing by the side of the potato manure, yet w'e 
should expect the latter to produce a better crop and 
leave the soil in better condition for the crop that 
follow'S. It has several forms of nitrogen and phos¬ 
phoric acid and will be more lasting in its effects. 
By adding the 250 pounds each of nitrate of soda and 
muriate of potash you will obtain the needed nitrates 
and increase the proportion of potash. Why do w'e 
constantly urge the use of nitrate of soda? Because 
it gives the soluble or “quick” form of nitrogen so 
necessary for Rtarting early crops on cool soils. For 
grass, potatoes, small fruits or vegetables nitrate is 
one of the most essential elements In chemical ferti¬ 
lizers and W'e should alw'ays insist upon its use. For 
corn or general farm crops, except potatoes, the or¬ 
ganic forms of nitrogen may answer. 
Soda Cannof Replace Potash. 
Were J to ask if nitratc'of soda and acid phosphate con¬ 
stituted what is called a complete fertilizer, you would 
in all probability say add potash in some form and you 
wall then have a complete fertilizer. 1 appeal for in¬ 
formation to Thk R. X.-Y'. much as a child would to a 
jiarcnt, expecting to receive an authoritative and satis- 
lactory reply. Read the enclosed clipping and give me 
the best information you can as to the correctness of the 
statements therein contained. His statements, if true, 
will veiy materially influence a great number of R. N.-Y'. 
readers and farmers generally, for by his reasoning we 
can use acid phosphate and nitrate.of soda to make a 
ton of complete fertilizer analyzing 3 1-5 jier cent nitro¬ 
gen, 11 1-5 per cent phosphoric acid and 10 4-5 per cent 
potash, by using 400 pounds nitrate of soda and 1,000 acid 
])hosphate, at a cost not to exceed $10.20 f. o. b., Hallimore 
or New Y'ork. Note that he .says two pounds soda are 
equivalent in alkalinity to three iioimds potash; 1, there¬ 
fore, add one-third to the 30 pounds soda in each 100 
pounds nitrate of soda which gives me the 10 4-5 per 
cent. 1 hope you will also fully exi)lain this matter of 
substituting the soda in jutrate of soda for ))otash salts 
in fertilizers. w'. s. 
Sabillasville, Md. 
The clipping referred to is a labored article at¬ 
tempting to prove that soda will take the place of 
potash in fertilizci’s. It is credited to the Tribune- 
Farmer—a paper that ought to know' better than to 
print such harmful trash. On page 278 we told how 
“potash lye” can be used as a fertilizer. We have 
received several notes like the following: 
Y'ou undoubtedly supposed that the substance sold under 
that name in cans at grocery stores for making soap, 
etc., w'as caustic potash as anyone naturally would from 
the name. As far as my experience goes, and 1 have used 
several varieties, it is always caustic soda, and therefore 
of no particular value as a fertilizer. v. l. l. 
Of course we referred to a pure potash lye, but this 
comment is significant because it compares soda with 
potash. The article in question is very cunningly 
w'ritten, the author being careful to say that “two 
pounds of soda are equal in alkalinity to three 
pounds of potash.” That might be true and still -soda 
DRAINING A CELLAR. Fio. 113. 
have no particular value as plant food. A dressing of 
air-slaked lime often gives a large increase of crop 
even when the soil already coniained far more lime, 
than any crop could possibly uce. The lime helped 
not because it actually fed the crop but because it 
sweetened the soil, changing it from acid to alkaline 
and thus enabling the bacteria which make much 
plant food available better able to do their work. It 
is quite likely that carbonate of soda will act much 
like lime to neutralize the acid in some sour soils, 
but this does not prove that soda pan take the place 
of potash. It has been demonstrated again and again 
that potash is absolutely necessary to certain func¬ 
tions of plant life and that soda cannot possibly take 
its place as a plant food. Without doubt soda has its 
uses in plant growth, but the statement that potash 
may safely be left out of a combination of nitrate of 
soda and phosphate, w'here a complete fertilizer is 
needed, may safely be branded as nonsense. Do not 
pay any attention w’hatever to such statements but 
continue to use potash wherever your tests show' that 
it is ?ieeded. _ 
DRAINING A CELLAR. 
In answer to J. YV. B., Salem, Mass., and W. E. B., 
Maryland, I would like to suggest to them a way to 
keep cellars dry. Excavate the entire cellar bottom 
six or eight inches low'er than the line of finished 
floor, carefully grading so as to have a fall to drain. 
In J. W. B.’s case he should excavate two inches lower 
than the bottom of his air chamber (don’t low'er the 
air chamber bottom). Fill in then w'ith large gravel 
two to four inches in diameter, grading again care¬ 
fully, keeiting the center a little high and have fall 
to drain. Form a gutter as in Fig. 113 by laying a 2x4 
dow'n flat next to the walls and concreting a narrow' 
strip eight or 12 inches wide next to 2x4; remove 
board and form the round gutter. Fig. 113, with stiff 
mortar, and a short piece of 2x4 rounded on one four- 
inch side, with handle on top. Finish by laying two 
inches of concrete all over, flush w'ith the strips al¬ 
ready laid, keeping the center one to two inches high 
always, as in Fig. 113. No w'ater can get on this floor 
either up through or from the side walls. I have 
taken up many wet cellar floors to remedy, and gen¬ 
erally found them to be laid directly on the ground, 
and I have never failed to make them dry by the 
method above described. I do not believe that G. D.’s 
method of putting cement on the ground and ramming 
can be effective, and it certainly is very expensive. 
Oswego, N. Y. 
THE CULTURE OF OINSENO. 
So much ha.s been said about the possibility of cul 
tivating ginseng as a garden crop that we give the 
following figures from Bulletin No. G2 of the Penn¬ 
sylvania Station (State College, Center Co.). Prof. 
Geo. C. Blitz brought both seeds and cultivated 
plants w'hich w'ere planted on October 9, 1897. The 
bed was mulched w'ith forest leaves during the YY^in- 
ter, and artificial shade was provided by a lattice. 
The ground was hoed about three times a year. The 
entire planting of 1897 was dug October 22, 1902- 
five years later. There were 138 plants, which oc¬ 
cupied one five hundred and eightieth part of tin 
acre. The number of plants actually sold was 23 
per cent less than the number planted. The crop 
weighed five pounds 14 ounces, and sold for $47.90. 
The cultivated roots were pronounced better than the 
natives. Figuring from this small crop Prof. Butz 
makes the following estimate of the cost of planting 
an acre of ginseng and the prbbable income from it: 
80,040 plants, at 10 cents.$.S.004.W 
too posts eight feet long, at 10 cents. 90.00 
Lath for screen roof. 230.W 
Boards for cross-bars and braces. 100.00 
Setting posts two feet in ground. 75.W 
Carpentry on screen. 150.00 
mowing and preparing soil. 100.00 
Planting 80.040 plants. 50.00 
Weeding and mulching for five years. 250.00 
Digging roots, O.OIW pounds. 100.00 
Washing and drying crop. 100.00 
'fotal .$0,249.00 
2,900 pounds dry root, at $8.50 i)er pound. $24,650.00 
Deducting cost . 9,249.00 
Not profit in five years. $15,401.IW 
No account is made of the cost or rental of land. 
MTiile we are not prepared to say that such a result 
cannot be obtained we consider it very unlikely. 
Such figures will furnish fresh ammunition for the 
ginseng boomers. YY^e do not consider this a safe 
basis to figure on. Many a man has grow'n a row of 
potatoes, a small bed of strawberries or a dozen henn 
with great success. YVhen he tried to extend the row 
or small bed to an acre or the few trees and hens to 
thousands he found that the more he spread out the 
acreage the smaller his average grew. To fit the 
acre so that all parts of it will be uniform will eat 
up a good shore of the profits. Such estimates are 
too much like the plan of planting a few hills of 
potatoes, weighing the crop and then assuming that 
if there had been 6,000 hills on an acre the crop would 
have been 500 bushels. There was once a man who 
wanted to demonstrate the value of hen manure for 
potatoes. He planted six hills, using hen manure, 
while others were planted without any manure or 
fertilizer. During the growing season a hen got loose 
and scratched up two hills. YVhen the potatoes were 
dug, after much figuring our friend found that the 
hen ntttnure increased the yield 75 bushels per acre, 
but that the hen’s Itv decreased it by 110 bushels! 
STONE AND CEMENT HOGPENS. 
In building a hoghouse, the first essential i.s 
warmth, and it is a mistake to believe that warniih 
can be produced better by building the lower story of 
stone than wood. A stone building is cold and damp 
the year around, and is not adapted to successful 
swine breeding. A hogpen built of wood can be con¬ 
structed to be warm in YVinter, comfortable the whole 
year, and as far as cost is concerned 1 believe as 
cheaply, if not cheaper than stone. YVhen construct¬ 
ed of stone the walls are unnecessarily thick, and the 
builder is liable to lose sight of the important point 
of light. The pens should be well lighted, light com¬ 
ing in so as to enter each pen, and the windows con¬ 
structed so as to slide up into the second story prop¬ 
erly to air and ventilate in warm weather. Under 
good conditions no farm animal is less liable to dis¬ 
ease than the hog, and no branch of animal industry 
can be made to pay a better per cent of profit, and to 
insure health and thriftiness first secure warmth, next 
dryness and wholesome food, and the wants of the 
grunter are satisfied. 
Cement floors are all right in their place, but they 
should never be used in a hogpen. To be sure the 
pens can easily be cleaned, and there will be no leak¬ 
age in manures underneath, but they are damp and 
too hard for a hog to walk on. In this day of im¬ 
proved breeds of swine many are bred with legs too 
small and weak to stand a cement floor. One of the 
important points in selecting a hog is its feet; with 
strong bones in the legs we have a good foundation 
to feed and. build up the carcass, rounded and filled 
out for the butcher. A hog kept on cement floors wUl 
get sore-footed and weak-legged. Not only will their 
legs weaken, but they will contract rheumatism, and 
you will have a hog trying to drag itself around by 
its fore feet, completely broken down and crippled. 
YVith several of them the profits of a YVinter’s feed¬ 
ing are gone. A basement in a hogpen is no use what¬ 
ever; it w'ould create a filth hole and a disease 
breeder., The house should be constructed to have the 
hogs on the ground floor and a second story or loft 
for storing grain and litter. Build a good warm 
wooden building, use two-inch plank one thickness 
for floors, set the building on a good stone wall foun¬ 
dation with several holes in stone work below the 
sills to allow of a free circulation of air during Suin' 
mer, which can be stopped up.in YVinter to make the 
floor warmer. If there is no circulation of air under 
your hogpen the floors will soon rot and decay. 
I ewis Co., N. Y. c. F. rosii-YRT. 
