1854 . 
THE CULTIVATOR 
188 
glass rings, supported by large iron staples. For, in 
the first place, a very small discharge would leap over 
the glass from the rod to the staple ; secondly, the glass, 
when wet with rain, is no insulater at all—is perfectly 
useless; thirdly, the staple, with its sharp points driv¬ 
en into the building, serves to direct the current from 
the rod to the building, whenever there may be an ex¬ 
cessive discharge. No support is better than seasoned 
and painted wood—an incomparably poorer conductor 
than iron, and not presenting the slightest chance for 
any considerable portion of the electricity to enter the 
walls. An auger-hole is bored for the passage of the 
rod. As a matter of precaution in extreme cases, it is 
best to have the wooden supports project about half a 
foot from the walls, so as to hold the rod off at that 
distance. In the instance we have already ^elated, of 
a rod being so heavily charged as to melt the point 
into a balf, not the slightest effect was visible on the 
wooden supports which held the tod in direct contact. 
By observing the preceding directions, any farmer 
may employ a common blacksmith, and erect his own 
rod properly, without paying double price to itinerant 
rod-erectors, who often do not understand their business 
properly. Procure three-quarter inch rods; weld them 
or screw them together ; let the pitrt above the build¬ 
ing be stiffer, and tapering; weld together a few small¬ 
er sharp pieces for points at the upper end, and file and 
polish them sharp ; dig a H le six feet deep at the bot¬ 
tom > throw in a bushel of charcoal before filling it ; 
secure the rod to its place by passing it through holes 
in wooden supports, and nail them firmh to the build¬ 
ing, and the thing is done. 
Nitrate of Soda as a Fertilizer. 
In consequence of the high price of Peruvian gua¬ 
no, and the danger of having an inferior or adulterated 
article imposed upon purchasers, experiments have 
been extensively made to determine the manurial or 
fertilizing qualities of other articles. Nitrate of soda 
is one of these articles which have been subjects of ex¬ 
periment. It has been ascertained to be an excellent 
top-dressing for wheat, and for this purpose a much 
cheaper fertilizer than Peruvian guano. From the ap¬ 
plication of 100 pounds of nitrate of soda and 200 
pounds of salt to an acre, there has resulted an increase 
in the crop of wheat to which they were applied of 
about six bushels. This, at the present price of wheat, 
would be productive of a large profit. And even at 
lower prices for wheat there would be a profit over the 
cost of the nitrate of upwards of 100 per cent, when 
an increase of five or six bushels to the acre was real¬ 
ized from its application. In Norfolk, (Eng.) where 
nitrate has long been applied as' a top-dressing to 
wheat, the average increase is said to be five bushels 
per imperial acre. As such profits may lead many to 
make use of this fertilizer, it may be well to say that 
it must be bought with caution, as it is easily adultera¬ 
ted with common salt. 
Nitrate of potash has also been tried as a fertilizer. 
It seems to possess fertilizing qualities equal to those o. 
nitrate of soda, or superior as being more lasting in 
its effects. Those who have tried both these nitrates 
would prefer the nitrate of potash, if it could be had 
at the same, or nearly the same rate. In the London 
market, the nitrate of soda can be had for about .£22 
or $110 per ton of 2240 pounds, while the nitrate of 
potash or common' saltpetre is put down in price cur¬ 
rents at £33 or $165 per ton. 
Sulphate of ammonia has also been tried, and found 
of good quality as a top-dressing. 
Our brethern of Great Britain who have used the 
above fertilizers the most and the longest, think that 
they produce a better result when combined with a 
proportion of common salt, varying from 1 to 3 cwts. 
per acre. It is thought that this prevents the straw 
from being lodged, particularly if the season should be 
wet or moist, 
A question having arisen as to the nitrates of soda 
and potash, viz : whether the acid or the alkali in these 
salts was the source of the fertilizing action, several 
experiments have been made in Great Britain in or¬ 
der to determine it. The experiments of Mr. Pusey, 
which we find in the North British Agriculturist, seem 
of a very decisive and instructive nature. We shall 
attempt therefore a brief synopsis of them, as they 
seem adapted to suggest new trains of thought and 
experiment, which may lead to improvements or econ¬ 
omies yet undiscovered. Mr. Pusey reasoned in this 
way in arranging his experiments : The nitrate of so¬ 
da when applied to grass produces a very vivid green 
and a rapid growth. Whichever, therefore of the two 
component parts of this substance, viz : nitric acid and 
soda, used side by side with itself, shall produce the 
same vivid green and the same rapid growth, must 
clearly be the astive principle pf the salt. 
Accordingly in Sept., 1853, he commenced the ex¬ 
periment by trials to determine how much the nitric 
acid needed dilution to prevent its burning the grass. 
He thus found that, from 2 to 8 fluid drachms of ni¬ 
tric acid in a pint and a half of water, produced the 
best effects, almost equal to tho nitrate of soda, though 
the strongest 6f these mixtures scorched the leaves of 
the grass, but afterwards brought up a new crop of rich 
green leaves from the uninjured roots. He next ap¬ 
plied nitrate of soda, 6 drachms in 3 pints of water, to 
an area of 5 feet square, and 4 drachms of nitric acid 
in 3 pints of water to another 5 feet square, and on 
similar patches solutions of soda, of potash, and of 
ammonia, in the state of pure alkalis, and found that 
if the effect of nitrate of soda were denoted by 10, the 
effect of the nitric acid was about 8, of the ammonia 
or hartshorn about 5, and of the soda 0. Another ex¬ 
periment was made the next day, in which potash was 
used in the place of soda, and the same, or very near¬ 
ly the same, results were obtained, neither the potash 
nor soda in their alkaline or uncombined state having 
any perceptible effect on the color or growth of tho 
grass. On the other hand, wherever the diluted acid 
was sprinkled, it was followed by a dark luxuriant veg¬ 
etation. These experiments have rendered it certain, 
or highly probable, that chemical fertilizers strengthen 
vegetation very much according to their contents of 
nitrogen. 
This law sheds a light over many scattered, or here¬ 
tofore little connected facts. The most dissimilar sub¬ 
stances—woolen rags, soot, sea-weed, &c., &c.,—are ap¬ 
plied as manures, but all these refuse matters agree in 
containing nitrogen undeveloped. The nitrogen in fish, 
rags, &c., may assume one or other of two forms in the 
soil. United with hydrogen, it will form ammonia, 
and united with oxyen it will form nitric acid. Those 
experiments render it probable that an opinion advanc¬ 
ed by Dr. Yoelker, the distinguished chemist of the 
best agricultural school in England, may be correct, 
when he said that “ plants in general are more depend¬ 
ent on nitric alcid, as the source from which they derive 
their nitrogen^ than upon ammonia.” On soils con¬ 
taining lime, nitrogenous manures are converted into 
nitric acid more readily than into ammonia. 
