THE RURAli NEW-YORKER 
iei 
1613. 
PERMANENT SOIL ENRICHMENT. 
Pakt I. 
New England Conditions. —The Con¬ 
necticut Dairymen’s Association spares 
no pains or expense in bringing men of 
wide repute, as speakers, before its an¬ 
nual convention. Our dairymen are ag¬ 
gressive as well as progressive, and so 
are always looking for the latest facts 
bearing on their industry. This year 
they certainly got the results of the 
latest and most up-to-date investigations 
regarding soil enrichment, from the 
Middle West, and if they will only 
study the bearing of Dr. Hopkins’ in¬ 
vestigations on Eastern conditions, our 
dairymen can surely profit by them. 
New England agriculture, it must be 
remembered, is very diversified. Many 
of our dairymen are not simply special¬ 
ists in dairying, but are growing mar¬ 
ket garden crops and fruits besides. 
Then too, a large acreage, in the East, 
will always be devoted to garden truck, 
and these facts should always be borne 
in mind in discussing the use of fer¬ 
tilizers. Dr. Hopkins called attention 
to this by saying that his recommenda¬ 
tions applied to the growing of the 
staple farm crops, and especially those 
used in dairying, and also to normal 
soils. Here again the bearing of the 
work to Eastern conditions should be 
carefully studied, for many of our soils 
are not normal. A considerable area 
in Connecticut and in New Jersey is 
sandy and gravelly drift loam, water- 
washed soils, made of rather large 
grains, and generally low in vegetable 
matter. Such soils must be treated 
very differently from the clay, loams of 
our higher Connecticut hills, or the 
heavy, fine-textured prairie soils in the 
Middle West, especially as regards the 
use of phosphates and potash. For ex¬ 
ample in earlier tests made by the 
writer in studying the requirements of 
Connecticut soils, it was shown that 
soils of a sandy loam type always gave 
a large crop increase from the use of 
potash fertilizers, while the clayey soils 
of the granite rock sections were sel¬ 
dom benefited by potash, but did show 
a marked crop increase from the use 
of soluble phosphates. 
Results of Long- Cropping. —Another 
fact that should not be lost sight of is 
that many of our Eastern soils have 
been reduced in organic matter by long 
cropping with hoed crops, and thus are 
probably much more acid as well as 
lower in humus than most of the soils 
of the West. Dr. Hopkins made it clear 
at the start, that one of the first es¬ 
sentials to permanent soil enrichment 
was the building up of the organic mat¬ 
ter of the soil. Without a liberal sup¬ 
ply of humus-making material is con¬ 
stantly kept in the soil, neither the avail¬ 
able nitrogen compounds, nor the avail¬ 
able minerals can be kept permanently 
built up. The aim of the farmer should 
always be to change the insoluble mate¬ 
rials in the soil into available forms for 
his crops. The humus material of the 
soil makes a good feeding ground for 
the bacteria which help to unlock plant 
food, and its decay keeps the soil sup¬ 
plied with _ carbonic acid, which also 
acts on the insoluble mineral compounds, 
changing them into soluble forms. It 
was well shown by experiments quoted 
that the presence of organic matter was 
absolutely essential to making the phos¬ 
phate rock, or floats, available. The 
fact was also pointed out that if all the 
live stock of the country, kept on farms, 
was reckoned in its eouivalent of dairy 
cattle, it would only equal one cow to 
10 acres of improved land. This shows 
the futility of expecting to keep up soil 
fertility by means of live stock alone. 
Ihe plowing under of crops, to build 
up the humus, and the addition of com¬ 
mercial forms of the mineral elements, 
is therefore essential. Only by building 
up the humus content could we hope to 
permanently increase the nitrogen con¬ 
tent of the soil. In fact, the speaker 
said, unless we constantly build up the 
humus, the large loss of this material 
through decomposition would soon re¬ 
duce the supply of nitrogen below the 
point of profitable cropping. 
Green Manure and Lime. — The 
speaker thought that for New England 
conditions, the best crop for green ma¬ 
nuring was clover, although Winter 
vetch might be used in some sections. 
With over 69 million pounds of nitro¬ 
gen over every acre of land, we have 
enough of this element to grow 100 
bushels of corn for 500,000 years.” Our 
work is to transfer this atmospheric 
nitrogen from the air to the soil, by 
means of leguminous crops, and to store 
it there for the use of crops that could 
not take it from the air. Another es¬ 
sential to permanent soil enrichment 
is an adequate and cheap supply of lime, 
preferably in the form of calcium car¬ 
bonate. The speaker quoted many ex¬ 
periments to show the advantage of 
ground limestone over burned lime, but 
nearly all of these were made with the 
staple farm crops, and under soil con¬ 
ditions different from those found in 
the North Atlantic States. One point 
that seemed to me to be overlooked 
was the physical effect of burned lime 
on our clay loam soils. The stiff clay 
loams, of granitic rock* origin, are no 
doubt improved in texture by the burned 
lime, while its chemical action in the 
soil is much more active than that of 
the ground limestone. The tendency of 
burned lime to flocculate clay and make 
its particles coarser, is one of the im¬ 
portant reasons why this lime should 
be used on sugh soils. Then too, it 
must be admitted that the acidity of 
our older, Eastern soils, is probably 
much greater than that of the soils of 
the Central West, which have been a 
shorter time under cultivation. 
CHAS. S. PHELPS. 
Impure Water; Hen Lice. 
American Saw Mill 
You simply cannot afford to let 
those trees stand on your wood 
lot. Think of the crops that land 
would yield, if cleared. And 
think of the money in the trees. 
Every 16-foot log averaging 14 
inches makes 100 feet of lumber. 
Ten of them make 1000 feet, 
worth up to $80 per thousand. 
Now, size up your trees 
count the dollars in them. 
1. Why docs well water that is generally 
pure and clear have at times (not fre¬ 
quent) an impure odor? I have been told 
it is caused by earthworms. Whatever it 
is I would very much like to know the 
remedy. 2. Do chicken lice or insects in¬ 
fest the air of the henhouse in any degree, 
that would make it probable anyone going 
in the henhouse and carefully avoiding 
touching anything would get the insects on 
their clothing? 
j^ns.— 1. An occasional impure odor 
or 'taste to well water, usually pure 
and sweet, should lead to suspicion of 
intermittent contamination from some 
source; and an investigation should be 
made to ascertain whether surface water 
may not be able to find it way into the 
well when the ground is frozen and the 
snows melting, or whether there is not 
a privy vault, cesspool, manure pile, or 
other source of filth so situated that an 
underground current may carry liquids 
from it to the well under certain con¬ 
ditions of the ground flow. Certain 
alga;, or low forms of vegetable life, 
may also impart a foul odor to water, 
but these are less likely to be found in 
living well water than in that of cis¬ 
terns or stagnant pools. Some sulphur 
compounds are likewise frequently 
found in the well waters of certain sec¬ 
tions, giving these waters a peculiar odor 
and taste. 2. Lice and mites do not 
have wings, and make aerial flights only 
upon the bodies of their hosts, or when 
carried with dust and dirt by strong 
gusts of wind. m. b. d. 
When you write advertisers mention The 
R. N.-Y. and you’ll get a quick reply and a 
“square deal.” See guarantee editorial page. 
Now Selling at 
FACTORY Pric'es 
FREIGHT PREPAID 
Edwards 
This is a special 30-day sale of 10,000 sheets 
of Edwards Steel Shingles. Ourdirect-from- 
factory prices are suprisingly low. And we 
now pay all the freight. Here is a great bar¬ 
gain—an opportunity to buy the most dur¬ 
able, fireproof roof for_much LESS than 
the commonplace kind. 
Shingles 
_ roofs, are ten 
times easior to put on. and - yet. THEY ACT¬ 
UALLY COST LESS THAN WOODEN SHIN¬ 
GLES. They cost LESS, mind you. 
Do not judgo Edwards Steel Shingles by com¬ 
mon galvanized iron roofing — the kind that 
rusts. We have invonted a method that nlwolntely 
prevents rust from ever getting a foothold, as 
100.0U0 dolighted owners of Edwards Hoofs have 
found out. It's the famous Edwards Tightcote 
Process applied to genuine Open Heurth Steel. 
STEEL Shingles Easily Put On 
You don't have to nail those steel shingles, like 
wood shingles, ONE AT A TIME. Futon us high ns 
100 at once, for they come in big sheets ready to nail 
on shonthinjt or old root. Mnch easier than putting on 
wood thiagios. No extra materials to buy, no painting to 
do, no tools to borrow. Your hired man can do the job. 
No Danger of Fire 
No, Sir, you don’t ever honr of any building burn¬ 
ing up if it is roofed with Edwards STEEL Shin¬ 
gles. It’s the man who roofs with wooden shin¬ 
ies or composition paper who loses by tiro his 
Ouse or barn. 
Why risk life and valuablo property when you 
can make your buildings practicallv fireproof sim¬ 
ply by roofing with Edwards STEEL Shingles? 
Every Edwards roof is guaranteed ugttinst light¬ 
ning by a $10. 000 bond. 
U/DITBTI Send postal at once for our latest Roof- 
V* ■ ing Book No. 2T3 and Special Factory 
Prices. Give size of root, if you car. 194) 
THE EDWARDS MANUFACTURING CO. 
223-273 Lock Street. CINCINNATI. OHIO 
b< 
And look at your neighbors’ 
trees — money in them for you, 
too, sawing them into lumber on 
shares or by the 1000. There’s al¬ 
ways a market for lumber, and 
prices are higher now than ever 
before. Hundreds of farmers are 
doing a paying lumbering busi¬ 
ness in the fall and winter. You 
can do the same, for there are 
wood lots around you if you 
haven’t one yourself. 
All you need to buy is an 
“American” Portable Saw Mill, 
for you have the team and wagon 
and probably the engine. A 6 
H ,P. steam or 8 H. P. gas engine 
with an “American” Mill will 
saw up to 2500 feet of lumber per 
day; 10 H.P. steam or 12 H.P. gas 
will saw up to 5000 feet. You can 
run the outfit yourself, with the 
boys or your man to help you. 
Our wide knowledge will help 
you start in farm lumbering. It is 
all in our book, “ Making Money 
Off the Wood Lot,” and in / 
our New Catalog just off the / n <o 
press. We want you to 
American Saw Mill Machinery Company 
Makers of 
Standard Saw Mills of any size or capacity 
129 Hope St., Hackettstown, New Jersey 
1582 Terminal Building, New York 
Chicago Savannah New Orleans 
have them both. Tear a,' 0°^ 
out the coupon now, 
interested. 
in and mail ^ 
it to our 
nearest v -•* 
while 
Fill 
office. 
<*• A 
5LN 
S s* N- 
sfer 
V 
NOTICE 
If yon want a farjn or other property in any 
part of Southern New Jersey, write me today for 
desired information concerning same. Address, 
H. J. SWART, 
Proprietor Vineland Farm Agency.. • Vineland, N. J. 
DITCHING and SUB-SOIL PLOW 
Write for Price 
AGENTS WANTED 
Larimer Company 
Eoln, - Illinois 
And you can't find its equal for quality, price and terms anywhere else on earth and I 
am going to prove it to you. I have already proved it to thousands of others. 
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tell you anything but just exactly what it can do? 
90 DAYS FREE TRIAL 
If it fails to please you in any way, just send it back. I pay the express 
charges both ways. If it's what you want, keep it and pay me on easy credit 
terms or cash—just suit yourself. _ _ 
Remember my $25,000 Spot Cash Bond 
that guarantees every Galloway Separator. 
mm The sensational defy 
^ 5 yOOO ? hat . Galloway casts 
in the teeth of every 
separator com pet- 
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_ challenge backed by 
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It’s mighty good reading. 
A penny postal brings my splendid big Separator 
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that knocks the spots out of anything you ever knew 
Challenge 
Save $21- 25 to $45 
Saves 
You 
Half 
Of course the Dealer in your town may bo a nice fellow, and 
, . . may be pleasant to have him greet you with a cheery “how- 
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well that if I sold my Bath-in-Oil Separator through Dealers, you would have to pay 
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Wm. Galloway, Pres. Wm. Galloway Co, K 663 Galloway Sta., Waterloo, Iowa. 
We carry stocks of Separators in Chicago, Kansas City, Council Bluffs, Minneapolis, Winnipeg, 
Best 
By 
Test 
Better Work-Easier 
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P're>f 3 shows your kind for your work. Send cou- 
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• . . • 
^ Mention above what kind o£ work, driving or sport. ^ 
Name.... 
• • 
Town .. 
•r.»\ D.......State.. * 
PROTECTOR ••••••••••••• • 
A 
