1914. 
THE NEED OF POTASH FERTILIZER. 
Rendering Insoluble Compounds Available. 
IIE heavier soils of the Eastern States, like 
those of the Middle West and the farther 
West, contain very large proportions of pot¬ 
ash. The red shale soils of New Jersey and Penn¬ 
sylvania usually contain more than 1 y 2 per cent, of 
total potash and often as much as two or even 2y 2 
per cent, of this constituent. The slate and silt loam 
soils of the East and the Middle West seldom con¬ 
tain less than 1 y 2 per cent, of total potash. In view 
of this fact, and in view of the fact, also, that the 
subsoils are even richer in potash than the corre¬ 
sponding surface soils, there is really no danger of 
exhausting the supply of potash in our heavier soils 
in many centuries. It happens, however, that, not¬ 
withstanding this large proportion of potash in our 
heavier soils, the amounts that become available 
from day to day during the growing season may not 
be sufficient to provide for the needs of maximum 
crops. This applies particularly to conditions where 
intensive methods of farming are followed, and 
where certain potash-loving crops, like potatoes, to¬ 
bacco and sugar beets, are produced. In order, 
therefore, to provide for the needs also of the crops 
grown under intensive conditions, it becomes neces¬ 
sary either to stimulate the chemical and biological 
changes in the soil which serve to liberate large 
amounts of available potash, or to add directly quan¬ 
tities of soluble potash salts as is done by progres¬ 
sive farmers who use potassic fertilizers. 
It is legitimate, and even desirable, for progres¬ 
sive farmers to utilize 
the large stores of pot¬ 
ash present in our heav¬ 
ier soils, provided this 
can be done economical¬ 
ly. The use of lime 
and the maintaining of 
a large proportion of 
readily decomposable 
vegetable and animal 
matter in the soil may 
provide quite fully for 
supplying the maximum 
needs of the growing 
crops for potash under 
any given climatic con¬ 
ditions. Hence, the 
shutting off of the sup¬ 
ply of potash salts from 
Germany may compel 
the American farmer to 
utilize in a larger meas¬ 
ure than he is now util¬ 
izing the potash re¬ 
sources of his own soil. 
Should it become impos¬ 
sible to purchase potash 
salts at any reasonable 
price, it will be neces¬ 
sary for those farming 
our heavier soils to use 
larger amounts of lime, 
and to utilize to a far 
greater extent than is 
now being done crops like clover, vetches, Soy beans 
and cow peas as green manures. There is no doubt 
that the quality or quantity of our crops grown on 
the heavier soils will not depreciate under these con¬ 
ditions for at least a year or two even though no 
potash salts be applied for that length of time. 
There are other ways in which the enormous 
stores of inert potash compounds in our heavier 
lands may be utilized to advantage. It is well known 
that sodium salts, like common table salt, known as 
sodium chloride, or another sodium salt known as 
sodium sulphate, which is a by-product and can be 
had at a reasonable cost, can be used as indirect pot¬ 
ash manures. These soluble sodium compounds, 
when applied in any considerable quantity, will re¬ 
act on the insoluble potash compounds in the soil 
and will render them available to a marked extent. 
Hence, should we be driven to get along without the 
potash fertilizers derived from German mines, we 
may legitimately utilize our soil potash by rendering 
them available through the use of sodium salts. 
The problem of maintaining an adequate supply 
of potash on the lighter soils is a more difficult one 
to solve. Sandy loams may contain as much as 1 per 
cent of total potash: sandy soils of the poorer 
grades not infrequently contain only y 2 per cent, of 
this constituent. Hence, the using up of the soil 
potash by means of lime, green manures and sodium 
salts cannot be carried on as far nor as success¬ 
fully. Nevertheless, even in the case of these soils, 
especially where potash fertilizers have been used 
THE RURAL NiCW-YORKAR 
for a number of years, there is a possibility of pro¬ 
ducing maximum crops for at least one or two sea¬ 
sons without the addition of soluble potash fertiliz¬ 
ers. Some of the asparagus growers on the lighter 
soils of New Jersey appreciate the value of common 
salt as an aid in the growing of asparagus. The 
value of common salt has also been recognized by 
the growers of mangels and of other root crops. If 
forced to it, we can manage to maintain maximum 
production even on the lighter soils of the Coastal 
Plain without the use of potash salts. Beyond one 
or two seasons, however, it is doubtful whether max¬ 
imum production will be attainable without applica¬ 
tions of available potash compounds. Should this 
emergency arise, we shall find a way to utilize the 
vast stores of potash found in certain of our rocks. 
Indeed, several chemical processes are now available 
for making available potash fertilizers out of feld¬ 
spar. These processes have not found, thus fax’, com¬ 
mercial application because of the difficulty, or even 
impossibility, of competing with the product of the 
German mines at existing prices, but, should the war 
shut off the supply from these mines, American chem¬ 
ists and manufacturers will find a way to make 
available large quantities of potash from home 
sources at a relatively reasonable cost. 
Everything considered, no alarm need be felt by 
the American fai’inei’s as to any possible potash fam¬ 
ine and the falling off of crop yields because of the 
temporai’y discontinuance of potash shipments from 
Germany. Meanwhile, it would be well for Ameri¬ 
can farmers, especially those who use large quan¬ 
tities of potash in mixed fertilizers, to reduce the 
proportion of this ingredient, or to utilize in so far 
as may be possible lime and green manures so as to 
eliminate temporarily the need for potash fertilizers. 
Director N. J. Exp. Station. j. g. lipman. 
THE ARMY WORM. 
Part II. 
IFE OF AN ARMY WORM.—Like other insects 
of its class, the army worm has a life cycle 
consisting of four distinct stages, viz.: egg, 
caterpillar, chrysalis, and adult. The army worm, 
then, hatches from an egg, feeds about four weeks or 
until fully grown, then changes to a chrysalis, from 
which, two weeks later, the moth emerges. The 
Winter is passed by the half-grown caterpillar, 
which continues to feed in the Spring, becoming ma¬ 
ture in May and forming its chrysalis or pupa in a 
cell in the ground. The moth comes forth about two 
weeks latei\ mates and the female lays upwards of 
700 eggs on blades of grass. From eight to 10 days 
are required for the eggs to hatch, and it is this 
brood of caterpillars which cause most of the dam¬ 
age. In Connecticut this year, most of the cater¬ 
pillars had transformed to the chrysalis stage by 
August 1. The moths emerging this month will lay 
eggs for another brood of caterpillars, which will 
appear in September. 
DESCRIPTION.—The egg is less than a milli¬ 
meter in diameter, nearly spherical, almost smooth, 
but marked with fine ridges, and white or pale yel¬ 
low. Eggs are laid in rows in the unfolded sheath 
1047 
of the leaf-blade, and are covered with a transparent 
gelatinous substance. The caterpillars molt five 
times, and when about full-grown, they are from 
one to one and one-half inches in length, generally 
brown in color (though varying greatly) and usually 
showing tints of green or red; they are darker above 
than beneath, and are marked longitudinally with 
fine lines of white, yellow, or lighter brown. A 
broader yellow stripe runs along each side, and in¬ 
cludes the spiracles or breathing pores. The chrys¬ 
alis is a naked pupa nearly three-quarters of an inch 
in length and of a light reddish-bi’own color. The 
female moth has a wing-spread of about one and 
three-fourths inches. Fore wings are light brown, 
more or less mottled, with a white dot just beyond 
the center of each, and with a dark streak nearly 
bi-secting the apical angle. The rear wings are usu¬ 
ally lighter in color at the base and darker on the 
outer margin, than the fore wings. The male is 
smallei’, of a lighter brown color, and uniform on 
fore and rear wings, without prominent markings. 
All but the egg stage were shown on page 1027. 
NATURAL ENEMIES—All domestic fowls and 
many other kinds of birds will eat army worms. 
Blackbirds, starlings, l’obins, thrushes, catbirds, 
barn swallows and even English sparrows have been 
observed devouring them. Among other vertebrate 
animals, hogs, skunks, frogs and toads feed upon 
them. Certain predaceous insects like ground 
beetles and soldier bugs destroy army worms, but it 
is upon the pai’asitic insects that we must depend 
to keep them down. A two-winged Tachinid fly, 
Winthemia quadripustulata Fabr., and another 
closely related species, 
are among the most im¬ 
portant of these. Their 
white, oval eggs, are 
found fastened to the 
backs of the army 
worms, usually near 
the head, as shown on 
page 1027. In one Con¬ 
necticut field this Sum¬ 
mer, 40 per cent, of the 
caterpillars gathered at 
random, had these eggs 
on their backs. Sev¬ 
eral species of small 
four-winged flies, are 
pai’asites of army 
worms, and in the grain 
fields this season, their 
clusters of woolly co¬ 
coons (the species not 
yet identified) were 
found in great numbers 
under the cocks and 
windrows. A bacterial 
disease called “wilt” 
also kills many of the 
caterpillars, which we 
find dead and shriveled, 
hanging to the stalks. 
CONTROL MEAS¬ 
URES. — Local condi¬ 
tions must be consider¬ 
ed in adopting control 
measures, several of which are recommended. Some 
will fit one place, some another, and often various 
combinations of two or more of them must be used 
to bring about the best results. Some of these meth¬ 
ods follow: In small infestations near the house, 
the hens, turkeys, ducks and geese may be utilized 
to eat the worms. Small areas in the field, and es¬ 
pecially lawns, may be gone over with a heavy rol¬ 
ler to crush the caterpillars. Army worms, like cut¬ 
worms, will eat bran mash, if placed upon the 
ground. To 25 pounds of wheat bran add one pound 
of dry lead arsenate or Paris green, and thoroughly 
• mix: then add two quarts of cheap molasses, and 
enough water to make a fairly stiff mash which can 
be poured upon the ground. This method is well 
adapted to prevent damage in the vegetable garden 
and around the edges of the corn field, but, of eourse, 
poultry must be kept away from it. 
SPRAYING AND POISON BARRIERS.—Strips 
of grass, grain, or coni may be sprayed with lead 
arsenate (six pounds of the paste in 50 gallons of 
water) to check the advance of the on-coming worms. 
Uninfested fields may thus be protected, if surround- 
ed by such a strip of poisoned vegetation. We can 
often take advantage of existing walls, highways 
and ditches, to check the advancing army of worms, 
and concentrate our efforts toward their destruction 
at these points. We can also plow deep furrows 
across their line of mai’cli, or ai’ound fields to be 
protected. In such cases the furrow should be at 
(Concluded on Next Page.) 
