The RURAL. NEW-YORKER 
333 
Showing Up 'Phos-pho-germ” 
A number of readers have asked about 
I'hos-pho-genn. Circulars describing this 
substance have been widely circulated, 
and great tilings are claimed for it. The 
stuff is said to lie not only a fertilizer, 
but to contain a number of germs for in¬ 
oculating the soil. The man who reads 
these circulars is led to believe that these 
germs will increase the yield of any or 
all crops—corn, wheat, oats, etc., as well 
as clover or Alfalfa. Of course anyone 
who has studied this subject of inocula¬ 
tion knows that the legumes or pod-bear¬ 
ing plants will respond to inoculation, but 
that such crops as grain or potatoes cannot 
make direct use of these germs. There are, 
however, bacteria which work in the soil 
to break up organic matter, or to obtain 
nitrogen from the air. The promoters of 
this Phos-pho-germ make use of these 
known facts, and state them so as to 
make the public think this stuff has al¬ 
most miraculous powers. 
The Florida Department of Agriculture 
has now examined specimens of this stuff, 
and publishes the following: 
The following complete analysis of 
Phos-pho-germ. made by this Laboratory. 
Sample No. 2534-. was reported November 
lit. 1!>1X: 
Moisture. 16.40% 
Avail. Phos. Acid. 135% 
Insol. Phos. Acid. 8 85% 
Avail. Ammonia . 1 00% 
Insol. Ammonia . 0 58% 
Potash (K 20) . 017% 
Sulphur . 0.40% 
t’arbon Dioxide. 2 00 
Equivalent to Calcium 
Carbonate . 5.02% 
Volatile matter (other 
than 1120 and Sul¬ 
phur) . 25 00% 
Insoluble matter, sand. 
organic matter, etc... 40.25% 
Phis material was composed of approxi¬ 
mately equal parts of soft phosphate and 
muck, with a very small amount of wood 
ashes and sulphur added . 
This material is sold, to the best of our 
information, at. .$40.00 per ton. 
Its actual fertilizing value at present 
abnormal war prices is $12.62. showing 
an excess charge for the valuable fertiliz¬ 
ing material therein of $27.38. or more 
than 200 per cent above the cost of the 
material to manufacture a goods of equal 
fertilizing value. 
I he manufacturers claim an unusual 
value for this material by adding certain 
Nitro-gorms. Such pure cultures of 
Nitro-germs for different leguminous 
plants are furnished to farmers by the 
T’. S. Department of Agriculture, free of 
cost. 
Thus this Phos-pho-germ, according to 
this, is a mixture of raw phosphate rock 
and swamp muck or black soil, with cer¬ 
tain germs or bacteria added. There is 
nothing miraculous or remarkable about 
it when you come t<> pick it apart. Almost 
’ any farmer can get muck or black soil 
on his own farm .and wood ashes from 
tile fires will give the potash found in this 
stuff. lie can obtain the “culture” or 
bacteria from the Agricultural Depart¬ 
ment. and raw phosphate rock is mighty 
expensive at $40 per ton. 
Experience with Celery Blight 
T notice on page 166 E. C. asks a 
remedy for celery blight. I note with in¬ 
terest Mr. De Baun's reply. Spraying 
once every 10 days would involve some 
labor cost; perhaps our experience in re¬ 
gard to blight my be of some benefit to 
E. C. Five years ago we had about an 
acre of Golden Self-blanching celery. 
About half the planting was transplanted 
plants; that is, grown under glass and 
transplanted in cold frames. The re¬ 
mainder were bed-grown plants, seed sown 
out of doors and plants pulled up and set 
directly in the field. The results were 
almost a total failure from blight on the 
halt acre where the bed-grown plants 
were set. and a eomplete^crop of fine 
celery from the transplanted plants; also, 
blight on the plants that were left in the 
bed planted out of doors, and none what¬ 
ever on the few transplanted plants that 
we did not use that were left in the cold 
frames. Since then we have set nothing 
hut transplanted plants for early celery. 
Golden Self-blanching, and have never 
lost any from blight. There has been at 
times a little blight on the outer leaves, 
but the plants seemed to resist it. Hut 
we have had blight on Winter celery that 
was not from transplanted plants. 
Another rule we have for blight preven¬ 
tion is never to hoe or work celery if it is 
the least bit wet, and there arises a ques¬ 
tion in my mind. Would not spraying 
with Bordeaux while the sun was shin¬ 
ing and getting more or less dirt on the 
wet leaf surface in doing it tend to in¬ 
crease blight? t. K. HUNT. 
New Jersey. 
MOHAWK TIRES 
vs 
SNOWDRIFTS 
Right from the beginning we have built Mohawk tires to 
meet unusual road conditions, such as snow covered, frozen 
rut filled roads. 
Most any tire today will make a fairly good showing if 
operated under ideal conditions. But, we believe that very few 
people operate their cars under ideal conditions all the time. 
We believe that Mohawk users want to go anywhere they wish 
regardless of road and weather conditions. So we have held 
to the policy of building Mohawk tires with the extra strength, 
the extra quality and quantity of materials and the extra care 
In building that will enable them to “make good” for everyone 
everywhere. 
And they do. Mohawk tires have proven themselves—so 
surely, in fact, that 85% of the people who once buy Mohawk 
tires stand by them from then on, year after year—will buy no 
others. Our records prove it. 
We claim no mysterious qualities or secret processes, or 
unusual “selling points” for Mohawk Tires. 
We simply put into them the purest, highest quality rubber 
—-the best and toughest fabric. They are built in an efficient 
plant by men who believe In their product and in an organiza¬ 
tion that is not encumbered with watered stock or bonded in¬ 
debtedness—so that the money paid for them may buy fine 
materials and workmanship instead of paying for high interest 
and inflated profits. 
For snow covered, frozen, rutted roads, we particularly re¬ 
commend the Mohawk Non-skid Tread. It scientifically counter¬ 
acts skidding and drive slipping and its tread is so tough it will 
stand the abrasive action of macadam, cement and gravel and 
the cutting action of sharp rocks, frozen ruts, crushed stone and 
car tracks. 
When you need a new tire you can buy one that actually represents more 
value for your money if you aslc for Mohawk. 
Good dealers almost everywhere sell them. 
Mohawk Rubber Company 
Akron, Ohio 
Naw York Boston Chicago Atlanta Kansas City Son Francisco 
MOHAWK 
ReadingBoneFertilizer 
Quality Service Satisfaction 
Always look for our trade mark (as shown 
below) on the bag. It means protection to 
you. Hundreds of farmers in the East have 
come to recognize it as the mark of honest, 
square fertilizer goods and methods. 
Reading Bone Fertilizer Co., Reading, Pa. 
(This trade mark means quality) 
Ask your 
dealer for 
Reading 
Bone 
Fertilizer. 
Write for 
booklet and 
further 
information. 
ASPINWALL 
Man Potato Planter 
T HE first Successful Potato Planter. Automatic, 
fast and accurate. Opens furrow, plants, covers 
and marks next row. Needs no watching. Just drive. 
Plants More Acres Per Day) 
Does all the work— all the time. Attach¬ 
ments for peas, beans and fertilizer fur¬ 
nished when desired. Write for FREE 
BOOK of valuable information. Also 
folder illustrating the complete 
Aspinwall line: Cutters. Planters, 
Sprayers, Diggers and Sorters. 
World’s oldest and largest 
makers of Potato Machinery 
ASPINWALL MFG. CO. 
6(0 Sabin St., Jackson, Mich. 
* 
rr» ti rv xr Horse Power Is ^ I W fortunes to any farmer ."Write for the book now. 
ERO Y Cheapest and Surest , ICHATHAM 
nri 
Increase! 
"Your Crop] 
20 
My Big New 
Book Tells How 
Explains why Scientific Seed Se¬ 
lection adds hundreds—yes thou¬ 
sands of dollars to Crop Profits! Tells 
’ how planting fine, plump, strong grain 
and grass seed adds 20% to the crop. 
Also tells how to end the costly “dockage 
evil.” Contains 84 pages of facts worth small 
fortunes to any farmer. Write for the book now. 
CHILLED PLOWS 
for plowing. You who have tried 
it KNOW this to be a fact. Many 
fields have been only half plowed. The Harrow must do what 
the plow left undone, on 95 per cent, of the farms owned bv the 
readers of this ad. LE ROY Walking and Riding 
Plows would have done you better work last year for 
much less money. 
LE ROY PLOWS are built ill your territory and espec¬ 
ially adapted for the rough 
Eastern plowing. 
Try a Le Roy Dealer or 
write, Le Roy Plow Co., LeRoy» N.Y., ^ 
for full particulars. ^ 
(Insist on being supplied with 
genuine Le Roy extras.) 
and Cleaner 
Runs by gas engine! Cleans, grades, separates 
rankest mixture of any grainor grass—1000 bushel* ‘ 
per day. Also runs easy by hand. Cleans out dust, 
traah,wicked weedaeed— separates 
poor, sickly, ahrunkun oeed—anckB 
plump.clean a'rainforni'edormar- i Dfc-k.' 
ket. Sold on 30 days FREE Trial. / °drG£D / 
Takauntll next Fall to pay. Or 10 c / B£TTFO Di CHfRT 
offforcaah. Write for FREE Book / PROnrc 
—and Special Proposition—today, / . — ‘*3 
—Manson Campbell. President. ' 
MANSON CAMPBELL A 
SONS COMPANY 
Oapt.252 * Oetroit. Mich. 
Dapl. 252 • Kansas City, Mo. 
Dapt. 252 • Minneapolis, Minn. 
HYifa to Nearest 
Ojfico 
- 
I 
When you write advertisers mention 
The Rural New-Yorker and you'll get 
a quick reply and a "square deal. ” Sec 
guarantee editorial page. : : : 
3 
