172 
depleted. In England this pi-actice has given rise 
to the maxim, “Lime and lime without manure will 
make both farm and farmer poor.” The greater the 
amount of fertilizer and manure applied, the more 
important it is that the soil he tested for its ime 
content and the lime applied if shown to be lacking. 
This is essential if we are to use applied plant food 
efficiently and economically and at the same time 
utilize a reasonable amount of the insoluble mate¬ 
rials already in the soil. 
RESULTS OP OBSERVATION.—From this brief 
study of the fundamentals underlying soil fertility 
and the production, of crops we may conclude: (1) 
Chemical fertilizers should he applied to supplement 
manure and natural soil sources, in order to main¬ 
tain a balanced ration for the crop. (2) Neither 
soil analysis nor crop analysis alone furnish an 
accurate guide for correct fertilizing, although a 
study of both is helpful if considered with other 
factors involved. (.3) Sandy soils are usually de¬ 
ficient in potash, while clay soils are rich in that 
element. (4) Leguminous crops, such as Alfalfa, 
are able to procure their needed nitrogen from the 
air; hence it is necessary to supply only the other 
fertilizing eleme: ts, especially phosphorus and lime. 
It is good practice to top-dress Alfalfa sods annually 
with liberal amounts of acid phosphate. (5) Realiz¬ 
ing the slowness with which soil sources of plant 
food become available in the Spring, early vegetable 
crops should be heavily fertilized with fertilizers of 
ready availability. The production of Timothy hay 
may be greatly increased by applying very early in 
the Spring a mixture that is rich in soluble nitrates, 
so that a quick and vigorous start is assured. (G) 
Lime is valuable in any efficient system of perma¬ 
nent agriculture for its chemical effect upon insoluble 
plant food compounds, as well as for its importance 
as a plant food in itself and for correcting acid con¬ 
ditions which inhibit normal growth. 
HOME MIXING.—Understanding, then, the true 
function of chemical fertilizers and the changed 
economic and transportation conditions, we must re¬ 
consider the problem of fertilizer as affected by these 
conditions. At the present there seems a tendency 
to mix fertilizers at home. Many farmers are find¬ 
ing that they can buy the raw materials and mix 
them at lower prices than are charged for the same 
analysis by the manufacturer who bought when 
materials were much higher. The manufacturer has 
done a great service to agriculture by preparing 
mixed fertilizers of general adaptation, and by the 
educational work which he has kept up through 
local agents In each community. The fertilizer 
manufacturer has met the demand for low-priced 
goods of low analysis by putting out mixtures 
analyzing 1-8-1, 2-10-0 and similar grades. For some 
reason there has been a steady demand for goods of 
this kind, probably because of the low price per ton. 
This has never been a paying practice for the 
farmer, and it is much less so now when freight 
rates are so much higher. In making up a ton of 
these low-grade mixtures it is necessary to put in a 
certain amount of practically worthless material to 
make up the weight, or to use considerable quantities 
of low-grade ingredients which are not desirable 
from the economic point of view. By purchasing 
goods of high analysis the farmer not only guaran¬ 
tees that the ingredients will be of ready availability, 
Improved Road in Farm Community . Fig. 75 
5*? y.'jRAL NEW-YORKER 
but also that the entire ton will be composed of 
plant food, ana he will be paying no charges on 
filler. Next week standard formulas, unit valves 
ana metiiode of handling and mixing will be dis¬ 
cusser., WILLIAM B. DURYEE. 
Value of Good Roads 
tn farmers who believe that good roads are one 
il, t their best assets are the ones who vote for 
and approve of town expenditure on a liberal scale 
for actual highway improvement. Such a town is 
Sodus, N. Y., which now has two complete sets of 
A Loral Plant for Road Material. Fig. 76 
road-building equipment, including crusher plants, 
steam rollers, auto dump trucks and lesser equip¬ 
ment. 
Enough good roads have been set up within the 
town for the farmers to realize that when it comes 
to selling their farms it does make a difference 
whether they are on an improved or unimproved road. 
For some time the improved road discontinued at the 
western end of the village, and it was a common 
sight to see farmers coming to town with wagons 
loaded with crops and drawn tandem style, one team 
to two wagons. When the unimproved road was 
reached the team would go on with one load, leaving 
the other until the return from the warehouse or car 
side was made. The town which does not take hold 
of road-building equipment in an earnest manner is 
certainly not progressive in these times. 
A. H. PULVER. 
Making Meat Scrap at Home 
On page 23 you request information about making 
dried meat scrap at home. Last year I made about 
1,000 lbs. as follows: We placed a galvanized iron 
tank about 1 ft. deep on an old kitchen range. A 
frame 1 in. deep covered with %-in. mesh wire was 
fitted in bottom of tank. Meat cut in chunks about 
2 to 10 lbs. was packed in tank, and tank filled with 
water, covered with boards, and boiled hard about 
six hours. (A good hog feed cooker would have 
been better.) After cooking, the meat was drained 
and baked in the oven till dry and almost brittle. We 
then ground it in a regular bone grinder. The pro¬ 
duct was much superior to any “bough-ten” meat 
scrap. Iiorsemeat seemed to be better than the meat 
market scraps. The scraps from the markets were 
mostly heads and shins of cows and calves. The 
oven baking was too slow, so I made a drier some¬ 
thing like a household fruit evaporator. This con¬ 
sisted of six trays 20x30 in. of %-in. wire cloth. It 
was heated by a round oak heater which we took 
from the office. 
One day in May we had a good drier full of veal 
heads and feet I sent son down to fix the fire as 
we went to dinner. I told him to make a good fire, 
lie did. The grease from the veal evidently dripped 
onto the stove. The neighbors came in and helped 
save the other buildings, but our “home meat ren¬ 
dering plant” was a total loss; no insurance. 
I might offer the following suggestion: In cut¬ 
ting up a carcass use only an ax. No knife is need¬ 
ed. Do not use horses’ hoofs; cut pieces as small as 
possible. Cook till thoroughly done, or it will dry 
very slowly. Don’t be afraid to bake it thoroughly 
dry. 
Don’t use horses unless you know what they died 
from. Most horses are all right, however. Build a 
good drier. Don’t burn it down. The more grease 
removed the better it dries, and the easier it grinds. 
Don’t sell it ia New York State without a license. 
Since January 1, 1921, you can’t even sell rye bran 
or buckwheat feed without paying an inspection fee 
of $25. We’ll talk of this later. 
New York. w. bronson taylor. 
Portland, Ore., is in much the same latitude as Port¬ 
land, Me. In Oregon the mean temperature this Winter 
has been 41 degrees—lowest 31%. Dandelions were in 
bloom January 17. There has been a mild Winter all 
over the country thus far. 
'/W 
5 
February 5, 1921 
Influence of Prices on Income of the 
Farmer 
A S illustrating the effect of increased cost and de¬ 
clining prices on the farmer’s profit or loss, we 
On the Clermont County Experiment Farm in 1919 
we had a yield of 20.4 bu. of corn per acre. The 
corn was? rated at $1.40 per bu. The man hours to 
grow and harvest this corn were 49.3, the horse 
hours 47.2, and the fertilizer charge $2.18 per acre, 
the total labor and miscellaneous cost per acre being 
$23.29. Balance for payment of rent, taxes, ma¬ 
chine and overhead charges, $7.G3 per acre. 
In 1920 the same acreage of corn was put in. the 
yield was 42 bu. per acre, rated at 75c per bu. Man 
hours 54, the horse hours 41, fertilizer charge $8.02, 
labor and miscellaneous charge $35.03, leaving a bal¬ 
ance of $1.87 for payment of rent of land, taxes, ma¬ 
chinery and overhead charges. While the man hours 
and horse hours in 1920 were not much different from 
1919, the rate was higher and the application of fer¬ 
tilizer heavier. Disease cut down the yield in 1919. 
The chief difference is in the value of the corn, 42 bu. 
not giving as good a rent in 1920 as 20.4 the year 
before. 
Wheat has not declined in price as much as corn. 
On the Clermont County Experiment Farm in 1919 
we had a yield of wheat of 24.7 bu. per acre, rated 
at $2.25 per bu., or $55.55 per acre, including straw. 
The man hours were 18.1, rate 25c; horse hours 24.4, 
rate 15c; fertilizer and miscellaneous charge, $4.01 
per acre. ’Total labor and miscellaneous expense per 
acre, $16.95, leaving $38.00 for rent of land, taxes, 
machinery and overhead charges. 
In 1920 the yield of wheat was 16.5 bu. per acre, 
rated at $2.25 per bu., or $44.53 per acre, including 
straw. The man hours were 12.S, rate 33c; the 
horse hours 14.7, rate 20c; fertilizer and miscel¬ 
laneous charge. $8.91, or total labor and miscella¬ 
neous charge of $15.35, leaving $29.18 for rent of 
land, taxes, machinery and overhead charges. In 
the case of wheat it is easy to understand the cause 
of the reduced profit, less yield. 
In keeping cost account of live stock projects we 
should not charge interest on investment, but for 
labor, etc., and then if anything is left that is profit 
or interest on investment, and the investment is its 
true value in money, no difference how it was 
brought about. Sometimes land depreciates instead 
of increasing in value. If we are feeding live stock 
we charge the stock the farm value of the feed, no 
difference what it cost us to raise the feed. 
You probably noted the packers’ explanation of the 
cost of the cured ham 43c, the hog costing 13c. The 
packers did not start with the 13c, but started with 
the green ham that was worth 33c per lb. Adding 
the various costs to the 33c they arrived at the 43c 
cost for the cured ham.' 
On the Madison County Experiment Farm in 1919 
silage cost us $2.62 a ton to put up, and was charged 
to the cattle at $9.20 per ton. In 1920 it cost us 
$3.21 per ton to put in silo, but it is charged to the 
cattle at $6.15, the farm value of the corn in 1919 
being rated at $1.10 per bu., and in 1920, 46c per bu. 
Supposing the cattle do as well as last year we un¬ 
doubtedly will make 100 lbs. of beef cheaper than 
last year, but whether we make or lose in the opera¬ 
tion depends on the juice we receive for the cattle. 
Ohio Experiment .Station. c. w. Montgomery. 
First Concrete Silo Built in Southern Idaho. Fig. 77 
