lants William S.ITkjers, UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT LOS ANGELES In regard to the reference on page 31 of "Food for Plants," the figures given by Professor G. E. Bailey, Author of Bulletin No. 24, of the California State Mining Bureau, are merely selected to express the highest maximum equivalent amount of Nitrate of Soda which may be removed by the largest crops taken from any soil in one season. It is not intended to thereby recommend that the same amount of Nitrate of Soda should be put on the soil broadcast each season, but merely to show the great rate at which the soil exhaustion of Nitrates proceeds. On page 79 of "Food for Plants," the value of the Hay cut on the small plots does not refer to the amount of produce per acre, but merely to the values obtained from the crops on the plots themselves. Full information is given on this point in Bulletins of the Rhode Island Station. FOOD FOR PLANTS New Edition With Supplementary Notes MYERS EDITED AND PUBLISHED BY WILLIAM S. Myers, F. c. s„ Director, Nitrate of Soda Propaganda. Late of New Jersey State Agricultural College. JOHN STREET AND 71 NASSAU, NEW YORK. Editions of 1907 ■ Ofe t3 Wt&f- Preface. V This is the tenth edition of Food for Plants and, after repeated and extended revisions, the work has come to have a standard place in our American farm literature. It now includes results of original investigations and experiments on Highlands Experimental Farms. The main purpose of these experiments has been to de- monstrate the value of Nitrate of Soda in the scheme of ra- tional fertilization on a practical scale. The experiments are £ being continued and results will be published in succeeding w editions of this work. The present investigations cover more 5 particularly the question of amount of Nitrate and other . chemicals to be employed, as well as the question of time of a application for most profitable results. These experiments are being inaugurated along the lines pursued by European investigators, and we expect to be able to publish additional data of value in our next edition of this work. WILLIAM S. MYERS. New York, October, 1907. :?4248r> Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2007 with funding from Microsoft Corporation http://www.archive.org/details/foodforplantsOOmyeriala Food for Plants. Nitrate is a powerful plant tonic, food and energizer; it is not a stimulant in any sense of the word; a very small quantity does a very large amount of work. We never recommend the use of Nitrate of Soda alone, except at the rate of not more than one hundred (ioo) pounds to the acre, when it may be used without other fer- tilizers. The phosphate, lime and potash manures should usually be applied in connection with Nitrate of Soda at the rate of about two hundred and fifty (250) pounds to the acre of each. This rate will be found generally profitable for all crops. Nitrate is best applied as a Top-dressing in the spring soon after vegetation begins to grow. It will be found quite satisfactory also in its after-effect in perceptibly sweetening sour land. It is well known that animals, and especially young ani- mals, must have all the food they can digest in order to properly develop and grow. Food Necessary This is equally true of plants. Plants will for Plants- manage to live on very little food, but to grow, thrive and bear fruit they likewise require an abundance of food. The Food of Plants consists of a number of elements, including Nitrate, phosphate, lime and potash. A sufficient quantity of all these necessary elements, except Nitrate, phos- phate and potash, exists in nearly all soils. Nitrates are nearly always deficient, phosphates and potash frequently. In some soils there may be enough of all the ele- ments of plant food except one. This may safely be assumed to be Nitrate. In WJiy N,trate this case the growth and yield of the crop ,s Indispensable, will be limited only by the quantity of Nitrate it can assimi- late. There might be an abundant supply of all the other elements, but plants can never use other kinds of food with- out Nitrate. Nitrate Nitrogen is the food that is nearly always deficient. The question that Nitrate presents itself to the farmer, gardener and Nearly Always fruit grower is, How can I supply my Deficient. Food for piants wl7^ Nitrogen, phosphoric acid and potash, in the best forms and at the least expense? We will try to throw some light upon this question in the following pages. We will take first, Phosphoric Acid. There are several sources of phosphoric Phosphoric Acid. acid> the principal being bones and rock phosphate. Of these, the rock phosphate is the cheapest source. A prevailing impression exists that superphosphate made from rock phosphate is not as good as that made from bones. It has been shown by many experiments that this idea is entirely without foundation. What the plants want is available phosphoric acid, and it makes little or no differ- ence from what source it is derived. The largest deposits of rock phosphates exist in South Carolina, Florida and Tennessee. These beds of phosphate are supposed to be composed of the petrified bones and excre- ments of extinct animals. When this substance is ground and mixed with a sufficient quantity of sulphuric acid, the larger part of the phosphoric acid which it contains becomes soluble in water, and hence available as plant food. This fact was one of the greatest agricultural discoveries of the age. When the rock phosphate is thus treated with sulphuric acid, it becomes what is commercially known as superphos- phate, or acid phosphate. The same is true if ground bone is treated in the same way. Good superphosphate, or acid phosphate, contains 14 per cent, of soluble phosphoric acid. The best sources of potash are sulphate Potashes. 0f p0tash and unleached wood ashes, which latter contain from 3 to 5 per cent, of potash in the form of carbonate. They also contain from 1 to 2 1/2 per cent, of phos- phoric acid. They are worth, usually, as plant food, from $7.00 to $11.00 per ton, not to mention the valuable lime they contain. Nitrate is the most important and effective Nitrate. element of plant food, and at the same time, as stated, is the one that is generally deficient in the soil. Lands must have meals, that is, food cooked for them in advance. The sun will help do this cooking, as its heat and light promote nitration which is really a process of cooking and also pre-digestion. When the plant food is cooked and prepared for use it is Nitrate, hence Nitrate of Soda is in a Food for class by itself, different from all other plant foods. *nts There are a great many sources of Nitrogen, such as 7 dried fish, cotton-seed meal, dried blood, and tankage. But none of these furnish Nitrogen in the Nitrate form in which it is taken up by plants. This can only be furnished to plants in the form of Nitrate of Soda. Nitrogen applied in any other form must be first converted into Nitrate before it can be used by plants at all. Nitrate of Soda contains the Nitrogen that is necessary for the growth of plants. Nitrate of Soda is the best form in which to furnish Nitrogen to plants. When we say the best form we mean as well the best practical form. Nitrate of Soda not only furnishes Nitrogen in its most available form, but it furnishes it at a lower price than any other source, because it is ioo per cent, available. How Nitrate Benefits the Farmer. Nitrate of Soda, from the standpoint of the Agricultural chemist, is a substance ^nat ^ ./" formed by the union of nitric oxide and ^ooks Like ; Its soda. In appearance it resembles coarse ^nemic«l salt. In agriculture, it is valuable chiefly Pr°Perties- for its active Nitrogen, although it is also a soil sweetener and is frequently capable of rendering available potash in the soil. Commercially pure Nitrate contains . . . about 15.65 of Nitrogen, equivalent to 19 Jt . J 1S per cent, of Ammonia, or 313 pounds of Agriculture. Nitrogen to the ton. Nitrate of Soda is found in vast quan- «», tities in Chile. The beds of Nitrate, or p . "Caliche," as it is called in Chile before it is refined, are several thousand feet above the sea, on a desert plain extending for seventy-five miles north and south, and about twenty miles wide, in a rainless region. The surface of the desert is covered with earth or rock, called "costra," which varies from three to ten or more feet in thickness. Food for Plants VIEWS OF CHILEAN NITRATE WORKS. Opening up Trench After Blasting, Showing Extraction of Caliche by Piece Work. r , '; - V par - -> Loading Caliche into Railway Trucks. Under this is found the "Caliche," or crude Nitrate. The Food for layer of "Caliche" is sometimes eight or ten feet thick, but Plant8 averages about three feet. This "Caliche" contains on the 9 average about 50 per cent, of pure Nitrate of Soda. There is ample Nitrate (1907) now in sight to last, it is calculated, over three hundred and fifty years. The "Caliche" is refined by boiling in water to dissolve the Nitrate. The hot water is then run off and allowed to cool in tanks, when the Nitrate forms in crystals like common salt. The Nitrate is Method of then placed in bags of a little over two hun- Kenning, dred pounds each and shipped to all parts of the world. How these beds of Nitrate were formed has been the subject of much speculation. The generally accepted the- ory is, that they were formed by the gradual decomposition and natural manurial fermentation of marine animal and vegetable matter, which contains a considerable amount of Nitrogen. The process of refining is an expensive one. The same wise Providence that stored up the coal in the mountains of Pennsylvania to furnish fuel for people when their supply of wood has become exhausted, preserved this vast quantity of Nitrate of Soda in the rainless region of Chile, to be used to furnish their crops with the neces- sary Nitrate when the natural supply in the soil has become deficient. The enormous explosive industry of this country could not be conducted without Nitrate of Soda, ■ and glass works are dependent upon it. In uses, fact, glass works and powder works usually have Nitrate on hand. Nitrate of Soda has a special bearing dm on the progress of modern agriculture, . ° ' 10n being the most nutritious form of Nitrog- !° Modern enous or ammoniate plant food. While gricu ure. the action of micro-organisms with certain crops {legumes) combines and makes effective use of the inert Nitrogen of the atmosphere, such action is far too slow and uncertain for all the requirements of modern agriculture, for it is not avail- able for use for a whole year or even longer. The rapid ex- haustion of combined Nitrogen has several times been noticed by eminent scientific men, with reference to food famine, be- Food for Plants VIEWS OF CHILEAN NITRATE WORKS. Top of Caliche Hopper: Carts Tipping Caliche. Elevators from Crushers to Boiling-Tanks. cause of a lack of the needful Nitrogenous plant food. It has Food '°r been estimated under the present methods Plant8 of cropping the rich lands of our Western Wasteful Methods „ States, that for every pound of Nitrogen g our Pl0neer actually used to make a wheat crop, four **armers* to five pounds are utterly wasted. In other words, our pioneer agriculture has proceeded as though Fertility Capital could be drawn upon forever. This injudicious waste is already reducing the yield of many of the best lands, rendering the use of at least a small application per acre of Nitrate both profitable and necessary. The agricultural value of Nitrate of Soda has had the attention of the foremost agri- Em»nent Scien- cultural and scientific specialists of the *ists th® „!" world, including such men as Dr. Paul °V(;r . .T^'. Wagner and Professor Maercker, of Ger- ^uaintea with the many; Lawes and Gilbert, Sir William Great Value of Crookes, Dr. Dyer, Dr. Hall and Dr. Nltrate- Voelcker, in England; Professors Grandeau, Cassarini, Mig- neaux, and Cadoret, in France; Professors Bernardo, Giner, and Alino, in Spain; and Drs. Voorhees, Wheeler, Kilgore, Brooks, Duggar, Stubbs, Ross, Patterson, Hilgard, Shaw and Garcia in America. The results obtained by these officials may be summarized as follows: i. Nitrate of Soda acts very beneficially and with great certainty upon all straw-growing plants. 2. It is of special value for forcing the rapid develop- ment and early maturity of most garden crops. 3. It is of great importance in the production of sugar beets, potatoes, hops, fodder crops, fiber plants, and tobacco. 4. It is exceedingly valuable in developing and main- taining meadow grass and pasture lands. 5. In the early stages of development it produces favorable results upon peas, vetches, lupines, clover, and al- falfa. 6. It has been applied with much advantage to various kinds of berries, bush fruits, vineyards, orchards and nursery stock, and small fruits generally. 7. It provides the means in the hands of the farmer, for energizing his crops so that they may better withstand the ravages of drought, or the onslaughts of plant diseases or insect pests, such as boll weevil, and others. VIEWS OF CHILEAN NITRATE WORKS. Automatic Push-plate Conveyor for Conveying Caliche from Top of Elevators to Deposit over Boiling-Tank. Crystallizing Pans — Full, Filling, and Empty. 8. It may be used as a surface appli- Food f°r cation to the soil, from time to time, as the Top-Dressing. Plants plants indicate a need of it by their color and growth. '3 9. It is immediately available, and under favorable conditions its effect upon many crops may be noticed within a few days after its application. 10. It may be used either as a special fertilizer, or as a supplemental fertilizer. 1 1 . The best results are obtained from its application when the soil contains ample supplies of available phosphoric acid and potash. It should always be remembered that it furnishes the one most expensive and necessary element of plant food, namely, Nitrogen, and of the various commer- cial forms of Nitrogen, Nitrate is the cheapest. 12. Its uniform action seems to be to energize the capacity of the plant for developing growth. Its action is characterized by imparting to the plant a deep green, healthy appearance, and by also causing it to grow rapidly and to put out numbers of new shoots. 13. The immediate effect of an application of Nitrate of Soda, therefore, is to develop a much larger plant growth and its skillful application must be relied upon to secure the largest yields of fruits and grain. 14. Under favorable conditions of moisture and culti- vation, these effects may be confidently anticipated upon all kinds of soils. 15. All of the plant food contained in Nitrate of Soda is available and existing in a highly soluble form. The farmer should understand that it is not economical to apply more of it than can be utilized by the crop; one of the most valuable qualities of this fertilizer being that it need not lie dormant in the soil from one season to the next. 16. The best results are secured when it is applied during the early growing periods of the plant. // applied too late in the development of the plant, it has a tendency to protract its growing period and to delay the ripening of the fruit, as the energies of the plant are immediately concen- trated upon developing its growth, after a liberal application of Nitrate of Soda. This is true with some exceptions. 17. The farmer must not expect it to excuse him from applying proper principles of land drainage, or cultivation of the soil, nor should Nitrate of Soda be used in excessive Food for Plants VIEWS OF CHILEAN NITRATE WORKS. Crystallizing Pans After Running oft Mother-liquor, Showing Deposit of Nitrate Crystals. \!7 vii ui T> ,V yi, WJ YA 1 ' II - r 1 if !*•>" • - ,f JBP Drying- Floors and Bagging of Nitrate. quantities too close to the plants that are fertilized with it. Food for For most agricultural crops, an application of one hundred Plants pounds to the acre is sufficient when it is used alone. '5 1 8. It may be applied to either agricultural or garden lands by sowing it broadcast upon the land, or by means of any fertilizer-distributing machine in use. If applied in the dry state, in order to insure uniform distribution, a conve- nient method is to mix it with twice its weight of air-slacked lime, land plaster, or even with dry sand or wheat bran before applying it. It can be applied to the surface, and without cultivation will be absorbed by the soil, or it may be culti- vated into the soil by some light agricultural implement, such as a harrow, weeder, cultivator or horse hoe. The capillary movement of the soil waters will distribute it in the soil, and the capillary attraction of the soil when in good tilth will retain it safely until the plant uses it. Accepting the conclusions of these scientific men, the use of Nitrate of Soda in agriculture ought to increase propor- tionately to the dissemination of the knowledge of its usefulness among our farmers. An increase in the consump- tion of Nitrate among growers of tobacco, fiber plants, sugar beets, the hop, grape, }ts Use 1S grass and small fruits, has been most nota- increasing, ble of late. The element of plant food first exhausted in soils is Nitrogen, and in many cases a marked increase in crop is obtained through Top-Dressings of Nitrate alone. "Com- plete" fertilizers are generally rather low in Nitrogen, and most expensive, and Nitrate may be wisely used to supple- ment them, as it is practically the cheapest form of plant food nitrogen. By "complete fertilizers," is meant fertilizers containing Nitrogen, phosphoric ™p ,, acid and potash. These fertilizers are often ,^r"llze.rS a™ called "phosphates," and people have fall- .Ph°Sph*teS en into the habit of calling any commercial ™Q Most fcxpen- fertilizer a "phosphate," whether it con- sive PIant h00d* tains phosphate or not. Many so-called "complete fertiliz- ers" are merely low grade acid phosphates with insignificant amounts of the other essential plant foods. They are unprof- itable and ill balanced rations for all crops. Food for The value of these "phosphates," no matter how high tnts sounding their names, is usually mostly in phosphoric acid 16 and potash. The Nitrogen contained »n these "complete fertilizers" is often in a form that is neither available nor useful to the plants until it has become converted into Nitrate. The time required to do this varies from a few days to a few years, according to the temperature of the soil and the kind and con- dition of the material used. Statistics gathered by the Experiment Stations show that many millions of dollars are spent annually in the United States for "complete fertilizers." Considering that the aver- age "complete fertilizer" costs 25 per cent, more than it is worth, it is evident that farmers pay immensely more for their fertilizers than they get value in return. And this state of things is the same all over the country. The farmers of this country are paying out many millions of dollars annually to the manufacturers of "complete fertilizers," which they could very easily save by the exercise of a little care and fore- sight. Would you not think a man very unwise How to Save wj1Q should buy somebody's "Complete Money on Prepared Food," at a high price, when he fertilizers, wanted feed for his horses, instead of going into the market and buying corn, oats and hay, at market prices? The "Complete Prepared Food" would probably be composed of corn, oats and hay mixed together, and the price would be, perhaps, twice as much as the corn, oats and hay would cost separately. It is the same with plant food. It is always more economical to buy what Fertilizers ^ d\fierent fertilizing materials and mix to buy. ^^ at j10me than to pUrchase "complete" fertilizers as they are often called. Some do not wish to take pains to get good materials and mix them, and prefer to pur- chase the "complete" fertilizers. If this be done, special attention should be given to ascertaining in what form the Nitrogen exists. Many of the manufacturers do not tell this, but the Experiment Stations analyze all the fertilizers sold in their respective States and publish the re- sults in bulletins, which are sent free to anyone asking for them. These analyses should show in what form the Nitro- gen is. The "complete fertilizers" that contain the most Food for Nitrogen in the form of Nitrate are the ones to use, and an s the ones which do not contain Nitrate or which do I7 not give information on this vital point should not be purchased. If you have on hand a "complete fer- tilizer" containing a small percentage of Nitrogen, and only in organic form, such as cotton-seed, "tankage," etc., it will be of great advantage to use one hundred pounds per acre of Nitrate of Soda in addition to this fertilizer. This is often an economical and convenient method of buying fertilizers. No fertilizer is really complete without Nitrate. A Home Mixing Plant with Grinding Machine for Chemical Fertilizers. Are the Farmers of Little Europe More Intelligent Than Those of America ? It certainly seems so. The English and European farmers instead of buying their Nitrogen in complete fertili- zers and paying over 25 cents per pound for it, use annually over eight hundred thousand (800,000) tons of Nitrate of Soda as a fertilizer, while yet only a few thousands of Amer- ican farmers are using it at a cost generally of less than 20 cents per pound. Food for American farmers, gardeners and fruit growers are sup- P1>nts posed to be ready to "catch on" to a good thing. And as ,8 soon as our Agricultural Press let them know the facts in regard to the great value of Nitrate of Soda as a Fertilizer our farmers will not be slow to use it. The reason why so little is said about Nitrate of Soda is simply owing to the fact that there is "no money in it for the trade." It is an article that everybody can sell, and consequently no one can afford to advertise it. The manufacturers of so-called "complete fer- tilizers" pay the agricultural papers large sums of money every year for advertising, and consequently the editors do not like to publish anything that might injure this trade. The real friends of agriculture, however, will be pleased to know that there is a decided increase in the demand foi Nitrate of Soda in this country. As soon as the farmers de- mand it, the dealers in fertilizers will be glad to keep the Nitrate for sale, and sooner or later will advertise it. In the mean time, if your agricultural paper does not tell you about Nifrate of Soda and how to use it, take a paper that keeps up with the science and practice of the age. It is now known that the Nitrogen in organic matter of soil or manure is slowly converted into the Nitrate form by a minute organism. This cannot grow if the soil be too cold, or too wet, or too dry, or in a sour soil. As a general rule, soils must be kept sweet and the other conditions necessary for the conversion of the Nitrogen into the Nitrate form are warm weather and a moist soil in good physical condition. In the early spring the soil is too wet and too cold for the change to take place. We must wait for warm weather. But the gardener does not want to wait. He makes his profits largely on his early crops. Guided only by experi- ence and tradition, he fills his land with manure, and even then he gets only a moderate crop the first year. He puts on 75 tons more manure the next year, and gets a better crop. And he may continue putting on manure till the soil is as rich in Nitrogen as the manure itself, and even then he must keep on manuring or he fails to get a good early crop. Why? The Nitrogen of the soil, or of roots of plants, or dung, is retained in the soil in a comparatively inert condition. There is little or no loss. But when it is slowly converted into Nitrate during warm weather, the plants take it up and grow rapidly. How, then, is the market gardener to get the Nitrate Food for absolutely necessary for the growth of his early plants? He Plants may get it, as before stated, from an excessive and continuous x9 use of stable manure, but even then he fails to get it in sufficient quantity. One thousand pounds of Nitrate of Soda will furnish more Nitrogen to the plants early in the spring than the gardener can get from ioo tons of well-rotted stable manure. The stable manure may help furnish Nitrate for his later crops, but for his early crops the gardener who fails to use Nitrate of Soda is blind to his own interests. A given quantity of Nitrate will pro- duce a given amount of plant substance. A ~n Ju iT ton of wheat, straw and grain together, N^rate Should contain about 1,500 pounds of dry matter, usea- of which 25 pounds is Nitrogen. To produce a ton of wheat and straw together would require, therefore, 170 pounds of Nitrate of Soda, in which quantity there is 25 pounds of Nitrogen. A ton of cabbage, on the other hand, contains about 4J/2 pounds of Nitrogen. To produce a ton of cabbage, there- fore, would require 28 pounds of Nitrate of Soda. The most important money crops are beets, carrots, cabbage, cauliflower, celery, onions, tomatoes, potatoes and other vegetables and fruits. The most profitable are tobacco, grain, cotton, grass and alfalfa. There are no crops on which it is more profitable to use fertilizers than on vegetables and small fruits, provided they are used rightly. Many failures with chemical fertilizers are caused usually by lack of knowledge. There is no doubt but that stable manure is valu- Fertilizers for able as a fertilizer, and in some cases may cf?«ii j * be indispensable, but at the same time the Sma11 Frults- quantities necessary to produce good results could be greatly reduced by using chemical fertilizers to supply plant food and only enough manure to give lightness and add humus to the soil. For crops like cabbage and beets, that it is desirable to force to rapid maturity, W**at Fcrt,*J|zers the kind of plant food, especially of |° U*e for Gar" Nitrogen, is of the greatest importance. den Cr°Ps- Many fertilizers sold for this purpose have all the Nitrogen Food for Plants 30 Bushel* of Ears per Acre. Fertilized with 10 Tons of Stable Manure and 200 Pounds fine- ground Bone. 100 Bushels of Ears per Acre. Fertilized with zoo Pounds Nitrate, 200 Pounds Sulphate of Potash, 1,000 Pounds Thomas Phosphate Powder. they contain in insoluble and unavailable form, so that it Food for requires a considerable time for the plants to get it. Another Plants fault is that they do not contain nearly enough Nitrogen. 2I Stable manure contains on the average in one ton, 10 pounds Nitrogen, 10 pounds potash, and only 5 pounds phosphoric acid, while the average "complete" fertilizer contains more than twice as much phosphoric acid as Nitro- gen, a most unnatural and unprofitable ration. A ratio of 2 Nitrogen, 4 potash, and 10 of phosphoric acid, is frequent in many of the so-called "complete fertilizers," which are really incomplete and unbalanced as well. A fertilizer for quick-growing vegetables should contain as much Nitro- gen as phosphoric acid, and at least half this Nitrogen should be in the form of Nitrate, which is the only immediately available plant food. Some interesting and valuable experi- Comparative ments were made at the Connecticut Ex- Avai1abilitv of periment Station, to ascertain how much Njtr0gen ;n of the Nitrogen contained in such materials Various Forms as dried blood, tankage, dry fish, and cot- ton-seed meal, is available to plants. The experiments were made with corn, and it was found that when the same quantity of Nitrogen was applied in the various forms the crop increased over that where no Nitrogen was applied, as shown in the following table: Increase of Crop from Same Quantity of Nitrogen from Different Sources. Relative Sources of Nitrogen. Crop Increase. Nitrate of Soda ioo Dried Blood 73 Cotton-seed Meal 72 Diy Fish 7° Tankage 62 Linseed Meal 78 The above table shows some interesting facts. It is evident that only about three-fourths as much of the Nitro- gen in dried blood or cotton-seed meal as in Nitrate of Soda is available the first season. The Nitrogen in tankage is even less available, only a little over half being used by the crop. These experiments were made with corn, which grows Food for for a long period when the ground is warm and the condi- Plant8 tions most favorable to render the Nitrogen in organic sub- stances available and yet only part of it could be used by the crop. When it is considered that Nitrogen in the form of Nitrate of Soda can be bought for as little or less per pound than in almost any other form, the advantage and economy of purchasing and using this form is very apparent. Nitration as studied by means of the drainage water of 6 plats of land, each 300 square yards in area, during 4 years, shows that the loss of Nitrogen in the drain- age water was very stnall and practically negligible. Even when Nitrogen was applied in the spring the losses were not large unless heavy rains occurred at the time. The Nitrogen is apparently rapidly taken up by the young growing plants at this season of the year and only a small portion is free to pass into the drainage. The greatest losses may occur in the fall, when the soil is bare and heavy rains occur, the Nitrates having accumulated in large quantities during the warmer period of the year. Large losses at this season are, however, prevented by the growing of cover crops. Chile's Supply of Nitrate. Investigation Proves It Sufficient, in all Likelihood, to Last Several Centuries. A good deal has been said in this country and in Europe about the probability of the Nitrate beds of Chile being ex- hausted within twenty to twenty-five years. The matter has been made the object of a native government investigation with the result that the investigators report enough to last for several centuries yet. Of interest in connection with the report of a new pro- cess for the cheap commercial extraction of Nitrogen from the air, for use in making fertilizers, is a recent (Chilean) gov- ernment report on the Chilean Nitrate beds. It is estimated that the state still possesses nearly 5,000,000 acres of Nitrate grounds, which contain about 1,000,000,000,000 pounds of Nitrate. Taking half this figure as the total available supply, and assuming an annual export of 8,000,000,000 pounds, which is more than twice the amount ever sent out of the Food for country in any one year, it would require 125 years to ex- Plants haust the beds. If to these government beds there be added 23 those belonging to private persons, the final exhaustion of the supply will not be for another two or three hundred years. The reported imminency of the failure of the Chile beds has been one of the reasons urged for the development of an ar- tificial process of manufacture, up to this time a failure com- mercially. Hints for Right Use of Nitrate. The points to be observed in the use of Nitrate of Soda are: Avoid an excess; do not sprinkle the wet foliage with dry Nitrate; and in general Nitrate must not be allowed to come in contact with the stems or leaves of plants. Nitrate of Soda is immediately available as plant food. Applica- tions of Nitrate of Soda may be made at the rate of 100 pounds per acre at intervals of two or three weeks during the growing season. Nitrate of Soda comes from South How t0 Mix and America in 224-pound bags, and is usually APP'y Nitrate of thus sold. The Nitrate looks much like ^oda and °ther coarse salt. The lumps should be broken, Fertillzers. which can easily be done by turning the Nitrate out on the barn floor and breaking with the back of a spade. The Nitrate should then be run through a sieve with a mesh not larger than one-fourth inch. It will then be ready for use. When fertilizers are to be mixed together, pour the right quantity of each in a pile on the floor and turn them over two or three times with a shovel until' they are thor- oughly mixed. It is a good plan to run the whole through a sieve, which will completely mix the fertilizers. The mix- ing should not be done more than a week before the ferti- lizers are to be used, as the mixture may attract moisture and get hard if left too long after mixing. In Europe small hand machines are used by farmers for grinding and mixing, and cost about twenty-five dollars. They are also in use in America. In applying fertilizers it should be re- Hqw {q A . membered that any form of phosphoric phosohatic acid, such as acid phosphate, dissolved Fertilizers bone-black or bone meal is only partially *4 Food for soluble, and will not circulate in the soil. These fertilizers P1>nts should therefore be evenly distributed over the soil and well mixed with it. This is usually best done by applying broad- cast before sowing the seed and before the ground is thor- oughly prepared. In this way it gets well mixed with the soil. Nitrate of Soda, on the other hand, will diffuse itself rapidly and thoroughly throughout the soil wherever there is enough moisture to dissolve it. It can therefore be ap- plied by scattering on the surface of the ground as soon as +< How and Where to Buy Fertilizing Materials. One Hundred Bushels of Ears of Corn per Acre. Before Harvesting. the plants are up. This latter method, called "Top-Dress- ing," is usually the best. Since Nitrate of Soda and salts of potash are brought to this country by sea, and phosphate is usually transported from the mines in vessels, all these materials, as a rule, can be purchased at the seaports cheaper than in the interior. New York is the largest market for these materials, but Philadelphia, Baltimore, Charles- ton, Savannah, Mobile, New Orleans, Galveston, and San Francisco are also ports of entry. Lower prices can be obtained by buying fertilizing materials in car-load lots. A car-load is not less than ten tons. // you cannot use a car-load yourself, get your neigh- bors to join with you. Much money can often be saved in this way. In buying always consider the percentage of available Fo°d 'or fertility. Plants The various "brands" of fertilizers are composed, for 2s the most part, of substances such as plaster, fillers, super- phosphate, etc., which can be manufactured for much less than the prices charged for these substances in so-called "com- plete fertilizers." The freight charges on these are just as high as on the essential constituents, so that every extra hun- dred weight of "filler" is useless expense. Cost of Transportation of Fertilizers. A striking illustration of the difference in the cost of transportation by four different ways is given below : Cost of Transportation per Ton. Horse power, 5 miles $1.25 Electric power, 25 miles 1.25 Steam cars, 250 miles 1.25 Steamships on the lakes 1,000 miles 1.25 RETABULATION SHOWS THAT: $1.25 Will Haul a Ton — 5 miles on a common road, 12^ to 15 miles on a well-made stone road, 25 miles on a trolley road, 250 miles on a steam railway, 1,000 miles on a steamship. It will be seen that the same amount of money it takes to haul a given amount of produce five miles on a public highway of the United States will pay the freight for 250 miles on a railroad and 1,000 miles on a steamship line on the lakes. This is too great a difference, as will be admitted by all, and when we think of the fact that the railroad com- panies are ever at work repairing and improving their high- ways while the farmer is apparently so little awake to his own interests in regard to furnishing himself with better roads, we wonder why it is. The lesson seems plain and clear, and, as farmers, let us continue to aid the good road movement throughout the country. Nitrate of Soda is essentially a seaboard article; sup- plies at interior points are not always available, hence the ports of entry are indicated to you as the best sources of sup- ply. In ordering Nitrate of Soda make the request that, in »od for tne event of purchasing, it be sent as "Fertilizer," and that ,nts it be marked "For Fertilizing Purposes." It has been the 26 custom of the railroad companies to discriminate heavily against Nitrate of Soda by charging prohibitory chemical rates, and it is hoped by correctly designating the material the discrimination will not be practised. Farm newspapers generally are quite willing to publish wholesale quotations on all those things which the farmer has to sell, and they have not, as a rule, published wholesale quotations on those articles which he has to buy. Among the latter, agricultural chemicals occupy a position of prime importance, not only as to actual effect on farm prosperity, but as to the actual amount of cash which the farmer has to spend, for his produce comes out of the soil and its amount and quality is determined by the character of the chemicals he puts in it. Agricultural journals generally, which profess to be friends of the farmer, should make a continued effort in the direction of enhancing his purchasing power, by endeavoring to make him more prosperous. This cannot be done under old conditions of helping to make him, at the outset, pay such a large bonus for agricultural chemicals under one pretext or another. The improvement of our water-ways, so long urged by us, seems at last to be in sight; and farm chemicals at lower rates may ultimately be expected, even at interior points. You should buy your plant food in the best and cheapest forms, and feed it to the plants as they require it. You can buy available Nitrogen in Nitrate of Soda for about 18 cents per pound. In so-called "complete fertilizers," Nitrogen costs from 20 to 30 cents per pound, and even then only part of it is likely to be available. Nitrate of Soda is the best form in which to buy Available Nitrogen. Cheapest also because quickest acting. One would not think of buying raw, unground phos- phate rock for phosphatic plant food; why, then, should one ever consider seriously buying the most expensive plant food, viz. : Nitrogen in the raw and indigestible forms, which many manufacturers and dealers endeavor to foist on our farmers. // only unavailable Nitrogen is all that is required, by all means plow under a cover crop, and buy only a straight acid phosphate as such. Abstract of United States Experiment Station Food for Record. From Massachusetts Station Report, 1905. Mixed oats and peas were grown this year in connection with comparative tests of different sources of Nitrogen, and on the basis of yields secured the materials ranked as fol- lows: Nitrate of Soda, dried blood, sulphate of ammonia, and barnyard manure. Based on the increase of all the crops since the beginning of the experiments the relative rank was : Nitrate of Soda 100, dried blood 68.72, sulphate of am- monia 60.78, barnyard manure 80.58. On the grass lands receiving different fertilizer treat- ment in rotation the average yield of hay was at the rate of 4,840 lbs. per acre for all 3 systems of manuring. The aver- age yield in this test from 1893 to 1905, inclusive, was 6,479 lbs. An application of Nitrate of Soda, after harvesting the first crop of grass, gave but a relatively small increase in yield, but, in one instance, where applied at the rate of 150 lbs. per acre an increase of nearly 1 ton of rowen, or consid- erably more than sufficient to pay the cost of the fertilizer was obtained. The results in determining the relative value for garden crops with fertilizers supplying respectively Nitro- gen and potash, when used with manure, show that on the basis of total crops produced the standing of the different Nitrogen fertilizers is, for the early crops, Nitrate of Soda 100, dried blood 95.67, sulphate of ammonia 63.08, and for late crops Nitrate of Soda 100, dried blood 98.77, sulphate of ammonia 79.52. For 15 years the relative standing of the fertilizers supplying potash is, for early crops, sulphate of potash 100, muriate of potash 94.66, and for late crops sul- phate of potash 97.09, and muriate of potash 100. From United States Experiment Station Record, November, 1906. The results of plat experiments with wheat here re- ported indicate that the Nitrate alone in 2 applications was more effective than a mixture of Nitrate of Soda and sulphate of ammonia. Plants *7 Food for Plants 28 How to Use Chemical Fertilizers to Advantage. Crops grow only in consequence of the How All Crops food piace(j at thejr disposal; practically, ow* the plant foods consist of certain combina- tions or mixtures of Nitrogen, phosphoric acid and potash. All soils contain some of these plant foods, and few soils con- tain them in very large quantities. Fortunately for the perma- nence of agriculture, nature does not permit these natural supplies to be drawn upon freely, and any attempt to over- force the soil by injudicious farming is met by a temporary exhaustion. The so-called "artificial ma- As to the Na- nures" are simply chemical or organic sub- ture of Chemi- stances which contain one or more of the cal Manures. • three elements of plant food. The use of Nitrate of Soda is well known Nitrate as a as a top-dressing for small grains. Wheat I op-Dressing on str0ng clay will repay an application of for Urains, IOO p0un(js 0f Nitrate per acre, even if Grasses, Root- aiready heavily fertilized. Crops, Pas- por Roots IOO pounds at seed time tures. Soiling an(j IOO pouncjs after thinning is found Cr°Ps* profitable. How Nitrate The form of Nitrogen most active as Increases plant food is the nitrated form, namely: Wheat Crops. Nitrate of Soda. All other Nitrogens must be converted into this form before they can be used as food by plants. Sir John Lawes wisely remarks: "When we consider that the application of a few pounds of Nitrogen in Nitrate of Soda to a soil which contains several thousand pounds of Nitrogen in its organic form, is capable of increasing the crop from 14 to 40 or even 50 bushels of wheat per acre, I think it must be apparent to all that we have very convincing evidence of the value of Nitrate." The Nitrogen of Nitrate of Soda is immediately available as plant food, and it should therefore be applied only when plants are ready to use it. By such a ready supply of available plant food, young plants are able to establish such a vigor of growth that they can much better resist disease, and the attacks of insects and parasites. Food for The famous experiments of Lawes and Gilbert at Plants Rothamsted have demonstrated that cereals . 29 utilize more than three times as much of Nitrate Com- the Nitrogen in Nitrate of Soda as Pared with of the Nitrogen contained in farmyard rarmyara manure ; in practice, four and one-half tons nure. of farmyard manure supply only as much available ammoni- ate usable plant food as ioo pounds of Nitrate of Soda. Catch-crops are recommended to pre- vent losses of available plant food after Catch-Crops, crops are removed. Rape, Italian rye grass, Rye, Thousand- headed kale and clovers are suitable. All these should be top-dressed with from ioo to 200 pounds per acre of Nitrate of Soda, depending upon the exhaustion of the soil. In the remarks on the use of Nitrate in this sketch, we have taken it for granted that our readers fully understand that in all cases where Nitrate has been recommended in large amounts, potash and phosphates may be used also unless the soil already contains ample supplies of both. Nitrate of Soda Niter in Fertilizing. (Bulletin 24, California State Mining Bureau.) By Dr. Gilbert E. Bailey. All plants require light, air, heat, water, cultivation, and a fertile soil. Every crop removes from the soil a portion of the plant food contained therein, and continuous crop- ping will, in time, exhaust the richest soil, unless the nutri- tive elements are restored; therefore, the truly economical farmer will feed the growing plant or tree with a generous hand. The literature on this subject is so scattered as to be difficult of access to the general reader, and the following notes are added in order to give some general idea of the value of Nitrate of Soda in fertilizing. The most important material used to supply Nitrogen, in the composition of commercial fertilizers is Nitrate of Soda. Nitrate of Soda is particularly adapted for Top- Food for Dressing during the growing season, and is the quickest act- Plants ing of all the Nitrogenous fertilizers. Dried blood, tankage, azotine, fish scrap, castor pomace, and cotton-seed meal represent fertilizers where the Nitro- gen is only slowly available, and they must be applied in the fall so as to be decomposed and available for the following season. Nitrogen in the form of Nitrate of Soda is at once available during the growing and fruiting season, possessing, therefore, a decided advantage over all other Nitrogen plant-foods. The following list of materials used as a source of Nitro- gen, in making commercial fertilizers, shows the percentage of Nitrogen in each : Per cent. Nitrogen. Nitrate of Soda 15 to 16 Dried Blood 10 to 14 Tankage 5 to za Dried Fish Scrap 9 to 11 Cotton-seed Meal 6 to 7 Castor Pomace 5 to 6 Tobacco Stems 2 to 3 Bone Meal 2 to 4 Nitrate of Potash 13 to 14 Manures 0.3 to 1.6 The following table shows the number of pounds of Nitrogen removed in one year from one acre by the crop specified : Crop. Nitrogen. Wheat 35 bushels. 59 lbs. Rye 30 bushel*. 51 lbs. Barley 40 bushels. 46 lbs. Oats 60 bushels. 55 lbs. Corn 50 bushels. 67 lbs. Buckwheat 30 bushels. 35 lbs. Potatoes 200 bushels. 46 lbs. Sugar Beets islA tons. 69 lbs. Mangel-wurzel 22 tons. 150 lbs. Meadow hay zVi tons, dry. 83 lbs. Green corn nlA tons. 85 lbs. Alfalfa 8 tons. 113 lbs. Hops 600 lbs. seed. 84 lbs. Tobacco 1,600 lbs. 89 lbs. Grapes 2 tons. 32 lbs. Cabbage 31 tons. 150 lbs. Oranges 10 tons. 24 lbs. The following table shows the quantity of fertilizer Food for desirable for one acre, with the percentage of Nitrogen in it. Plan,s The quantities given are for the average soil, under average 31 conditions, the character and amounts of other plant-foods in the fertilizer not being considered here : Artichokes.. . Asparagus . . . Barley Beans Beets, sugar . Buckwheat . . Cabbage . . . Carrots Celery Corn Cotton Cranberry . . Currants . . . Egg-Plant . . . Hemp Hops Horseradish . Lettuce Melons Fertilizer Nitrate of Soda. Per acre. 500 lbs. 500 3OO IOO 300 IOO 500 300 700 150 IOO 200 300 400 200 400 300 300 300 Nitrogen in pounds. Per cent. 18 22.5 5 H 60 9.0 60.0 15.0 28.0 13-75 18.0 12.0 16.5 80.0 44.00 30.00 24 50.0 36.0 Fertilizer Nitrate of Soda. Mint Oats Oranges Peas Potatoes, Irish . . Radishes Rape Raspberry Rice Squash Strawberry Sunflower Tobacco Tomatoes Trees, general.. . Turnips Wheat Per acre. 700 lbs, 100 Per tree. 3 Per acre. 200 150 240 2,800 300 300 200 3OO 300 600 1,400 3OO 200 IOO Nitrogen in pounds. Per cent. 28 IO 20 21 '5 24 21 13-5 64.0 45.0 60.0 54.00 36.00 8.00 2-5 3- Chemical fertilizers are used freely by the fruit growers of California, and their use among the farmers is steadily increasing. One reason why they are not used more exten- sively is that they have to be imported from the East. It is also a fact that the total amount now used is only a small percentage of what should be employed. Everyone will admit that the use of fertilizers in this State is small com- pared with their use in Germany, where they are employed more extensively than by any other nation. Soiling Crops. "Soiling" is rapidly becoming recognized as the most economical method of stock feeding; practically, soiling means keeping stock confined, and using green-cut food. Food for It is now known to be much more economical than pastur- PUnts ing, not only that more stock can be kept per acre, but the 32 feeding results are more profitable. The crops chiefly used are vetches, the clovers, rye, buckwheat, spurry, fodder corn, stock beets, cow peas, etc. A succession of crops should be grown, the earliest in most sections being crimson clover, sown the previous summer, and followed by red clover, corn, etc., and ending with cow peas and the vetches. The Silo is used to store green food for the winter months, fodder corn being most commonly used in the Silo. A rank growth of forage is required, and the maturity of the crop is not a consideration. The soil should be made very fertile and fertilizers used with a free hand. Farmers can easily test the value of heavy fertilizer applications in soiling, by comparing different parts of the same field, differently fertilized. Apply per acre, just before, or even with the seed, from 400 to 800 pounds of phosphate, and as soon as the plants are well up, top-dress with Nitrate of Soda, using 300 pounds per acre. Top-dress in quite the same manner for second crops. It is a quick, rank growth of green sub- stance that is wanted, and for this purpose no other form of Nitrogen is as quick-acting as Nitrate of Soda. How Money Crops Feed. The substance of plants is largely water What the an(j variations of woody fiber, yet these rood is. comprise no part of what is commonly understood as plant food. More or less by accident was discovered the value of farmyard manures and general farm refuse and roughage as a means of increasing the growth of plants. In the course of time, the supply of these manures failed to equal the need, and it became necessary to search for other means of feeding plants. The steps in the search were many, covering years of careful investigation, and it is needless to go into a lengthy description here; but, as a result, we have the established fact that the so-called food of plants consists of three different substances, Nitrogen, Potash, and Phosphates. These words are popular names, and Its Principal Food for are used for the convenience of the general Elements, Plants public. Nitrate of Soda contains an Nitrate, 33 amount equivalent to about 15.65 per Phosphoric cent, of Nitrogen, 313 pounds to the ton, Acid, Potash. and cotton-seed meal, for example, about six per cent. More than three pounds of cotton-seed meal are necessary to furnish as much available Nitrogen as one pound of Nitrate of Soda. We value the plant food on the amount of Nitrate Nitrogen it contains, and on this account Nitrate has become a standard name for this element of plant food. In like manner, Phosphoric Acid and Potash are stan- dards, hence the importance of farmers and planters in fa- miliarizing themselves with these expressions. We always should think of fertilizers and manures as just so much Nitrate, Phosphoric Acid and Potash, as we can then at once compare the usefulness of all fertilizer materials. No doubt other substances are necessary for the proper devel- opment of crops, but soils so generally supply these in ample quantities that they may safely be neglected in a considera- tion of soil needs and plant foods. The food of plants may therefore be understood to mean simply Nitrate, Phosphoric Acid and Potash. Farmyard manure acts in promoting plant growth almost wholly because it con- why Farm- tains these three substances; green manur- yard Manure ing is valuable for the same reason and an er largely for that only. Various refuse sub- ,™ u,c,ts are 1 , j 1 Valuable, stances, such as bone, wood ashes, etc., contain one or more of these plant food elements, and are valuable to the farmer and planter on that account. The Quality of Manures and Fertilizers. While plant food is always plant food, like all other things it possesses the limita- pltr*te tion of quality. Quality in plant food ^e-digested means the readiness with which plants can ltrogen. make use of it. In a large sense, this is dependent upon the solubility of the material containing the plant food — not merely solubility in water, but solubility in soil waters as well. Fertilizer substances freely soluble in water are generally of Food for the highest quality, yet there are differences even in this. *n * For example, Nitrate of Soda is freely soluble in soil liquids 34 and water, and is the highest grade of plant food Nitrogen; sulphate of ammonia is also soluble in water, but of distinctly lower quality because plants always use Nitrogen in the Nitrate form, and the Nitrogen in sulphate of ammonia must be Nitrated before plants can make use of it. This is done in the soil by the action of certain organisms, under favorable conditions. The weather must be suit- Defects and aDje> the soil in a certain condition; and Losses in the besides, there are considerable losses of Use of Ordinary valuable substance in the natural soil pro- Nitrogens. cess 0f Nitrating sucn Nitrogen. By un- favorable weather conditions, or very wet or acid soils, Ni- tration may be prevented until the season is too far advanced, hence there may be loss of time, crop and money. The qua- lity of nitrogens, such as cotton-seed meal, Intrinsic Values dried fish> dried blood) and tankage, is of all Nitrogens limited by conditions similar to those Based on which limit sulphate of ammonia. With Nitrate as the tnese substances, the loss of Nitrogen in standard. jts natural air and soil conversion into Ni- trate is very great. Perfectly authentic experiments, and made under official supervision, have shown that ioo pounds of nitrogen in these organic forms have only from one-half to three-fourths the manurial value of ioo pounds of Nitrate of Soda. Special Functions of Plant Food. As stated before, plants must have all three Unusual Qf tne pjant foocj eiements — Nitrate, Phos- Functions of phates and Potash — but notwithstanding in urate. tnjs imperative need, each of the three ele- ments has its special use. There are many cases in which con- siderations of the special functions of plant food elements be- come important. For example, a soil may be rich in organic ammonia from vegetable matter turned under as green ma- nure, and through a late wet spring fail to supply the avail- able Nitrate in time to get the crop well started before the hot, dry summer season sets in. In this case the use of Ni- trate of Soda alone will force growth to the extent of fully establishing the crop against heat and moderate drouth. This Food for method of manuring is simply Top-Dressing, familiar to us Plants all. 35 Nitrate as plant food seems to influ- c . , T -. \ „ .. , « £ Special Influ- ence more especially the development or - KT. i . . u-i £ r ence of Nitrate stems, leaves, roots, etc., while the rorma- ~ ... . ,, , £ t -TZ j • . i j . • r on Edible Value tion of fruit buds is held in reserve; in fact, - p. the growth of the framework of the plant. This action is, of course, a necessary preliminary to the ma- turity of the plant, and the broader the framework the greater the yield at maturity. The color of the foliage is deepened, indicating health and activity in the forces at work on the structure of the plant. Nitrates also show markedly in the economic value of the crop ; the more freely Nitrates are given to plants the greater the relative proportion in the composi- tion of the plant itself, and the most valuable part of all vegetable substance, for food purposes, is that produced by Nitrate of Soda. Nitrate is seldom used in sufficient quan- tity in the manufacture of "complete fertilizers." Hence the general dissatisfaction with their use. Potash as plant food seems to influence more particu- larly the development of the woody parts of stems and the pulp of fruits. The flavor and color of fruits is also credited to potash. In fact, this element of plant food seems to sup- plement the action of Nitrate by filling out the framework established by the latter. Phosphoric Acid as a plant food seems to influence more particularly the maturity of plants and the production of seed or grain. It seems to aid the assimilation of the other plant food elements. Its special use in practical agriculture is to help hasten the maturity of crops likely to be caught by an early fall, and to supplement green manuring where grain is to be grown. It is frequently used in unnecessary excess in "complete" fertilizers. The natural plant food of the soil comes from many sources, but chiefly from decaying vegetable matter and the weathering of the mineral matter of the soil. Both these processes supply Potash and Phosphoric Acid, but only the former supplies Nitrate. Sources of Whether the soil has been fertilized or not, Natural Plant there are certain signs which indicate the rood, need of plant food more or less early in the growth of the Food for cr0p. If a cr0p appears to make a slow growth, or seems s sickly in color, it does not greatly matter whether the soil 36 is deficient in Nitrate or simply that the Nitrogen present has not been Nitrated and so is not available; the remedy lies in top-dressings of the immediately available form of Nitrate of Soda. Top-Dressings. Top-Dressing, as commonly understood fpf 0wth means simply the application of plant of Plants. food after seeding, and after the crop has made some growth. It has various objects, but chief among them is the fact that fall sown crops should make an early start in the spring in order to establish an extensive root system (foraging both for food and water), and to protect the soil by shading before the hot, dry days come. The earlier growth of crops is largely a matter of Nitrate plant food, but in the spring the soil is usually wet and cold, both conditions unfavorable for the action of organisms which convert the stored plant food into Nitrates. A very late spring may prevent the natural and usual Nitration of this kind of plant food though Mow curate large quantities may have been applied in aves 1 lme, ^ form 0f organic ammoniates and other Money, and the crucje mamires, so that the warm weather op' finds the crop very backward and a full crop cannot be made. An application of Nitrate of Soda, the most quickly available form of plant food in commercial use as a fertilizer, soon after the crop shows the fresh green color of new growth in the spring, prevents this loss of time and establishes the crop so as to resist drouth and reach and make use of the plant food necessary for the maturity of its stalk and the ripening of its seed. Top-Dressings are also made to advant- N urate on age on frujts an(j vegetables from which ruits' the proportion of valuable produce to stalk or vine is so great. With these crops there must be no check in the regular growth of the plants, and Nitrate of Soda alone insures this. With other forms of Nitrogen Food for plant food, rains or cool weather interfere Plants with the regular supply of Nitrate, by ,w a11 . 37 checking the action of the organisms which Nitrogen is, cause the Nitration of crude substances. of Necessity, Top-dressings are also used on very rolling Nitrated, and lands, in which case the hill tops show Slowness of lighter-colored foliage in prolonged periods rrocess. of dry weather, and light applications of Nitrate of Soda are found to be profitable. On heavy clay soils, spring working is impracticable, as it results in puddling the top soil. In this case fertilizers can- not be worked into the soil even for spring planting, and Nitrate of Soda is used in the form of a top-dressing spread broadcast. In top-dressing soils, it is very import- ant to secure an even application over the How t0 10P~ whole area. As the ordinary application uress' per acre is about ioo pounds, it is difficult to get an even distribution unless the bulk of the material is increased. The best method of doing this is to crush the Nitrate of Soda thoroughly and mix carefully with about its own weight of fine dry loam. This mixture should only be made immedi- ately before using, though the Nitrate may be crushed at any time if mixed at once with an equal bulk of fine, clean sand. Where top-dressings are made with a machine, it is necessary that the mixture be dry. Top-Dressing Experiments. The official Agricultural Experiment Stations have made many experiments to results or determine the value of top-dressings of Nitrate on Nitrate of Soda, particularly the New Money CroPs- Jersey Station. The work of this Station demonstrated the profit value of Nitrate top-dressing on various fruits and vegetables. The Rhode Island Experiment Station (see Bul- letin 71) made a top-dressing test on grass land and the results also indicated a profitable use of this chemical fer- tilizer. The experiment was made on three plots, all of which were treated with ample quantities of Phosphoric Acid and H4248.r> Plants Fo°,d '°r P°tasn- One plot received no Nitrate, one plot a top-dressing of 150 pounds per acre, and the remaining plot a top-dressing of 450 pounds of Nitrate per acre. The seed used was one- quarter red clover, one-quarter redtop, and one-half timothy. The yield in barn-cured hay was as follows : No Nitrate 1.60 tons. 1 50 lbs. Nitrate 2.24 tons. 450 lbs. Nitrate 3.28 tons. The season was not good hay weather on account of an early and severe drouth, yet the top-dressing of 150 pounds of Nitrate of Soda per acre increased the crop of hay 40 per cent., and the top-dressing of 450 pounds gave an increase of 105 per cent. In summarizing the results the Station reports that in spite of weather so unfavorable that there was prac- tically no second crop, a top-dressing of 150 pounds of Nitrate of Soda per acre increased the crop in value $6.94, at a cost for Nitrate of $3.30; a top-dressing of 450 pounds per acre increased the value of the crop $16.98 at a cost of $9.90. Plant Food Need of Crops. The chemical analysis of plants shows What Crops the actual amounts of Nitrogen, Potash, lake out or ancj phosphoric Acid they contain, and is a ^0"s« fairly good guide for the composition of fertilizers. In an examination of the fertilizer requirements of plants by studying their analysis, we must keep in mind the fact that the whole plant must be considered — not only the grain, straw, etc., but also the stubble and roots. The Storrs Experiment Station of Connecticut reported on an experiment with timothy hay, with results as follows : Yield per acre. Nitrogen Potash. Phos. Acid. Hay 3,980 lbs. 39.0 lbs. 51.5 lbs. 13.9 lbs. Stubble and roots 8,223 " 90.1 " 55.8 " 25.2 " Total 12,203 lb8- 129.1 lbs. 107.3 lbs. 39.1 lbs. The quantities of plant food actually Equivalent contained in the crop, computed to the best Quantity of known fertilizer materials, are represented Nitrate Food. by 8o? pounds of Nitrate of Soda, 215 pounds of muriate of potash, and 280 pounds of acid- phosphate. This illustration is interesting as showing the Food for really heavy consumption of plant food by ordinary farm ants crops. While the yield in this case is a large one, it is 39 precisely such yields all farmers are striving for. It is probably true that an acre application of 800 pounds of Nitrate of Soda would not give a profitable return with this crop; but such crops actually make use of soil Nitrogen and the roughage of the farm, and to do this most effectively top-dressings of Nitrate are advised to "start the crop off" in the spring. In actual farming operations, the greater part of the timothy crop will be returned to the soil in the form of farmyard manure, much of which will be applied in the fall. A considerable portion of the Nitrogen contained in this manure will be converted into Nitrate during the fall and winter, but there is always a great lack of Nitrate in the early spring, when the plants most need it, and this shortage con- tinues until the soil warms and becomes less charged with water, when the organisms of the soil are enabled to convert the vegetable substance containing Nitrogen into the form suitable for the uses of the plants. Until this action, the plants really starve for Nitrate ; a situation instantly relieved by top-dressings of Nitrate of Soda. Suggestions for Top-Dressing Crops. // must be understood that fertilizers do not take the place of tillage. However thoroughly a crop may be ferti- lized, without proper preparation of the soil the result must be more or less a failure. In top-dressing it is very important that the Nitrate of Soda be thoroughly ground, that an even distribution can be made; the fertilizer must go to the plant, not the plant to the fertilizer. Food for Plants From New Jersey Agricultural 4°~~ Experiment Station. Bulletin 172. The Use of Fertilizers. A Review of the Results of Experiments with Nitrate of Soda. Professor Edward B. Voorhees. The Use of Fertilizers. Great gains have been made in the past few years in our knowledge of the necessity of using, and in the meth- ods of use of, commercial fertilizers. A point of primary im- portance that has been learned is that their application is nec- essary for the most profitable culture of many of the crops grown, not only in the East and South, but also in sections of the country where it was formerly believed that the natural fertility of the soil would suffice for many generations. Their use has spread from the States of the East and South to those of the Middle and Northwest and Pacific slope — Wisconsin, Colorado, Minnesota and California now use many tons an- nually. The question as to the need of fertilizer settled, the next in importance is how to use the materials containing the essential plant-food elements in such a manner as to contrib- ute to the best growth and development of the plants under the wide variety of conditions that exist, and thus secure the largest financial return from their application. While the three constituents — Nitrogen, Nitrogen Should phosphoric acid and potash— are all essen- Receive Special tia^ Decause all are liable to exhaustion, Attention. Nitrogen is the one that should receive more careful attention than the others, first, because it is the most expensive of the three to supply. Nitrogen is more ex- pensive than either phosphoric acid or potash, largely because it costs more to produce it. The great natural deposits of phosphates in America and other countries make the possi- bilities of their exhaustion very remote; besides, the compara- tive ease of mining, combined with the facilities with which these phosphates may be converted into superphosphates, materially reduces the cost of immediately available phos- phoric acid. In the case of potash, the vast deposits of Ger- Food for many furnish unlimited quantities of crude material, which Plants are readily converted into concentrated salts of potash, free 4* from deleterious substances, and which furnish potash in im- mediately available forms, and, because of their high content of the essential element, the transportation charges are rela- tively low per unit of constituent. Nitrogen, on the other hand, is less abundant, and even though found in the form of Nitrate of Soda as a natural deposit, the quantity is limited in extent, as compared with the deposits of phosphates and pot- ash salts. The location of the deposits in a barren country makes it more expensive, too, to concentrate and to remove impurities, and even when in its most concentrated commercial form, it is comparatively bulky, as compared with the manu- factured potash salts, thus increasing the cost of transporta- tion per unit of the constituent. Second, because Nitrogen exists in three forms — as or- ganic matter, as ammonia and as Nitrate — and which differ widely in their rate of availability or immediate usefulness to the plant. The Nitrogen in the first and most common form (organic) generally undergoes a change into a Nitrate before plants can make a large use of it; this change requires a longer or shorter time, according to the character of the material. If, therefore, we desire a large and reasonably quick use of the constituent when applied in organic materi- als, it is necessary, first, to select those likely to change rap- idly, and second, to depend upon favorable weather condi- tions,— i.e., warm and moist — in order that a rapid change into soluble and available forms can take place, and thus permit the plant to obtain its Nitrogenous food — that is, it is possible, in the use of these forms, which must undergo a change, to get very meagre returns, though an amount is applied largely exceeding that necessary for the crop, either because the Nitrogen may have been in such combination as to strongly resist decay, or the season may have been such as to render the change, in even high-grade materials, so slow as to prevent the plant from obtaining a sufficient amount to meet its demands. The second, or ammonia, form of Nitrogen is immediately soluble, and is readily distributed in the soil by means of the soil water; it is then fixed until changed into the Nitrate form, which takes place rapidly under average sea- sonal conditions, though an appreciable time must intervene Food for between the date of its application and the time it can be p'*nts used. /;/ the case of the third form, the Nitrate, no condi- 4* tions modify its availability ; it is readily soluble, and imme- diately distributes itself by means of the soil water every- where in the soil, and as it comes in contact with the roots of the plants is at once absorbed by them, and continues to be absorbed until used up, or so long as there is sufficient moisture in the soil to cause activity in the plant itself. The availability of the Nitrogen in the various materials may, therefore, range from practically nil to ioo per cent., making the matter of selection of material exceedingly important. In the third place, because Nitrogen, in this immedi* ately available form, is so readily soluble, and so completely carried in the soil water, there is danger of its loss by leach- ing— that is, while there is no question as to the usefulness of this form of Nitrogen — i. e., Nitrate — so far as its absorp- tion by the plant is concerned, the best results are not always obtained from its use, because advantage is not taken of its peculiar and valuable characteristics; it is completely soluble in the soil water and distributes itself readily everywhere in the soil, and wherever it comes in contact with the feeding rootlets it is bound to be taken up, hence, when the applica- tions are not properly adjusted, there may be an abnormal and inferior development of plant, because of too large a use of Nitrogen, or, as it forms no fixed compounds in the soil, there may be a loss from leaching into the drains when ap- plied previous to the growth of the plant or in too large quan- tities at the wrong time. In the fourth place, it should receive careful attention, because its right use as a Nitrate — its most available form — permits, not only an economical utilization by the plant, but a control of its growth; it may be used in such a way as to change the natural tendency, and thus improve it for specific uses; thus, in addition to the increase in yield which it may cause, it enhances the market value of the plant. As already pointed out, the mineral ele- Phosphoric Acid ments — potash and phosphoric acid — are and Potash relatively cheap as compared with Nitro- Differ from gen jn ^ case Qf p0tash? tne availability Nitrogen. 0f t^e different forms in which it is usually obtained is not a matter of great importance, since all forms are soluble in water, distribute freely in the soil and are readily absorbed by plants, while in the case of phosphoric Food for acid the soluble and immediately available forms contained Plants in superphosphates may be obtained quite as cheaply as many 43 of the insoluble forms, as animal bone and tankage, which are not so immediately useful; besides, these mineral elements, however soluble when applied, are fixed by the soil, and are thus not liable to rapid loss by leaching. When the farmer applies the "minerals," or materials containing potash or phosphoric acid in their best forms, his initial expenditure is not so great as for an equal amount of Nitrogen; besides, he can depend upon their presence there during the growing season, and also that the plants can make use of the constitu- ents; if the one season's growth of the plant does not use the entire amount supplied, the residues will remain for future crops, though they may be less readily acquired by them. These conditions are quite different from those obtaining when available nitrogenous materials are used, and are the basis of the suggestions frequently made to furnish the soil with an excess of the minerals, but adjust the Nitrogen to the needs of the plant. A very important thing to remember in the application of Nitrogen, however, is that, though it may appear very efficient, it cannot fulfill all the conditions of a complete fertilizer — it is not a complete food in itself; it is only an element of food, and its value as an element is measured largely by the content of minerals in the soil, with which it must associate and com- * he Best Use of bine, in order to fully meet the food needs Nitrogen Re- of plants. Hence, where Nitrogen in any Qulrcs an form is recommended as a fertilizer, it Abundance of should be understood that the phosphoric Phosphoric Acid acid and potash necessary for the growth anc* "otasn in of the crop must either be supplied with it, tne ^°"* or have been previously applied, or should have existed naturally in the soil. On poor soils, therefore, the applica- tion of the minerals must be made with the Nitrogen, while in cases where the soil is naturally rich in minerals, if Nitro- gen only is added, the crops are largely increased, because, by virtue of the presence of Nitrogen, they are able to gather the phosphoric acid and potash needed from the natural supplies in the soil, previously inaccessible to them, because of the de- ficiency in Nitrogen. Under such circumstances, it is a com- Food for mendable practice to use Nitrogen only, as it enables a use Plants of soil constituents, which are of no service while in the soil. *♦ The fear that such use of Nitrogen will result in an undue ex- haustion of phosphoric acid and potash, which is sometimes expressed, is not well founded, since, where an increase in crop is caused by the use of Nitrogen only, the amounts of phos- phoric acid and potash removed in the crop would not be rela- tively greater than the amounts removed were some other condition responsible for the increased yield. The chances of recovering, in the form of produce, the minerals used in excess are greater than are the chances of recovering all of the Nitrogen used in excess of the needs of the plants, or even that used in moderate amounts, because of the differences in the fixing power of soils for the different elements when in a condition to feed plants. The Nitrogen, when in its available form, the Nitrate, does not form again any fixed compounds with the soil; hence, if the plant does not take it up, it may be lost by virtue of further changes of form, which results in its loss as a gas. This applies to the Nitrogen in organic and ammonia forms, as well as to the Nitrate. In the use of Nitrogen, the aim should be to feed the plant ; in the case of the minerals, excessive quantities may be used, as the accumulations are not liable to escape. In the next place, the best use of Nitrogen The Best Returns ^ atta-mea> when -u js appi\ea\ t0 sous tn g00d from the Use of con^xt\on) rather than to poor or worn-out Obtained Wh n SoUs- The S°ils t0 which high-£rade ferti' . ,. . ~ lizers are applied should possess good ab- Apphed to Good ,. K v ^ .. v .. • , Qnll w tip sorptive and retentive properties, in order ' P " that the materials applied may be retained for the use of the crop, and the physical character also should be such as to permit a ready penetra- tion of heat and an easy circulation of water — conditions which are essential in order that the activities within the soil may be unimpeded, thus making it possible for the plants to easily obtain their needed food. In too many cases good plant-food is wasted because applied to mixtures of sand, clay and other materials, rather than to soils in the true sense, or to soils that have not been thoroughly prepared; the clods and lumps preventing a proper distribution of the material, as well as a ready absorption of moisture and free circula- tion of the plant-food. Whether it will pay to use any one or T, „. , e Food for c »zv 5*. *- • *• The Kind of piants more fertilizer constituents is a question ^ T i i t • • i . Crop an Impor- that cannot be answered positively, except c . 4* ii t t r-r\i i • tant Factor in by the person who uses them. 1 he relation ^ , .„ . .. i , r i r m- i i r Determining the or the cost or the fertilizer to the value of Aarjcuitnral the increased crop is a variable factor, and, yajue Qe me aside from weather conditions, is influenced M:tr0ffen by the availability of the constituents — that is, the proportion that a crop can obtain of the amount ap- plied, the character and composition of the crop grown, and upon the market value of the crop. Because of the facts already pointed out in reference to the constituent Nitrogen, viz., its cost, its variability in usefulness, and its liability to escape in the drains or air, it is of more importance than either of the other two in its bearing upon this point. For example, the liberal application of materials con- taining Nitrogen to crops which possess a low market value may result in a maximum production — that is, as large an in- crease in yield as it is possible to obtain — yet, because the Nitrogen is so expensive, the value of the increased yield may not be equal to the cost of the Nitrogen applied. On the other hand, its application to crops of a high commercial value, though not so completely used and not causing so large a proportionate gain in crop, may result in a large profit, be- cause the cost of the Nitrogen, though considerable, is rela- tively a small item when compared with the increased value of the crop obtained from its use. It is shown in the experiments conducted with Nitrate of Soda, on different crops, that in the case of grain and forage crops, which utilized the Nitrate quite as completely as the market garden crops, the increased value of crop, due to Nitrate, does not in any case exceed $14.00 per acre, or a money return at the rate of $8.50 per 100 pounds of Nitrate used, while in the case of the market garden crops the value of the increased yield reaches, in the case of one crop, the high figure of over $263 per acre, or at the rate of about $66 per 100 pounds of Nitrate. The Nitrate applied was not better in the one case than in the other, but in the case of the bulky crops the plant required a larger amount of Nitrogen to make a unit of crop than in the case of the market garden group ; besides, it is a crop of loiv market value — dry hay will bring, say, $12 per ton, and a good yield is two tons per acre; Food for tne market garden group of crops shows a high market value Plants — succulent vegetables will bring as much per ton and the 46 yield will be five to ten times as great. These relations of cost of material applied to value of crop are exceedingly im- portant, and should be carefully looked into before planning for the purchase of materials. In the next place, the form of Nitro- Certain Crops gen use(j ;s verv important. Many crops, are especially as^ for example, those grown for early Benefited by spring forage, or for hay or grain, as rye, Nitrate Nitrogen. wneat, timothy, orchard and other grasses, are unable to obtain the Nitrogen from soil sources early enough to permit of a rapid and maximum development; the agencies which promote the activities which cause a change of organic forms of Nitrogen into Nitrates are dormant, hence an application of Nitrogen in a completely soluble and immediately available form supplies the plant with what it needs at the time of its greatest need, and great gains in yield are made. In the culture of early market garden crops, too, or such as are improved in quality, and thus increased in value, by virtue of quickness of growth, the Nitrate is of the greatest service. Such crops as tomatoes, cabbage, turnips, beet and others, in order to be highly profitable, must be grown and harvested early, as anyone can grow them in their regular season; their growth must be promoted or forced as much as possible in a season when the natural agencies are not active in the change of soil Nitrogen into available forms, and the plants must, therefore, be supplied artificially with the active forms of Nitrogen, if a rapid and continuous growth is to be maintained. Their edible quality is depend- ent, to a marked degree, upon this rapidity of development; hence a supply of plant-food in reasonable excess of ordinary demands is essential, in order that unfavorable conditions of season may, in part at least, be overcome. Owing to the fact that Nitrate of Soda is Top-Dressings frequently used after the seed has germin- of Nitrate of ate(j ancj tne cr0p made a partial growth, ^oda* this method of use is referred to as "top- dressing" — that is, broadcasting over the entire surface, or, in the case of hoed crops, alongside the row. This form of Nitrogen is peculiarly adapted for this method of applica- tion, since it is so completely soluble that but a slight amount of moisture is necessary in order to distribute it throughout Food for the soil, and, because of its ready availability, it is used by the ants plant as soon as it comes in contact with its roots. It is the 47 only form that possesses both these characteristics, and is, therefore, to be particularly recommended for those crops which need an early and abundant supply of Nitrogen. The aim usually in the use of artificial fertilizers is to so supplement soil supplies Fronts from of plant-food as to obtain a profit, and, as :?e 7jfe already intimated, the profits for the differ- Fertilizers, ent crops will, to some extent, be in proportion to their economical use of the constituents applied. Still, one should not be deterred from the use of fertilizing materials, even if the conditions should render the application apparently wasteful, or a small recovery of the constituents applied, pro- vided the increase in yield will more than pay the cost of the application. The farmer should calculate what increase in crop it is necessary for him to obtain in order to make the use of fertilizers profitable, and if only this is obtained he should not condemn their use. Many persons seem to have gotten the impression that there is some mystery connected with fertilizers, and that their use is a gamble at best, and are not satisfied unless the returns from the investment in them are disproportionately large. We very often hear the statement that, by the use of certain fertilizers, the crop is doubled or tripled, as if this were a remarkable occurrence and partook of the nature of a mystery. Such results are not mysterious — they can be explained; they are in accordance with the principles involved. In an experiment on celery it was shown that the weight of celery from an application of 400 pounds per acre of Nitrate of Soda was two and one-half times greater than that obtained on the land upon which no Nitrate was used, and that very great profit followed its use. This result, while re- markable in a way, was not mysterious; if all the Nitrogen applied had been used by the crop, there would have been a still greater increase. It simply showed that where no extra Nitrogen had been applied the plant was not able to obtain enough to make the crop what the conditions of the season and soil, in other respects, permitted. In other words, that the soil did not contain a complete food; the Nitrogen was necessary to supply the deficiency. Favorable conditions are, Food for however, not uniform, and variations in return from definite 8 applications must be expected. *8 It is quite possible to have a return of $50 per acre from the use of $5 worth of Nitrate of Soda on crops of high value, as, for example, early tomatoes, beets, cabbage, etc. This is an extraordinary return for the money invested and labor in- volved; still, if the value of the increased crop from its use was but $10, or even $8, it should be regarded as a profitable investment, since no more land and but little more capital was required in order to obtain the extra $5 or $3 per acre. It is the accumulation of these little extras that oftentimes change an unprofitable into a profitable practice. PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS AS A RESULT OF EXPERIMENTS. I. For Crops of High Commercial Value. It is well understood by all market Market Garden gardeners that, in their business, liberal ^>rops* manuring must be practised, and that the manures used must contain an abundance of Nitrogen, that may be quickly used by the plant, if rapidity of growth and early maturity are to be attained. The experiments with Nitrate of Soda were, therefore, planned to show in which directions the benefits from its use were observed — whether, for example, in the larger yield of a crop of the same general character, or whether, together with the larger yield, there was an earlier maturity of those crops in which early matu- rity is an important factor, or whether the marketable quality was improved, thus returning a larger profit for the same yield, or whether all of these factors were involved, and the results showed that, as a whole, benefits were obtained in all these directions. The more important crops of this class were included in these experiments. In the growing of this crop, whose value Early Table may range fr0m $300 to $600 per acre, Keets# the amount of plant-food annually applied is usually far in excess of that removed in the crops of any year, in order to guarantee against any shortage of food should unfavorable weather conditions intervene; the crop Food for must be kept growing at all hazards. In good practice an application of from fifteen to twenty tons of manure and 49 about one ton of a high-grade commercial fertilizer are used per acre. The plants are usually grown under glass, and trans- planted as soon as the land is fit to work. Hence the questions asked by the experimenter were, first, whether an additional application of Nitrogen in the form of a Nitrate would be a profitable practice in connection with this heavy application of all of the plant-food constituents, and second, how much should be used. The applications, therefore, ranged from 400 to 700 pounds per acre. The results from the experiments of two years were emphatic in showing an increase in yield and a considerable profit each year, and though the profits were not in proportion to the amount of Nitrogen applied, the largest net returns were obtained from the heaviest applica- tions; the average net return per acre from 400 pounds was $24.40, and from 700 pounds, $47.55. The influence of the Nitrate was noticeable mainly upon the earliness of crop. In the first experiment the yield of the first picking was 63 per cent, greater from the Nitrated plots than from the one upon which no additional Nitrate had been added. The ex- tra early yield, for which the highest prices were obtained, was increased from 8.3 per cent, on the plot on which 400 pounds were added to 12.8 per cent, on the plot which re- ceived 700 pounds per acre, an increased yield at a less cost per unit of harvesting — points of great importance. The amount used may range from 400 to 800 pounds per acre, depending upon Method of Usin8 the conditions, always remembering that Nitrate. the richer the soil and the better its condition the larger will be the amount of Nitrate that can be used to advantage. The beets are usually transplanted, and one-half of the amount of Nitrate of Soda used may be applied either before trans- planting (as the danger of leaching will not be serious) or immediately after, and in about three weeks the balance may be applied. In applying Nitrate after the plants have made considerable growth of top, care should be taken to distribute it as near as possible between the rows, or, if broadcasted, only when the leaves are perfectly dry, so that all of the salt may reach the soil, and thus not be liable to injure the plants. Food for Where it does not seem practicable to make the application Plants of Nitrate of Soda separately, then the Nitrate, in the quan- tity desired, may be mixed with the commercial fertilizer and all applied at the same time. This practice saves labor and danger of injuring the foliage, though it may result in a slight loss of the Nitrate, as it should be applied long enough before the plants are set to permit of its thorough distribu- tion in the soil. Still, the danger of loss is not great, unless the season is so extremely wet as to prevent cultivation. In the case of asparagus, which is a Asparagus. perennial, the final results of the experi- ments have not yet been secured, though the experience of practical growers is unanimous in favor of its use. This crop, as is the case with early beets, requires heavy manuring or fertilizing, or both, for the highest profit. The advantage of the extra dressings of Nitrate of Soda over other forms of Nitrogen lies chiefly in the fact that it may be appropriated immediately, either for supplying the needs early in the sea- son or to stimulate the growth of tops after cutting has ceased and the crowns exhausted. Where manure is used alone in liberal amounts, the top-dressing with Nitrate would not be likely to be so useful an adjunct as where commercial fertilizers, containing high percentages of minerals, have been used, as it must be remembered here, as always, that Nitrogen is not a complete food, but an element of food, and cannot exert its full effect except in the presence of the neces- sary supply of the mineral elements. In the early spring, as soon as the land is Methods of ^t to cuitjvate) tne beds are ploughed or Using Nitrate. cultivated, throwing the earth away from the crowns, and commercial fertilizers, rich in Nitrogen — 5 to 6 per cent. — are applied, over the row, at the rate of 800 to 1,000 pounds per acre. The fact that asparagus is a perennial, and the growth in the spring depends largely upon the food stored up in the roots in the fall, the effect of the spring application is not so noticeable in the early cuttings, but materially benefits the later cutting. Commercial beds are usually cut for about two and one-half months, and this long period of continuous removal of shoots reduces the vi- tality of the crowns, and because the vigor of growth and size of the tops measures, to a marked degree, the size of the next crop, as soon as cutting is finished from 250 to 400 pounds per acre of Nitrate of Soda should be applied. The Food for roots immediately absorb this available form of Nitrogen, ants which stimulates and strengthens the plant, and enables it to 51 appropriate the excess of minerals which have been applied, and, as a consequence, a large, vigorous and healthy growth of top is made, which not only results, in storing the food in the roots for use the next season, but it enables the plant to resist the ravages of the rust. There is no other form of Nitrogen that can be used or other means by which this object can be so readily accomplished as by a liberal supply of Nitrate of Soda, and the result is, not only a larger yield, but a greater proportion of large shoots, which increases the market value of the crop; the growers who practice this sys- tem have no difficulty in contracting their entire crop from year to year at very remunerative prices. A careful study of the special needs of plants shows that there is no other one crop Early Tomatoes- that responds more favorably to the use of immediately avail- able Nitrogen than early tomatoes. The influence of the use of Nitrate is not only shown in the increase in the yield — in some cases practically doubling it — but in the improved qual- ity of crop, and because of the larger crop an increased ma- turity is virtually secured. These are all points of extreme practical importance. The results of all the experiments conducted in different parts of the country and in different seasons show an average gain in yield of about 50 per cent., with an average increased value of crop of about $1.00 per acre. In the growth of this crop two meth- ods are used, depending largely upon the Methods of character of the soil and its previous treat- rracnce. ment in reference to commercial fertilizers or manures. In the first, where the farmyard manure and commercial fer- tilizers, rich in minerals, have been used on previous crops, then Nitrogen in the form of Nitrate only is used, and the application ranges from 150 to 250 pounds per acre. By this method the yields are not so large, but the crop is usual- ly earlier, and the net profit is quite as great as if larger ap- plications of manure or fertilizer were made at the time of setting the plants. The object is early tomatoes, and, under average conditions of season and markets, any application of fertilizer or any practice which would tend to encourage a Food for later growth or longer season would reduce proportionately Plants the net profits. 51 In the other method, farmyard manures are usually, spread upon the soil in the fall or winter, thoroughly worked into the soil in the spring. A fertilizer containing chiefly phosphoric acid and potash is applied broadcast previous to setting the plants, and at the time of setting an application of ioo to 150 pounds per acre of Nitrate of Soda is applied around the hill or over the row. After two or three weeks, depending upon the season and the relative growth of the plants, another application of Nitrate of Soda at the same rate is applied. This, because it minimizes the interruption in the feeding of the plant by furnishing immediately avail- able Nitrogen, causes not only an increase in the yield and marketable quality of the entire crop, but it materially in- creases the quantity of early fruit. The results of four years' experiments show that, by this method, the value of the increased yield of what may be regarded as extra early fruit averaged about $45 per acre. As in other cases, care should be used How to Apply jn tne appiication 0f Nitrate; it should not ate* come in too close contact with the plants, and, if broadcasted after the plants are set, it should be done when they are dry, so that all of the Nitrate may reach the soil. Where a larger quantity is used, as, for example, 300 pounds or more, it is very desirable that fractional dressings should be made, though care should be used not to make the second application too late, as it encourages a later growth of plants and retards maturity. The cabbage is a gross feeder, and the Early Cabbage. crop can utiijze iarge quantities of plant- food to good advantage. The experiments with this crop show that even where the land has been fertilized with what would be regarded as reasonable amounts of fertilizers adap- ted for the purpose, extra dressings of Nitrate have given very profitable returns. The yield has been increased from 40 to 80 per cent., and the net value of crop from $53 to $80 per acre. The experiments also show that what may be re- garded as a large quantity of Nitrate, namely, 400 pounds per acre, is superior to any smaller quantity, and further, that this would better be applied in two rather than in a greater number of fractional dressings, as the later applica- tions have a tendency to disproportionately increase leaf Food for growth and retard heading. The most remarkable effect of Plants the Nitrate is shown in the influence it exerts upon the mar- 53 ketable quality of the crop. In the experiments conducted the addition of Nitrate resulted in more than doubling the value of those heads which were marketable — that is, where no Nitrate was applied, $i per hundred was received, and where 400 pounds of Nitrate were used the price was $2.50 per hundred. These results suggest a reason for the lack of success of many growers, who depend solely upon appli- cations of mixed fertilizers. On soils well adapted for the crop — medium sandy loams — the land should be Methods of plowed early and well cultivated. If ma- Application, nures are readily attainable, a dressing of ten tons per acre may be applied and well worked into the soil; previous to setting the plants a fertilizer rich in Nitrogen, one containing 6 to 7 ammonia, 6 to 8 phosphoric acid, and 6 to 8 potash, should be applied, preferably broadcast, at the rate of 800 to 1,000 pounds per acre. At the time of setting, or very shortly after, Nitrate of Soda, at the rate of 200 pounds per acre, should be applied, preferably along the row, and culti- vated in ; this followed two or three weeks later with a second dressing of 200 pounds. The effect of these applications — that is, the presence of an abundance of available Nitrogen — will be to stimulate and strengthen the plant, so that it will make use of all of the other food in the soil, and be able to overcome, in a great degree, any unfavorable conditions that may prevail later in the season. The natural tendency of the plant to absorb food is gratified, and a maximum crop is the result. This is a crop of very considerable im- portance in market garden districts, and in early I able certain sections is very profitable. The urnips. profit, other things being equal, is measured by the earliness with which the crop may be gotten into the market. Owing to the fact that the crop is planted very early, often before the weather is settled, heavy dressings of soluble Nitrogen at time of planting would be liable to considerable loss from leaching. Hence fractional dressings have proved the most satisfactory. The gains obtained in the experiments from Food for the use of Nitrate have ranged from 30 to over 100 per cent., Plant8 according to the amount applied and method of application. 54 The increased value of crop, due to the Nitrate, averaged about $30 per acre — a very handsome return from the use of the extra fertilizer. Where soils have been previously lib- Methods of erally fertilized, particularly with the Application. mineral elements, the recommendations for fertilizers, which have in practice proved very satisfactory, are as follows : Prepare the soil early and apply a light dress- ing of manure, either previous to plowing or after plowing, and harrow in well, and apply a commercial fertilizer rich in minerals, say, with a composition of 2 per cent. Nitrogen, 8 per cent, phosphoric acid and 5 per cent, potash, at the rate of 1,000 pounds per acre. After the plants have germinated and well started apply, broadcast, 150 pounds per acre of Nitrate of Soda, following this in two or three weeks with a second application of 150 pounds. The first dressing will serve to stimulate leaf growth and a deep penetration of root, and the second dressing will encourage a rapid growth of the turnip, so necessary if high quality is to be obtained. Appli- cations made later than one month after the seeding usually encourage too large a leaf growth, thus reducing the yield of early crop. In the experiments three equal dressings of 133 pounds each reduced the yield by over 3,000 pounds per acre below that which was obtained in two equal dressings of the same amount as suggested herewith. The effect of the third dressing seemed to be to induce growth of top rather than root. The increase in the maturity — that is, the quantity of early crop — will be directly increased, in so far as the Nitrate induces a larger crop, which is one of the first results of its application. Very great progress has been made in the Sweet Corn. growth of sweet corn for the early market, due both to the development of hardier varieties and to greater care in the selection and use of fertilizing materials. These hardy varieties of sweet corn are now frequently planted as early as March as far north as New Jersey, and, when planted so early, the soil supplies of Nitrogen are yet unfavorable for the change of organic or other forms of Nitrogen into the Nitrate form. Hence Nitrate should con- stitute a large part of the nitrogenous food of the plant if early maturity is to be accomplished. Owing to this fact, Food for the utilization of the Nitrate by the plant is liable to be less Plants than if applied later, as the season for heavy rains, which are 55 liable to carry away part of the soluble Nitrogen, is not yet over, besides, the weather is not warm enough to cause a rapid growth. Practice, however, has shown that, by small fractional dressings of Nitrate early, maximum results may be obtained. In the preparation of the soil for the growth of this crop, therefore, considerable organic nitrogenous mate- rial may be used to advantage. A good practice is to manure the soil, either during the fall or winter, with from Methods of ten to twelve tons per acre, and apply Practice. previous to planting or setting the plants (in many cases the plants are started in the plant-house), a fertilizer rich in phosphoric acid and potash, also containing organic forms of Nitrogen. At time of planting use a compost in the hill, and use the Nitrate as a side dressing after the corn is well rooted. The advantage of the compost and organic forms of Nitro- gen is that they supply the soil with an abundance of readily- fermentable material, which, to some extent, warms the soil, besides containing substances useful in later stages of growth. Nitrate may be applied in three dressings, at the rate of ioo pounds per acre in each dressing, and the dressings should be so distributed as to cover the season of growth — that is, as soon as plants begin to form ears the last application of Nitrogen may be made, which encourages a quick growth of the ears and also makes them much larger. The increased gains per acre when the Nitrate has been used in this way have ranged from $i 8 to $40 — a very profitable use of Nitro- gen, as the gain is really in excess of that which would be obtained by average methods of manuring. Soils suitable for the growth of musk- Muskmelons. melons are preferably light, sandy loams, not naturally well supplied with any of the constituents of plant growth. The crop does not require large quantities of plant-food, but must have the needed amount in available form early in the season. Experiments that have been con- ducted through several seasons show that the best form of Nitrogen for this crop is the Nitrate, and that preferably two applications should be made. The increase in yield from the addition of Nitrate of Soda has averaged, practically, Food for IOo per cent., with an average increased value of crop of Pltnt> $100 per acre. It is shown, further, that, as in the case of 56 very early crops, the earliest ripened fruit is not found upon the plants which received the extra fertilizer, but rather upon those insufficiently nourished, and thus forced to matu- rity because of a lack of food; besides, these specimens are usually small and of poorer quality. The increased value is obtained because of a large crop of finer quality, as a very marked influence of the added nitrogenous substance is noticed in marketable quality of the total crop, reducing very materially the percentage of culls. The experi- ments showed that, while the percentage of culls, where no Nitrogen was applied, averaged 40 per cent., the ave- rage per cent, of culls on the fertilized area was but 25 per cent., indicating that the normal development of fruit requires a sufficient abundance of available Nitrogen. On light soils, apply broadcast during Methods of fajj or w;nter) 8 to 10 tons of manure, Practice. which should be plowed in early in spring. After the land is prepared, a high-grade fertilizer should be applied broadcast, at the rate of 600 to 800 pounds per acre, and harrowed in previous to planting. After the plants are well started, apply 100 pounds per acre of Nitrate of Soda; before the vines begin to run, make an additional application of 100 pounds per acre. Care should be taken in the applica- tion of the Nitrate, as suggested in the case of the other crops, not to allow the salt to come in contact with the foliage of the plants. , In the case of cucumbers, heavier soils Cucumbers. may ^ use(^ an(j iarger quantities of ferti- lizers applied. In our experiments, the application of Nitrate in addition to regular methods of fertilization resulted in a very large increase in crop — over 100 per cent. — and an increase in net value of over $60 per acre. The amounts of Nitrate applied may range from 250 to 350 pounds per acre, and it should preferably be distributed more evenly throughout the season than in the case of the melons; 300 pounds per acre, in three applications, gave the best results. The effect of the Nitrate here, as in the case of melons, was particularly noticeable in maintaining a rapid and continuous growth of vine and fruit, thus materially reducing the pro- portion of culls. For growing this crop to best advantage, Food for the soil should either be well manured or a commercial ferti- lizer, rich in all of the constituents, should be applied at the 57 rate of 400 to 600 pounds per acre, previous to planting; and after the plants have well started, 100 pounds per acre of Nitrate of Soda should be applied; this to be followed with two further dressings of the same amount. The time between the dressings may range from two to three weeks, according to season. Celery is a crop that responds most profitably to an application of an abundance celery, of available Nitrogen. This fertilizer not only increases the yield, but very materially improves the quality of the crop. Where the soil is naturally rich, or where what may be regarded as good methods of practice, in reference to ferti- lizers, are followed, extra applications of Nitrate result in very largely increased yields and proportionate improve- ment in quality. In the experiments that were conducted, it was shown that where ordinary treatment was given, and a small and unprofitable crop was obtained, the addition of a few dollars' worth of Nitrate changed the crop into a very profitable one ; and in the case of a soil that was regarded as good enough to produce a fair crop, the addition caused a large increase in total crop, and a very marked improve- ment in the quality. The selling price of roots grown with Nitrate was 150 per cent, greater than where none was applied, and 100 per cent, greater than where an insufficient amount was used. The increased value per acre of the crop from the best use of the Nitrate was over $250. The celery crop is expensive, both in plants and in labor, and since the cost of Methods of these items is the same whether the crop is Application. large or small, intensive systems of feeding the crop usually give excellent returns. The crop is also very much improved in quality if the conditions are made favorable for continuous and rapid growth, hence an abundance of moisture and of immediately available food are prime essentials. The former can be controlled to a large extent by good methods of culture, but the best culture of the best soils is not capable of providing the necessary food, and, of the essential elements of food, Nitrogen seems to be the one that contributes espe- Food for cja|iy t0 rapidity of growth and to the formation of stalk s which possesses that peculiar crispness which in so marked 58 a degree measures marketable quality. Soils that are deep, moist and rich in organic matter are best suited for the crop; these should be heavily manured, say, at the rate of ten to fifteen tons per acre, and should also receive liberal amounts of high-grade commercial fertilizer, at the rate of 600 to 800 pounds per acre, all applied broadcast previous to setting the plants. After the plants are well started, apply 200 pounds per acre of Nitrate of Soda along the row, and, if the weather is dry, cultivate it in, though, ordinarily, the moisture in the soil is sufficient to cause an immediate distribution of the salt; and in three to four weeks make a second application of Nitrate of the same amount and in the same manner. The two applications of Nitrate, of 200 pounds each, will, it is believed, give, on the average, better returns than smaller amounts or a greater number of applications, though the conditions of season may warrant such changes from this method as the judgment of the grower may dictate. p The growing of peppers has become a considerable industry in market garden districts in recent years. Studies of the special needs of the crop show that, on good soils, well adapted for the plant, additional dressings of Nitrate are necessary for best results — the gain in yield averaging 35 per cent., and the increased value of crop due to the added Nitrates averaging $30 per acre. A large quantity — 300 pounds per acre — seems to be much superior to any less amount, and, owing to the fact that peppers continue to form during the entire period of growth, the distribution of the Nitrate throughout the season is desirable where large quantities are applied. Where more convenient the first application of Nitrate may be applied at time of setting the plants, in order to prevent any delay in growth after setting. The later fractional applications are distributed throughout the season, two or three weeks apart. In the growing of early potatoes it is essen- fcarly Potatoes. tial that an abundant suppiy 0f Nitrogen be at the disposal of the plant. This experience of growers has clearly demonstrated this fact, and, until commercial fertilizers came into general use, most growers used large quantities of yard manure, in order that the plant should suffer no lack of this element. With the introduction of Food for commercial fertilizers, the question of greatest importance ants has been the source of Nitrogen best suited to meet the 59 demands of the special early growth. The experi- ments which have been conducted with a view to answering this question have shown clearly that while Nitrate is most useful, a combination of the Nitrate with the quickly-avail- able organic forms, as dried blood, or with both organic and ammonia forms, is preferable to the use of any single form. On good potato soils, therefore, a good fertilization should consist of from 800 to Methods of 1,000 pounds of a fertilizer containing Practice. Nitrogen, 4 per cent. ; available phosphoric acid, 8 per cent. ; and potash, 10 per cent.; one-third of the Nitrogen at least to be derived from Nitrate of Soda and the remainder from quickly-available organic forms. On soils in good condition the fertilizer may be applied in the row at the time of plant- ing, though many prefer to apply one-half of the desired amount broadcast previously and the remainder in the row with the seed. Where there appears to be a deficiency of Nitrogen, due to the fact that Nitrates have been carried to lower levels by rains, or to the fact that the season has not permitted the change and appropriation of organic forms, then the application of 100 pounds of Nitrate per acre at the time of blossoming will encourage the rapid growth of tubers, though retarding, to some extent, the time of ripening. The sweet potato finds its most con- 0 _ n „ • i 1 • I- 1 . 1 -i .i t • Sweet Potatoes, genial home in a light, sandy soil, the physi- cal character of the soil measuring, to a large extent, the qual- ity of the crop, though the method of fertilization will also influence this to a certain extent. This plant seems to have the power of acquiring from the soil Nitrogen that is inac- cessible to other plants, and thus, where large applications of this element are made, a tendency to undue vine growth seems to be encouraged, and also to change the marketable quality of the tubers, causing a long, rooty growth, rather than a compact, nodular form. The use of a small amount of Nitrogen is, however, desirable, an increase of from fifty to seventy bushels per acre being secured from such use. Hence, soils rich in Nitrogen, or those upon which Nitrogen has been previously applied in considerable quantities, do not produce Food for tubers of the character demanded by our northern markets — pl>ntg a small, round tuber, which cooks dry and has a nutty flavor. 60 These characteristics of quality cannot be secured in crops grown on heavy soils, nor on sandy soils too liberally supplied with Nitrogen. M , . . The fertilizer may be applied at the p . time of making up the rows, in order that it may be evenly distributed before the slips are planted. This will encourage immediate growth of plant, and the small quantity of Nitrate which is applied early in the season will not militate against the proper de- velopment of the tuber, as an absence of Nitrogen in the soil after the Nitrate has been taken up will discourage the formation of the rooty form of tuber, which is market- able at a lower price. Experiments have also demonstrated the necessity in the soils of an abundance of minerals, and a fertilizer containing 2.5 per cent. Nitrogen, 7 per cent, available phosphoric acid and 10 per cent, potash, one-half the Nitrogen to be drawn from Nitrate, seems to meet the requirements better than one containing a larger amount of Nitrogen. II. For Crops of Low Commercial Value. „ . ^ . The growth of hay and the cereals, wheat Hay and Grain. , 6 , J c and rye, forms a very important part or the farming interests of the Eastern, Middle and Southern Coast States. The areas of these crops in eighteen States, in- cluding Tennessee and Kentucky, are, in round numbers, as follows : Hay 15,000,000 acres. Wheat 8,000,000 " Rye 772,000 " In most of these States large quantities of commercial fertilizers are used, either because the soils are naturally poor or because they have been depleted of their original constituents by continuous cropping, and, even with added fertilizers, the yields are not large enough to make the crops in themselves highly profitable. In many States the yield in particular districts is large, but the average yield of hay is but 1.25 tons per acre, of wheat, but 13 bushels per acre, and but 15 bushels of rye. The aggregate production of these crops is, however, very large, and, because of the condi- Food toT tions which prevail, it is likely that their growth will continue for some time to come, though it is eminently desirable that 6l the average yield should be increased. One of the chief reasons for the low average yield is that the farming is on the "extensive," rather than on the "inten- sive" plan. The relatively large areas used are not well pre- pared for the seed, and the fertilizers applied do not fully supplement soil supplies of plant-food. These conditions, too, are not liable to change at once, because the farmers are not yet prepared to adopt the more rational intensive system; the adjustment to new conditions requires time. The sug- gestions here given as to the use of top-dressings of nitro- genous substances are therefore of primary importance, be- cause, if followed, it will enable the farmer to obtain more profitable crops, and will encourage the gradual adoption of better systems of practice. The farmers have, however, reached the point where they are asking the general question : "How shall I profitably increase the yields of these crops?" They are not satisfied with present conditions, nor with the general advice to supply the crops with additional plant-food. The advice is not definite enough, and they are not sure that the cost of expen- sive plant-food will be returned in the immediate crop, and they cannot afford to wait for future crops to return an interest on the invested capital. As soon as it is made clear that a profitable increase in crop from the use of fertilizers is a reasonable thing to expect, then the questions are — first, "What shall I use?" second, "How much shall I use per acre?" and third, "When and how shall it be applied?" Experiments that have been conducted with the use of Nitrate of Soda answer all of these questions in a definite and specific way. In the case of hay, from timothy and ._. other grasses, the experiments that have been conducted answer the first question — "What shall I use" — as follows: Use Nitrate of Soda, because it is a food ele- ment that is especially needed; it is soluble in water and can be immediately taken up by the plants and supplies them with that which they need at the time they need it — it can be used by them early in the spring before other forms of applied Nitrogen are usable and before other soil supplies are avail- Food for able. The results of experiments conducted through a period Pl>nts of nine years, and in different sections of the State, show 61 that upon soils which will produce crops ranging from one to three tons per acre, a gain in yield of from 9 to 54 per cent., or an average increase of 32.7 per cent., may be ex- pected from the use of from 100 to 150 pounds per acre, which would show an average gain in yield of 654 pounds per acre; based on the average yield of this section of the country of 1.25 tons per acre, the gain would be 820 pounds. This increase at an average price of $12 per ton, would mean about $5 per acre, or $2 more than the cost of the material. A very satisfactory profit, when it is remembered that it is obtained at the same cost of labor and of capital invested in land. „ M , The second question, as to how much <,. .. . shall be applied, experience teaches that on . ... good soils, in a good state of cultivation, 150 pounds per acre would be regarded as the most useful amount, though on poor soils, 100 pounds would be better, and on richer soils, as high as 200 or 250 pounds per acre may be used with advantage. The reason why a smaller amount is recommended on poor soils is because on such soils there is liable to be a deficiency of the mineral elements, and inasmuch as the Nitrate is not a food complete in itself, but an element of food, the plant would be unable to utilize it to .the best advantage in the absence of the necessary minerals. Where the soils are good, or under the intensive plan, larger amounts may be used, as under this system all the constituents are supplied in reasonable excess, besides every precaution is taken to have the physical condition of the soil so perfect as to provide for the easy distribution and absorption of the food applied. In experiments conducted in Rhode Island the largest profit was obtained from the application of 450 pounds per acre, together with the neces- sary minerals. This method of practice is one which should be the ultimate aim, and can be accomplished by gradually increasing the amounts as the profits from the crops grown from the application of smaller amounts warrant. Methods nf ^ne exPer'ments> *ne results of which are .... confirmed by experience, also answer the Application. 1 • * • 1 -iiii third question, as to when it shall be ap- plied. Apply as a top-dressing in spring, after the grass has well started, when the foliage is dry, and preferably just Food for before or just after a rain. If applied earlier than this, there ants will be a slight danger of loss, because the roots will not be 63 ready to appropriate it, and, as it is entirely soluble, it may be washed into the drains. If applied when vegetative func- tions are active, it is immediately absorbed, and not only strengthens the plant but causes it to throw its roots deeply into the soil and to absorb more readily the min- eral food, and thus utilize to a fuller degree the amount of Nitrate applied. It has been shown that, even under the best seasonal and soil conditions, a part of the Nitrate will disappear in any case, and that only about 75 per cent. can be expected to be returned in the increased crop, and if this 75 per cent, is all returned in the crop, a maximum of about 1,500 pounds would be produced if the yield only was increased. Frequently, however, not only is the yield in- creased, but the quality of the hay is improved — that is, there is proportionately more nitrogenous substance in the hay than in that obtained where no Nitrogen has been used, so that unless the Nitrate has been absorbed uniformly we cannot expect the yield that may be calculated from the amount of Nitrogen applied. These experiments suggest, further, that, owing to the difficulty of evenly distributing a small amount of Nitrate of Soda, and owing, also, to the fact that, on soils that have been seeded with grass, there is frequently a deficiency of mineral elements, a mixture may preferably be used which is rich in Nitrate, usually one-half, the balance consisting of acid phosphate, ground bone and muriate of potash. The soluble minerals are readily carried to the roots of the plants, and the ground bone feeds the surface roots, and the Nitrate is absorbed quite as readily as if not used with any other material. This method is to be recommended whenever the land is in good condition, and it is desired to keep up the content of the mineral constituents in the soil, as well as to avoid any danger of overfeeding with Nitrogen, which would have a tendency, particularly in the warmer climates, of causing a softer growth and formation of mildew. This is liable to occur where the Nitrogen is in excess and the ration is not well balanced. A good mixture for top-dressing may be made up as follows : Food for Nitrate of Soda 500 lbs. Plants Ground bone 200 " g. Acid phosphate 200 " Muriate of potash 100 " 1,000 lbs. Applied at the rate of 200 to 300 pounds per acre. Wh The answer to the questions as applied to wheat are, in essence, the same, though modified in particular points, owing to the fact that the wheat is grown for grain, rather than for weight of total produce, as in the case of hay, and also because wheat, being seeded in the fall, has not so large a root system as the grass, and therefore greater care should be used in the application of the material. Nitrate of Soda is, however, the substance that is likely to give the most satisfactory results as a top- dressing, because, as already pointed out, it is soluble, and can thus reach every point of the soil without the necessity of cultivation and it is immediately available, and thus supplies food at once or at the time most needed, energizing the plants weakened by the winter and strengthening those already vigorous and enabling them to secure a larger pro- portion of the mineral elements. The time of application should be early in spring, or after growth has started. r> • t . The results of experiments conducted to Gains from the , . " , . . , . • , f M-f answer this question show a gain in both I « . grain and straw from the top-dressing of Nitrate of Soda. The yields per acre, with- out the top-dressing, ranged from eleven to twenty-seven bushels of grain per acre and from 1,500 to 1,800 pounds of straw, thus showing a wide variation in the character of the soils used and in seasons, making the average of the results generally applicable. The gain in yield of grain ranged from 25.9 to 100 per cent., while that of straw ranged from 54 to 100 per cent., or an average of 60.8 per cent, increase in the case of the grain, and 83.8 per cent, increase in the case of the straw. The value of these increased yields, at average prices, shows a large profit in all cases. Applying this to the average yield per acre of wheat and straw, namely, thirteen bushels of wheat and 1,600 pounds of straw for the Eastern and South- ern States included in our discussion, we find a gain of 7.9 Food f°r bushels of wheat and 1,340 pounds of straw, and a valuation Plants of seventy-five cents per bushel of wheat and $6 per ton for 65 straw, which prices probably represent the average, though not as high as are now prevailing, the total value of the increase is $9.95, or a net gain of $6.20 per acre, using the high price of $50 per ton for the Nitrate of Soda. The profit here indicated is a good one and should make wheat raising more encouraging, besides stimulating the farmer to better practice in other directions. The calculated yields from the use of Nitrate are not unreasonable to expect, since on good wheat soils and with fairly good management, without the additional Nitrate, the average yield is over twenty bushels per acre. In reference to the second question, as to ~, . 1 1 xt- 1 11 1 i- j 1 The Amount how much Nitrate shall be applied, the . . 1 1 m • j to Apply, experiments show that on soils in a good state of cultivation, those that will produce from, say, fifteen bushels per acre, without top-dressing, 150 pounds per acre, the average amount used in the experiments, would be the most useful; though, on poorer soils, which would average ten to twelve bushels per acre, 100 pounds would be better, for the reasons already discussed in the case of hay. On better soils, where quantities larger than 150 pounds per acre seem desirable, it is strongly recommended that two applications of equal weight be made; the first, when the plants have well started, and the second, when the crop is coming in head. Very often the season is such as to encour- age a rapid change of the insoluble Nitrogen in the soil, in which case too large an application in the spring would tend toward an undue development of leaf and the ripening would be impaired, hence the advantage of dividing the amount is apparent, as, if the season is good and the growth normal, the second application may be dispensed with. Where the soil is liable to be deficient in minerals, and this is often the case, the Nitrate may be mixed with other materials, as recommended for hay, the excess of minerals not used for the wheat providing for the following crop. The three experiments with rye in R 1894 confirm the conclusions reached in both the experiment on hay and wheat, that Nitrate of Soda Food for as a top-dressing proves desirable in effectually increasing the Plants yjejj 0f both grain and straw, and which is accomplished at a profit. The average yield of crops without top-dressing ranged from 9.3 to 15.4 bushels of grain, and the increase from the application of 100 pounds of Nitrate of Soda ranged from 21 to 37 per cent, for grain, and from 33.5 to 37 for straw, or an average increase of 28.5 per cent, foi grain and 35.7 for straw. The yield obtained without top- dressing is not so large as in the case of the wheat, nor is the increase proportionately as large, due undoubtedly to the fact that the rye is usually grown on poorer land than wheat, and that only 100 pounds are used, though this small amount is recommended because of the relatively lower price of grain. Applying this percentage increase, however, to the average yields, as shown by the States mentioned, namely, fifteen bushels of rye, and 1,800 pounds of straw per acre, we have a gain of 4.28 bushels of grain and 603 pounds of straw. At sixty cents per bushel for the grain, and $12 per ton for the straw, the gain is $6. 1 8, or a net profit from the use of Nitrate of Soda of $3.93 per acre, a very handsome return for the in- vestment. The suggestions as to the amount and time to apply are practically the same as for the wheat and hay, though, owing to the fact that the straw is relatively more valuable than the grain, the larger applications may be made for the rye than for wheat, as an abnormal increase in the proportion of straw would not result in lowering the total value of the crop. c At this Station during the years 1899 tixDernnen ts . . ~ to 1902 seven experiments were conducted with rorase • P with Nitrate as a top-dressing on forage crops, the Nitrate being used in addition to the manures and fertilizers generally used, and the follow- ing tabulations show the yield and gain per acre obtained. It will be observed that in all cases a very marked increase, due to the application of Nitrate, occurred on all crops except the barley, which, owing to unfavorable weather conditions, did not make a large yield. Applying this percentage increase to what has been shown to be average yields of these crops without Nitrate, we have the following table, which shows the gain per acre and the value of the increase on all crops at an assumed value of $3 per ton : Yield of Forage Crops Per Acre. Rye Wheat Barnyard Millet Corn Oats and Peas. . Barley 1t , « ° c - -0 V re u c c c "re O v M re (1 u Im cu 5" Average Yield. 33 5 > -0 re *^ re — ^5.64 9.24 IO.5O 9.42 7.88 II 59 Food for Plants 67 It will be observed that the value of the increased crop ranges from $5.64 to $11.59 Per acre — a profitable increase in every case, as the average cost of the Nitrate did not ex- ceed $3.60. This profit does not take into consideration the fact that the average increase for all the crops was over 50 per cent., thus reducing, in this proportion, the area required for the production of a definite amount of food — a point of vital importance in the matter of growing forage for soiling purposes. In other words, it is shown that, not only is there a profitable gain, but that with these crops the application of Nitrate of Soda made it possible to double the number of cattle or the number of cows that could be kept on a definite area. In the case of the wheat and rye the application was made when the plants were well started in the spring. In the case of the spring or summer-seeded crops the applica- tions were made after the plants were well started and root systems well established and ready for the ., , . •a u s c c a t • • r Methods of rapid absorption or rood. In raising tor- . ,. 5L 1 ■. • c <. *• Application, age crops the best results, in fact, satis- factory results, can only be obtained when grown under the intensive system. The soil must be well prepared and an abundance of all the elements of plant-food supplied. Hence, the application of Nitrate may be greater than is usually recommended for grain crops under the extensive system. Food for Although there are many valuable suggestions offered Plants ^y t^e experiments, at least two are of fundamental im- 6* portance, and cannot be too strongly urged upon the attention of farmers: i. That the constituents Nitrogen, phosphoric acid and potash, as found in commercial supplies furnishing these elements, do serve as plant-food, nourishing the plant in the same manner as those in home manures, and should, there- fore, be liberally used, in order to guarantee maximum crops. 2. Of these constituent elements Nitrogen is of especial importance, because it is the one element which, in its natural state, must be changed in form before it can be used by the plants. Hence, its application in an immediately-available form is especially advantageous for quick- growing vegetable crops, whose marketable quality is measured by rapid and continuous growth, and for those field crops which make theit greatest development in spring, before the conditions are favorable for the change of the Nitrogen in the soil into forms usable by plants. Staple Crops. Food for Plants 69 The Cotton Bolls on the Nitrate Plot were better developed and larger, and opened better. They did not shed as much during the rainy season. There were also many more bolls on the Nitrate Plot. Cotton and Fiber Plants. Cotton is profitably grown on nearly all kinds of soil, but does best perhaps on a strong, sandy loam. On light uplands the yield is light, but with a fair proportion of lint; on heavy bottom lands the growth may be heavy, but the proportion of lint to the whole plant very much reduced. The preparation of the soil must be even and thorough; light soils should be plowed to a depth of six inches, heavy soils about eight inches. The rows should be four feet apart; on very rich soils the hills may be made twelve inches apart, but on the light soils common to cotton sections twenty-four inches is a better space between plants. About one bushel of seed per acre is the usual allowance. Many fertilizer formulas have been recommended, and by all kinds of authority, and green manuring is widely advised as a means of getting a supply of cheap ammonia; Food for but, with this crop especially, cheap ammoniates are very s dear. The cotton plant should have stored up all the food it needs by the ist or 15th of August; from this time on growth should be checked that the plant may develop the formation of seed and lint. If, on the contrary, plant food is still supplied late in the season, new growth is the result, and in consequence a lessened production of lint and seed. The lower grade ammoniates, such as cotton-seed meal, green manuring, tankage, and dried blood, continue to supply available Nitrogen until checked by cold weather, hence these forms of ammoniates are not desirable for the most econ- omical production of cotton. In order to supply the necessary plant food for the earlier stages of growth, so much of these low grade ammoniates must be used that injury from lack of ripening is almost sure to occur. The most rational way of fertilizing cotton is to apply the phosphoric acid and potash with the seed, or just before seeding. As soon as the plants are well above ground, top- dress along the rows with 100 pounds of Nitrate of Soda per acre, and work well in with the cultivator. This fur- nishes the cotton plant with precisely the Best Form of Nitrogen, Nitrate, for rapid growth, and does not continue to push the plant long after new growth should have ceased. One hundred pounds of Nitrate of Soda may be used as a top-dressing four weeks after planting. Successful results have been obtained by using Nitrate alone, either at the time of planting, at the ratio of 100 pounds to the acre, or a spoonful of this salt placed around and near each cotton bush later, mixing it thoroughly with the dry soil. Avoid placing the Nitrate on the plant or in contact with it. Fertilization and Cultivation of Cotton. Bulletin of North Carolina Department of Agriculture. P . Cotton is generally grown on ridges This is necessary on wet soils, but on all fairly well-drained upland and sandy soils we are convinced that level and frequent shallow cultivation, as was indicated for corn, is the best and most economical method to follow in growing cotton. Ridge culture may give better results in very wet years, but taking the seasons as they come the ad- vantage will lie, we think, with flat culture. Brown Cotton. Without 4 Cwt. Manure. Kainit. 12 Tons Farm- Yard Manure. Food for Plants 7* 4 Cwt. Superphosphate. 2 Tons of 2 Cwt. Nitrate of Soda. Poudrette. 5 Cwt. Superphosphate. Abbasi White Cotton, Lower Egypt. 12 Tons Yard Manure. 4 Cwt. Kainit. Without Manure. 5 Cwt. Superphosphate. 2 Cwt. Nitrate of Soda. 2 Cwt. Nitrate of Soda. 4 Cwt. Superphosphate. Results on Cotton Grown in Lower Egypt. Food for On light lands it will be good practice to apply Nitrate PUnts as a side-dressing about the middle of June. Good results 7* come from the use of it in this way on heavy types of land. Where land does not produce a good stalk of cotton, and fer- tilizers are used which contain only a moderate amount of Nitrogen, or ammonia, good results are obtained from a side- dressing of 50 to 100 pounds of Nitrate of Soda per acre. The Nitrate should be distributed along one side of the row, or where there is a ridge in the middle it may be put on this, and when the ridge is thrown out the Nitrate will be thrown on two sides of the row. c ... . The Alabama Agricultural Experi- Fertihzing a A L *i , L r> __ ment Station at Auburn, Alabama, has Cotton. , . . ' . . ' c made some interesting experiments in Fer- tilizing cotton. Experiments were conducted in many differ- ent parts of the State and on various kinds of soil. It was noticed that in nearly every case 96 pounds Nitrate of Soda, when used with acid phosphate, gave a better yield than 240 pounds cotton-seed meal when used with the same quantity of acid phosphate. The 240 pounds of cotton-seed meal contained more Nitrogen than 96 pounds of Nitrate, and cost more than the Nitrate, yet did not give, as a rule, as good results. As a rule, potash did not pay, except on sandy land. While the "no fertilizer" acre gave only a small yield, the best results were obtained from the combination of Nitrate, phosphate and potash, but where the land was fairly good, the potash did not seem to be necessary. Cotton-seed meal has been an economical source of Nitrogen, but it tends to make the soil sour, stale and mouldy Its use should never exclude the use of Nitrate Nitrogen, i.e., Nitrate of Soda, at the rate of 100 pounds to the acre. Two bales of cotton may be made on the same land with the same labor which now makes one. Nitrate of Soda fed to growing crops at the right time repays its cost many times over. Experiments with Fertilizers on Cotton. Food for Plants 73 Locality and Character of Soil. •Barbour Co., Sandy Loam . . . Elmore Co., Gray Sand Elowah Co., Red Loam Greene Co., Sandy Clay Co., Soil Red Calhoun Co., Mulatto Soil . . . Lawrence Co., Clay Loam . . . Cullman Co., Sand and Gravel Madison Co., Clay Loam .... Randolph Co., Sandy Loam . . Butler Co., Light Sand Marengo Co., Dark Sand A 03 £ -' m u- 0. Sf * a W) 0 ^ -2 B. 0 = ». 0 c •c< 2 ■=< 2-a< u. o <£. ii <§. 6 -D X 22 M co 9 « Oi « Yield Yield, Yield. Yield per Acre. per Acre, per Acre, per Acre. Lbs. - Lbs. Lbs. Lbs. 624 672 I2l6 768 469 736 1088 960 240 6l6 1000 720 IO4 5" 960 IO56 389 480 800 704 171 480 640 624 235 600 864 688 347 928 1080 1096 312 448 800 544 288 384 752 544 200 640 744 760 648 816 936 784 0S1, 2^ Yield per Acre Lbs. 952 I256 848 8l6 904 1 120 800 544 800 968 If there is no Nitrate present, the plant must wait until the Nitrogen in the cotton-seed meal becomes nitrated, which, in cool, damp soil takes a considerable time. Thus the plant, its most critical stage, is held back and checked in its in growth, from which it never fully recovers. On the other hand, if a small quantity of Nitrate is used, the plant can take it up at once and get a good strong start by the time the cotton-seed meal is converted into the Nitrate form, the only form that can be used by the plant. Food for Experiments with Nitrate on Cotton. South Carolina, 1904. PUnts — 74 POUNDS OF THE FOLLOWING MATERIAL TO THE ACRE. Manufactured POU D d S Plot. Peru Acid Kainit. c. s. Nit. Nitrate Mur. Fertilizer. Seed-Cot- Guano Phos. Meal. Soda. Potash. Pot. ton to the 4*4- 2H-8-2 Acre. 0000 IOO 200 200 300 200 1740 lbs. 000 IOO 200 200 300 IOO 1 1 10 '• 00 20O 400 400 600 1140 " 0 J OO 200 200 300 IOO 960 " I 45o " 2 200 450 " 3 200 45° " 4 200 540 " 5 IOO 600 '* 6 IOO 750 " 7 300 " 8 IOO 390 " 9 200 54o " 10 200 540 M 11 200 540 " 12 200 200 300 720 " *3 200 300 IOO 810 M 14 330 " 15 200 200 IOO 960 " 16 200 200 300 IOO 1110 •• 17 200 2CO 300 50 870 •• 18 200 300 100 66 1050 " 19 300 300 IOO IOO 1 140 •• 20 300 200 1020 " 21 450 " 22 350 200 200 1290 " 23 350 300 •5° 1350 " 24 IOO 200 200 300 780 " 25 200 200 200 300 960 " 26 400 930 " 27 300 30O IOO 1170 '• 28 540 •' 29 500 840 " 30 IOO 200 200 300 900 " 3' IOO 200 200 300 810 " 32 IOO 200 200 300 930 " 33 IOO 200 200 300 780 '* 34 600 960 " 35 36 350 200 250 1230 •• 480 ' Bal- ance of IOO 200 2O0 300 80 1250 " Fatm Flax and Hemp. For Hemp, 100 pounds Nitrate per acre may be applied as a top-dressing at the time of planting. For Flax, 100 pounds Nitrate per acre may be applied as a top-dressing at the time of planting. Tobacco. Food for Plants The value of tobacco depends so much upon its grade, 75 and the grade so much upon the soil and climate, as well as fertilization, that no general rules for tobacco culture can be laid down. Leaving out special tobaccos, such as Perique, the simplest classification of tobacco for the purposes of this book is as follows : Cigar. — Tobacco for cigar manufacture, grown chiefly in Connecticut and Wisconsin. Manu- facturing.— Tobacco manufactured into plug tobacco, or the various forms for pipe smoking and cigarettes. All kinds of tobacco have the same general habits of growth, but the two classes mentioned have very different plant food requirements. Cigar tobaccos generally require a rather light soil; manufacturing tobaccos prefer heavy, fertile soils. In either case, the soil must be clean, deeply broken, and thoroughly pulverized. Fall plowing is always practised on heavy lands, or lands new to tobacco culture. Tobacco may safely be grown on the same land year after year. The plant must be richly fertilized; it has thick, fleshy roots, and comparatively little foraging power — that is, ability to send out roots over an ex- tensive tract of soil in search of plant food. Fertilizer for tobacco is used in quantities per acre as low as 400 pounds, and as high as 3,000 pounds. It should always be supplemented by a top-dressing of Nitrate of Soda, along the rows of young plants, ranging from 200 to 400 pounds per acre. Manufacturing tobaccos are particularly benefited by the application of Nitrate of Soda. While the production of leaf may be enormously increased by abundant use of this Nitrate, the other plant food elements should also be used to secure a well matured crop. In the case of cigar tobaccos, Nitrate should be used exclusively, as it is difficult to secure a thoroughly matured leaf unless the supply of digestible Nitrogen is more or less under control, a condition not practicable with ordin- ary fertilizers. Should the crop at any time before mid- August take on a yellow, sickly color, Nitrate of Soda should be broadcasted at once, along the rows, and at the rate of 200 pounds per acre. If this broadcasting can be done just before a rain, the results will appear more promptly. Food for Tobacco growing is special farming, and should be care- Plants fu]|y studied before starting in as a. tobacco planter. For 76 small plantations, the plants are best bought of a regular seedsman. The cultivation is always clean, and an earth mulch from two to three inches in depth should be main- tained— that is, the surface soil to that depth kept thoroughly pulverized. At the Kentucky Experiment Station experiments were made with fertilizers on Burley Tobacco. The land was T . "deficient in natural drainage," so that the fertilizers could hardly be expected to have their full effect. Yet, as will be seen by the following table, the profits from the use of the fertilizers were enormous : Experiments on Tobacco at the Kentucky Experiment Station. Value of Yield of tobacco — pounds. tobacco Fertilizer per acre. Bright. Red. Lugs. Tips. Trash. Total, per acre. 1. No manure 200 360 60 540 1 160 $67. 20 2. 1 60 lbs. Nitrate of Soda. ... 230 4.50 310 90 530 1610 138.40 3. 160 lbs. sulp. of potash; 160 lbs. Nitrate of Soda 190 755 605 120 140 1810 190.4$ 4. 320 lbs. superphosphate; 160 lbs. sulp. of potash; 160 lbs. Nitrate of Soda 310 810 420 10 360 2000 201.20 The tobacco was assorted by an expert and the prices given as follows: Bright and red, fifteen cents per pound; lugs, six cents per pound; tips, eight cents per pound; trash, two cents per pound. One hundred and sixty pounds Nitrate of Soda, costing about $3.75, increased the value of the crop $71.20 per acre! /, B^ We recommend for tobacco a mixture JT{ ^A«L of 200 pounds Nitrate of Soda, 300 pounds M Jfti/!/ superphosphate, and 200 pounds sulphate y fft of potash per acre. This mixture would cost wJflk about $28.00 per ton and would contain over 6 per cent, of Nitrogen. This is nearly twice as much Nitrogen as would be ob- tained in a "complete fertilizer" or "special ffl tobacco manure," costing $35.00 per ton. Grass Growing for Profit. related grasses feed heavily on are able to transform it completely a Timothy and Nitrogen ; they into wholesome and digestible animal full rations of plant food are present of grass will remove upwards of the equivalent of the active fertilizer ingredients of 200 pounds of Ni- trate of Soda, 200 pounds muriate of potash and 200 pounds of phosphate. These amounts are recommended to be Food for Plants 77 food. When good crop Clearing Land for Seeding. applied per acre as top-dressing for grass lands; and if wood ashes are available 400 pounds per acre will be very beneficial in addition to the above. Grass lands get sour easily, es pecially when old, and when they do, one ton of lime per acre should be harrowed in before seeding down anew. The seed- ing must be done before September, and the above-mentioned ration should be used as a top-dressing the following spring, soon after the grass begins to show growth. If all the conditions are favorable from three to five tons of clean barn-cured hay, free from weeds, may reasonably be expected. When grass crops are heavy and run as high Food for Plants 7* as 4^2 tons per acre field-cured, it is safe to allow 20 per cent, shrinkage in weight for seasoning and drying down to a barn-cured basis. Nitrate of Soda, the chief constituent of the prescribed ration, pushes the grass early and enables it to get ahead of all weeds, and the crop then feeds economi- cally and fully on the other manurial constituents present in the fertilizer mentioned in the formula and present in the soil. Types of Characteristic Rock Shattering (1). When clean No. 1 hay sells above $16.00 per ton the financial results are very satisfactory. Nitrate can some- times be used alone for a season or two and at very great profit, but a full grass ration is better in the long run for both the soil and crop. Generally speaking, 100 pounds of Nitrate, if used under proper conditions, will pro- duce an increase of from 1,000 to 1,200 pounds of barn-cured, clean timothy hay, the value of which shall average from $8.00 to $10.00. Compared to the value of the increased hay crop, it pays well to use Nitrate liberally on grass lands. A reliable, heavy Top-Dressing formula for Grass Lands per acre: 200 lbs. Nitrate of Soda. 200 lbs. Sulphate of potash. 200 lbs. Acid phosphate. 600 lbs. This illustration was made from the photograph of a Food for field of Timothy. The portion on the left was not, that on Plants the right was, fertilized with Nitrate of Soda, 400 pounds 79 to the acre. Every farmer is interested in getting the heaviest possible yield of grass. Making Two Blades of Grass Grow Where One Blade Grew Before. Grass is a responsive crop and the part played by min- eral chemical fertilizers, as proven in Rhode Island, show the striking effect of Nitrate on yields and feeding quality. Since all the other fertilizers were alike for the three plats and had been for many years, and since the general character of the soil and the treatments the plats had received were uniform, any differences must be ascribed to the influ- ence of the varying quantities of Nitrate of Soda. These differences, so far as they are shown by the weights of the crops for four years are given in brief below : Yield of Cured Hay Under Different Rates of Nitrogenous Fertilization. Yield of Cured Hay. Average 1899, 1900, 1901, 1902, Yields Nitrate of Soda applied. Lbs. Lbs. Lbs. Lbs. in Tons. None 5,075 4,000 3,290 2,950 1.9 150 lbs. per acre* 6,300 5,600 5,550 4,850 2.8 450 lbs. per acre* 6,913 8,200 9,390 8,200 4.1 ♦Amount slightly reduced in 1901 and 1902. Food for Plants 80 What the Figures Show. These figures show a uniform, consis- tent and marked advantage from the use of Nitrate of Soda; and the effect of its ab- sence is shown by the steady decline of the yields on the no- Nitrate plat from year to year. In each year the use of 150 pounds of Nitrate gave increased yields over the plat with- Rock before Blasting with One Pound of Forty Per Cent. Dynamite. out Nitrogen, the gain varying from 1,200 to almost 2,300 pounds, an average gain of about seven-eighths of a ton of hay. Three times this amount of Nitrate did not, of course, give three times as much hay, but it so materially increased the yield as to show that it was all used to good advantage except, perhaps, in the second year. This was an exceptionally dry year and but one crop could be cut. The advantage from the Nitrate showed strikingly in the production of a rapid and luxurious early growth while moisture was still available. This supply of readily soluble food comes just when it is most needed, since the natural change of unavailable forms of Nitrogen in the soil to the soluble Nitrates proceeds very slowly during the cool, moist weather of spring. The full ration of Nitrogen, 450 pounds of Nitrate, more than doubled the yield of hay over that produced on the no-Nitrate plat in 1900 and in the next two years it nearly tripled the Food for yield. The average increase over the 150 pound plat was one F and three-tenths tons and over the plat without Nitrogen was two and five-eighths tons. Effect on Quality of Hay. Almost as marked, and certainly more surprising and unexpected, was the effect of the Nitrate upon the quality of the hay produced. The hay from the plats during the first season was of such diverse character that different ton values had to be placed upon it in estimating the profit from the How Nitrate Improves the Quality of the Hay. ^^M^MMM^MMMimimWWmfcaak 1 _. . . * ^ -. "\../^^i?3b^gik2^'5te*^ \ . A ft 1 -. * ' ... 1 Same Rock Shattered by the Explosion of Dynamite. use of fertilizers. That from the no-Nitrate plat, since it contained so much clover at both cuttings, was considered worth only $9.00 a ton; the first cutting on the small Nitro- gen ration was valued at $12.00 and the second cutting at $ 10.00 ; while $ 1 6.00 and $ 1 2.00 were the values given to the first and second cuttings respectively on the plat receiving the full ration of Nitrate. 81 Food for Plants 81 But the reduction in the percentage of clover was not the only benefit to the quality of the hay. The Nitrate also decreased the proportion of red top as compared with the finer timothy. This tendency was noticed in the second year, when a count of the stalks on selected equal and typical areas showed 13 per cent, of timothy on the 150 pound plat, and 44 per cent, on the 450 pound plat. In the third year the per- centages of timothy were 39 per cent, and 67 per cent., respec- tively, and in the fourth year the differences were even more marked. Timothy is a grass which will not tol- erate an acid soil, and it is probable that the liming given these plats in 1897 did not make them as "sweet" as would have been best for this crop. Now, when Nitrate of Soda is used by plants, more of the nitric acid is used than of the soda and a An Alkaline Soil Necessary for Grass. Types of Characteristic Rock Shattering (2). certain portion of the latter, which is an alkali, is left to com- bine with other free acids of the soil. This, like lime, neu- tralizes the acids and thus "sweetens" the soil for the timothy. Red top, on the con- trary, does well on soils which are slightly acid, and so would have the advantage over timothy in a soil not perfectly sweet. With the assistance of the Soda set free How Nitrate Neutralizes Soil Acids and Sweetens the Soil. from the Nitrate, the timothy was more than able to hold Food for its own and thus to make what the market calls a finer, better 8 hay; and since the market demands timothy and pays for it, 83 the farmer who sells hay is wise if he meets the demand. Types of Characteristic Rock Shattering (3). Financial Profit from Use of Nitrate. How It Pays. Frequently more plant food is paid for and put on the land than the crop can possibly use, the excess being entirely thrown away, or, at best, saved to benefit some subsequent crop. This was far from the case in these trials. Indeed, it was found by analysis of the hay that more potash was removed by the crops of the first two years than had been added in the muriate used, con- sequently the amount applied upon each plat was increased in 1 90 1 and in 1902. The Nitrogen requirement of the crops was found to be slightly less than was supplied in 450 pounds of Nitrate and the amount was reduced to 400 pounds in 1 90 1, and to 415 pounds in 1902. The Nitrate on the second plat was also reduced in proportion. The phosphoric acid, however, was probably in considerable excess, since liming sets free phosphoric acid already in the soil and so lessens the ap- parent financial profit; but not to an excessive degree. Food for Excess of Value of Hay Over Cost of Fertilizers. I Plants Nitrate of Soda °* . applied. 1899- 1900. 1901. 1902. Average. None $6.09 $13.42 $12.13 $7-44 9-77 150 lbs.* 14-34 20.37 23.97 i6-S2 18.80 450 lbs.0 19.62 30.40 40.70 32.74 30.86 •Slightly reduced in 1901 and 1902. Practical Conclusions. From these striking results it must be evident that grass land as well as tilled fields is greatly benefited by Nitrate, and that it would be to the advantage of most farmers to improve the fertility of their soils by growing good crops of grass, aided thereto by liberal fertilizing. ~. ~ . The application should be in the form Top-Dressing , ~, rt~ . ,. , , . n . . or a 1 op-Dressing, applied very early in the spring in order that the first growth may find readily available material for its support and be carried through the season with no check from partial star- vation. On land which shows any tendency to sour, a ton to the acre of slaked lime should be used every five or six years. This makes the land sweet and promotes the growth of grass plants of the best kinds. Lime should be sown upon the ploughed land and har- rowed into the soil. Top-Dressing with lime after seeding will not answer, and, in the case of very acid soils, the omis- sion of lime at the proper time will necessitate re-seeding to secure a good stand of grass. r- . , All the elements of fertility are essen- Economical . . . .. .. . ' , ... and Profitable t,al so that ordinarily complete fertilizers Practice m^ used, Nitrate being used as a Top Dresser, though on some soils rich in phos- phoric acid or potash, one or both of these ingredients may be used in small quantity. This is particularly true of phos- phates after lime has been applied to the soil, since lime aids to set the phosphoric acid free from its natural insoluble com- binations. Grass seems to demand less phosphoric acid than was applied in the test; but it responds with increasing profit to applications of Nitrate of Soda up to 250 pounds to the acre when ample supplies of potash and phosphates are present. On strong soils such as that of these plots, the best Food for fertilizer combination for annual application appears to be : 400 pounds phosphate. 85 200 pounds muriate of potash. 250 pounds Nitrate of Soda. No stable manure has been used upon the field under experiment for over twenty years. Whole Field, except Center, Fertilized with Fourteen Per Cent. Acid Phosphate, Six Hundred Pounds; Sulphate of Potash, Two Hundred Pounds; Nitrate of Soda, Two Hundred Pounds. Square in Center of Field had Six Hundred Pounds Acid Phosphate, and Two Hundred Pounds Sulphate of Potash, but no Nitrate of Soda. The Bulletins of the Rhode Island Agricultural Experi- ment Station, or Farmers' Bulletin No. 77, published by the United States Department of Agriculture, tells how and when to use lime. Details of excellent grass experiments, to be found in recent Bulletins issued by the Rhode Island Agricultural Experiment Station, Kingston, Rhode Island, tell about Nitrate of Soda. 86 Food for It may not be out of place here to Plants Nitrate of Soda . J. . . w ™ i , as Used in mention the fact that Mr. dark s success in Clark's Grass obtaining remarkably large yields of hay Cultivation ^or a numDer °^ vears> an average of 9 tons of cured hay per acre for 1 1 years in suc- cession, has been heralded throughout the United States. He attributes his success largely to the liberal dressings of Nitrate of Soda which he invariably applies to his fields early in the spring, and which start the grass off with such a vigorous growth as to shade and crowd out all noxious weeds before they get fairly started and which result in a large crop of clean and high priced hay. H r . It is also known that many who have P . . . tested his methods have met with failure M A*H * h chiefly because they neglected to supply the r» e- li it young grass plants with a sufficient amount Profitable Use c %\ -i ui c a c .u • c KT. or readily available rood for their use in or Nitrate • early spring, and before the organic forms of Nitrogen, which exist in the soil only in an insoluble form and which cannot be utilized by the plants as food, are con- verted into soluble Nitrates by the action of bacteria in the soil. This does not occur to any great extent until the soil warms up to summer temperature when it is too late in the season to benefit the crops' early spring growth. It is important that we always bear in mind the fact that our only source of Nitrogen in the soil for all plants is the remnants of former crops (roots, stems, dead leaves, weeds, etc.) in different stages of decomposition, and that in the early spring there is always a scarcity of Nitrogen in the soil in an available form, for the reason that the most of that which was converted into soluble forms by the action of the soil bacteria during the warm summer months of the previous year was either utilized by the plants occupying the ground at that time or has been washed down below the reach of the roots of the young plants by the melting snow and the heavy rains of late winter and early spring. When we consider the fact that most plants require and take up about 75 per cent, of their total Nitrate Ammo- niate during the earlier stages of their growth and that Nitro- gen is the element most largely entering into the building up of the life principle (or protoplasm) of all plants, it is plain that we cannot afford to jeopardize the chances of grow- Food for ing crops by having only an insufficient supply of immediately s available Nitrogen when it is most needed. 8? According to Dr. Wheeler's experi- ^ ments in Rhode Island, soils are less ex- hausted when complete fertilizers are used with Nitrate than . when no Nitrate is used. The Soda always left behind after the Nitrate of Soda is used up conserves always the Lime and Potash, and unlocks the soil Silicates and thereby frees Lime and Magnesia. The Feeding value of Hay is far greater when Nitrate is used as a fertilizer in this connection. Rhode Island Formula. Nitrate of Soda 300 lbs. Sulphate of potash 200 lbs. Acid phosphate 400 lbs. Fertilizing Hay Crops in California. In the West Coast States Wheat is sown for Hay, and cut green ; likewise Oats. The experiments with fertilizers on oats-hay crops by California Experiment Station, begun in 1901, were con- tinued during the season of 1902-3. During the season of 1 90 1 -2 it was found that the use of Thomas phosphate slag and sulphate of potash with Nitrate of Soda did not pay as well as Nitrate of Soda used alone. The experiments during the last season were planned to test the availability of the phosphate after the first season. It was thought that there was a possibility that the insoluble slag phosphate would become more available the second season after applying it. The plots first used in the experiments were subdivided and given different applications of Nitrate of Soda, used alone and in combination with sul- phate of potash used at the rate of 300 pounds per acre. The yield of hay was lower on both fertilized and unfer- tilized plots during the second season than it was in the first. This difference is undoubtedly due to an unfavorable season. Food for The late spring rainfall failed almost entirely, and Plants tQ ^j^ no joubtj must be attributed the decreased yield. An inspection of the summary of results shows that the heaviest yields of hay on both red and granite soils and the largest money returns per acre were obtained from the plots which were fertilized with phosphate during 190 1-2. On red soil with oats-hay the gain from the use of Nitrate of Soda on the plot which had phosphate the year previous was $11.70 per acre, as against only $3.72 per acre where the Nitrate was used on land having no previous fertilization. On granite soil with oats-hay there was no gain from the phosphate. The use of Nitrate of Soda alone without pre- vious fertilization yielded $9.44 per acre profit, while on the plots having phosphate applied the previous year, the gaih was only $5.74 per acre. In 1903 the heaviest yield of hay was obtained from oats, and the largest profit per acre from wheat on granite soil which had an application of Thomas slag, sulphate of potash, and lime, in 1902. Nitrate of Soda was used at the rate of 320 pounds per acre in 1903. The yield of hay was 5,772 pounds per acre, and the resulting profit $12.89 Per acre. It should be remarked here, however, that this plot was fertilized at a loss of $2 1 .50 per acre in 1 902 ; and as the ap- plication of Nitrate was larger than was used on any other plot, the increased returns were at least partly due to the in- creased supply of the Nitrate. The use of sulphate of potash in combination with Ni- trate of Soda, on granite soil, did not pay in 1903. Potash was used at the rate of 300 pounds per acre. In most cases the fertilizer cost more than the increased crop of hay; hence its use incurred a loss of from 76 cents to $4.57 Per acre. The experiments with Nitrate of Soda used alone were broadened in 1903 to test the efficacy of different amounts per acre and the division of the application into two doses. The results show that in 1903, 160 pounds of Nitrate of Soda per acre in one application yielded the largest profits, viz.: $9.44 and $8.90 per acre, respectively, on two plots on granite soil. In all cases the yield was reduced when the fertilizer was put on in two applications; thus, with 160 pounds per acre applied in two doses, only $4.82 and $7.27 per acre were yielded by two plots on granite soil. WHAT PERCENTAGE OF WATER DOES Foodfor HAY LOSE DURING STORAGE ? Result of Official Rhode Island Experiment. Hay which had been stored during the summer of 1901, was removed from the mow the following February, and found to contain 12.21 per cent, of water. A careful com- parison of other moisture determinations of hay leads to the conclusion that 12.21 is a fair general average of the per- centage of water in the best quality of barn-cured hay. When hay is first stored it usually contains from 20 to 28 per cent, of moisture. The loss in storage may be said to be about twelve to sixteen per cent. GRADES OF HAY AND STRAW. New York Rules for Grading. Established by the New York Hay Exchange Association (Incorporated). Prime Hay: Shall be pure timothy, properly cured, bright, natural color, sound and well baled. No. 1 Hay: Shall be timothy, not more than one- eighth (*/&) mixed with other tame grasses, properly cured, bright color, sweet, sound and well baled. No. 2 Hay: Shall include all timothy not good enough for No. 1, fair in color, proportionally mixed with other tame grasses, sweet, sound and well baled. No. 3 Hay: Shall include all hay not good enough for other grades, not over one-third (1-3) clover, but may be natural meadow, free from wild or bog, sweet, sound and well baled. Shipping Hay : Shall consist of hay not good enough for No. 3, sound and well baled. No Grade Hay : Shall include all hay badly cured, stained, threshed or in any way unsound. No. 1 Packing Hay: Shall consist of all fine grasses, of good color, free from flag and thistles, sound and well baled. 89 Food for Fancy Clover Mixed Hay: Shall be bright, green, Plants coiore(j timothy and clover of medium growth, containing 9° not over one-third (1-3) clover, sound and well baled. No. 1 Clover Mixed Hay: Shall be timothy and clover mixed, with at least one-half ( l/2 ) timothy, good color, sound and well baled. No. 2 Clover Mixed Hay: Shall be timothy and clover mixed, with at least one-third ( 1-3) timothy, sound and well baled. The Loader is of great service in handling hay quickly. No. I Clover Hay: Shall be bright, medium growth clover, sound and well baled. No. 2 Clover Hay : Shall be clover of fair color, sound and well baled. No. 1 Rye Straw : Shall be bright, clean, long rye straw, pressed in bundles in large or upright pressed bales, sound and well baled. No. 2 Rye Straw : Shall be clean, long rye straw, of fair color, pressed in bundles in large or upright pressed bales, sound and well baled. No. 1 Tangled Rye Straw: Shall be bright, clean straw, of fair length, sound and well baled. No. 2 Tangled Rye Straw : Shall be reasonably clean, Food for fair color, sound and well baled. Plants No. i Oat Straw: Shall be clean, bright, oat straw, of 9I fair length, practically free from chaff and thistles, sound and well baled. No. i Wheat Straw: Shall be bright, clean straw, of fair length, sound and well baled. Report of Experiments. Season of 1906. Highland Experimental Farms, New York. The average yields per acre of field-cured hay on the up- lands were as follows: No Nitrate — 3200 pounds per acre. 168 lbs. Nitrate — 6240 pounds per acre. The average yields per acre of field-cured hay on the lowlands were as follows : No Nitrate — 5920 pounds per acre. 112 lbs. Nitrate — 8030 pounds per acre. Comparison of Yields, 1905 and 1906. Uplands. Season. 1905. No Nitrate — 3180 lbs. 300 lbs. Nitrate — 8340 lbs. 1906. No Nitrate — 3200 lbs. 168 lbs. Nitrate — 6240 lbs. Lowlands. Season. 1905. No Nitrate — 6985 lbs. 200 lbs. Nitrate — 8712 lbs. 1906. No Nitrate — 5920 lbs. 1 12 lbs. Nitrate — 8030 lbs. Yield of original "No Nitrate" hollow square plot in field of timothy and red top : Season of 1905 — 3180 lbs. Season of 1906 — 1760 lbs. The yields are lower for 1906 than for 1905 owing to smaller applications of Nitrate and probably also to the fact that there was much less rainfall during the growing season. Food for The Alfalfa, Cow Pea and Clover Question. Plant* ^ .. . This class of plants has the property . * of taking inert Nitrogen from the air and transforming it into combinations more or less useful as plant food. This feature is of great value to agriculture, but not so much from the plant food point of view as from the fact that these plants are rich in that kind of food substance commonly called "flesh formers." Liberally fertilized, and not omit- ting Nitrate in the fertilizer, we have a crop con- taining more Nitrogenous food (protein or flesh form- ers) than the Nitrogen actually given as fertilizer could have made by itself. The most common plants of this class are: alfalfa, alsike clover, crimson clover, red clover, Japan clover, cow peas, lupines, Canadian field peas, the vetches, etc. All these forage crops should be sown after clean culture crops. The best method of fertilizing is to apply from 300 to 500 pounds of fertilizer, in the early autumn and every autumn; in the spring, top-dress with 200 pounds of Nitrate of Soda, and repeat with about 100 pounds after each cutting. It is true that clovers may supply their own nitrogenous plant food, but this is an experiment experienced farmers do not often repeat. A fair green crop of clover, for example, removes from the soil some 160 pounds of Nitrogen, while in 500 pounds of Nitrate of Soda there are less than 100 pounds. Undoubtedly, the Nitrogen taken from the air is a great aid, but we should not expect too much of it. The method of seeding clovers depends much upon locality and soil needs with reference to previous crops. Crimson clover and Canadian field peas are usually sown in August, after earlier crops have been removed, or even in corn fields. Red clover is commonly sown in the spring on wheat or with oats. Wheat. The soil for this grain, fall planting, ranges from a clay loam to a moderate sandy loam. For spring wheat, moist peaty soils are used. Wheat is usually grown in rotation, in which case it nearly always follows corn, or a clean culture crop. The nature of cultivation is too well known to re« quire mention here. Both spring and winter wheat are commonly fertilized crops, particularly the latter. The average fertilizer for wheat should contain Nitrogen, phosphoric acid and potash. This fertilizer is applied with the seed, and at the rate of 500 pounds to the acre. Ni- trate of Soda is also applied as a top-dressing, soon after the crop shows growth in the spring, broadcast, at the rate of 100 pounds per acre. Like all grains, wheat should have its Nitrate plant food early, and in the highly available, easily digested Nitrated form, such as is only to be found commer- cially as Nitrate of Soda. The plant food needs of a crop of 30 bushels of wheat per acre amounts to about 70 pounds of Nitrogen, 24 pounds of phosphoric acid, and 30 pounds of potash; this includes the straw, chaff and stubble. One hundred pounds of Nitrate of Soda supply about 16 pounds of Nitrogen, 50 that the quan- tity mentioned for top-dressing is a minimum quantity. Much has been said of legume Nitrogen for wheat, the crop being generally grown in rotation. Whatever Nitrogen the clover may have gathered, a crop of timothy and a crop of corn must be supplied before the wheat rotation is reached. In many cases, simply top-dressing with the Nitrate will be found ef- fectual. In all cases where the acre yields have fallen off, top- dressing of Nitrate of Soda should be applied. Professor Maercker states that Nitrate of Soda for wheat is absolutely necessary under the conditions in Ger- many, and that 100 pounds of Nitrate of Soda produces 300 to 400 pounds of grain and a corresponding amount of straw. Drill in with the wheat in the fall a mix- ture of 250 pounds of acid phosphate and 50 pounds Nitrate of Soda per acre. If your land is sandy, add 50 pounds of sul- phate of potash to the above. Early in Food for Plants 93 How to Apply Nitrate of Soda to Wheat. the spring, sow broadcast 100 pounds Nitrate of Soda per acre. Food for Land sown to Wheat in the fall and seeded down with Plants t;mothy an(] clover giving a heavy crop, followed by a heavy t+ hay crop the following year, proved the beneficial ajter- effect of the Nitrate and that the Nitrate had not leached away as so many critics claim, and further that the soil had not been exhausted. Professor Massey writes in regard to the effect of Nitrate of Soda on Wheat, as follows: I have made several experiments with Nitrate of Soda. The first was on wheat in Albemarle County, Virginia. I used 200 pounds per acre on part of the field which had been fertilized with 400 pounds acid phosphate in the fall. The result was 9 bushels per acre more than on the rest of the field, and a stand of clover, while none of any account stood on the rest of the field. Wh p . From 100 to 150 pounds of Nitrate . of Soda per acre should be broadcasted c , . on wheat, as soon as the new growth shows England. , ' . ™, , &, , in the spring. Ihe results or such treat- ment are shown by experiments made by three English gentle- men, which are tabulated as follows, mineral plant food be- ing present in abundance: I. No Nitrate, 23 bu. 300 lbs. Nitrate, 33.5 bu. Gain 46 p. ct. II. " 15 " 300 ■ " 28.0 " " 87 " III. " 34 " 300 " " 49.0 " " 44 " Average 59 " P . Another illustration is an experiment M . r . made by the late Dr. Voelcker; 672 pounds ivieai v^ompareQ ,- % % « . . with N't at cotton-seed meal were used in compari- son with 275 pounds of Nitrate of Soda, with the result that the latter gave a return of 46.75 bushels per acre, a gain over the cotton-seed meal of nearly 24 per cent.y the above enormous application of cotton-seed meal yielding but 37.J bushels per acre. Forty Bushels of Wheat to the Acre a Possible Aver- age on Many Ohio Farms. Bulletin 282, Ohio Experiment Station. For twenty years the Ohio Experiment Station has grown potatoes, wheat and clover in a three-year rotation on one of its farms in Wayne county, a farm no better in natural fertility than thousands of others which may be found in this region of the State. The land under experiment is divided into three sections Food for and each crop is grown every season. Each section is sub-di- vided into plots of one-tenth acre each, every third plot being 95 left continuously without fertilizer or manure, while the intervening plots have received different combinations of fer- tilizing materials, the fertilizers being divided between the potato and wheat crops. The average yield of wheat in this test for the last ten years has been twenty-five bushels per acre on the unfertilized land. The application of 160 pounds of acid phosphate per acre to wheat, following a like application to potatoes, has increased the wheat yield by five bushels. When to this appli- cation, ioo pounds of muriate of potash was added for each crop, the yield of wheat was increased by seven bushels, while the use of a complete fertilizer, made up of 160 pounds of acid phosphate, ioo pounds of muriate of pot- ash and the equivalent of 160 pounds of Nitrate of Soda for each crop, has increased the total yield of wheat to more than forty bushels per acre for the ten-year average. The increase in the potato crop in each of these cases has more than paid for the fertilizer, leaving the increase in wheat as net gain, a gain which has been further augmented by a considerable increase in the yield of clover. Not only has the yield been maintained at a high point, but it seems to be steadily increasing; the average yield for the three plots which receive the combination given, and which are located in different parts of the field, being 38*4 bushels per acre for the first half of the ten-year period, and 42^ bushels per acre for the second half. It has therefore been possible to produce forty bushels of wheat per acre in Ohio as a ten-year average, and to accom- plish this result by a method which has much more than paid the cost. It is the general observation of farmers, that wheat does exceptionally well when it follows potatoes, and this fact in part accounts for the large yields obtained in this experiment. The fact that the land was in good condition to start with — part of it having been cleared from the forest for purposes of this test, must also be borne in mind. But on another of the Station's Wayne county farms, one which had been reduced to Food for a Very low state of fertility by long continued and exhaustive s cropping, an average yield of 28^2 bushels of wheat per acre 96 has been maintained for the same period in a rotation of corn, oats, wheat, clover and timothy. In this test the unfertilized yield has been 9>4 bushels of wheat per acre. This yield has been increased to 28 y2 bushels by a fertilizer of the same composition as that above mentioned, namely: 160 pounds acid phosphate, 100 pounds of muriate of potash and the equivalent of 160 pounds of Nitrate of Soda per acre. In this case, as in the potato rotation, the increase in the other crops of the rotation has more than paid all the cost of the fertilizers, leaving the increase of wheat as clear gain. In this case also the rate of gain is increasing, the aver- age yield for the first five years of the period being 25 bushels per acre, as against 32 bushels for the last five years, and there seems to be no good reason to doubt that after the wasted fertility of this land has been restored it will be possible to still further increase the yield to a point equaling that in the experiment first mentioned. Wheat and Oats, Rye and Barley. (Bulletin 44, Georgia Agricultural Experiment Station.) This bulletin gives in detail the results of experiments on wheat with fertilizers, in which Nitrate of Soda is com- pared with cotton-seed meal; in all cases the plots were liberally supplied with phosphoric acid and potash. The average yield of four plots in each instance amounted per N. . acre to 49.4 bushels for Nitrate of Soda, r> . and 40.1 bushels for cotton-seed meal, a Cotton-seed . \ VT. r c , r M . p gain tor Nitrate or Soda or over 23 per 1 w/t. cent. A similar experiment with oats gave pared on wheat. r , , ? , r XT. r c j a return of 60 bushels for Nitrate or Soda and only 42 bushels for cotton-seed meal, a gain for Nitrate over cotton-seed meal of nearly 43 per cent. The Bulletin recommends, even when cotton-seed meal is used in the com- plete fertilizer, to employ Nitrate of Soda as a top-dressing in the spring. Three hundred pounds per acre more Wheat, Oats, Rye or Barley may be raised by the use of 100 pounds of Nitrate of Soda used as a top-dressing on the soil. Frequent Food fof trials at Agricultural Experiment Stations the world over ants fully prove this to be so. 97 MARYLAND AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. Bulletin No. 91. Page 44. Table 7. Nitrate of Soda vs. No Nitrate of Soda Applied on Wheat; Wheat Unfertilized in Fall. Plot No. Yield of Grain per Acre, Bushels. 1. Neither fertilizer nor Nitrate of Soda 10.4 2. Nitrate of Soda, with no Other Fertilizer 18. 1* Comparison of Nitrate of Soda and Sulphate of Am- monia Both With and Without Lime. As has already been explained, the Nitrate of Soda and Sulphate of Ammonia represent the mineral sources of Nitro- gen commonly found on the market. The Nitrate of Soda is readily soluble in water and is directly available to plants; while the Sulphate of Ammonia, though quite soluble, has to be changed into Nitrate before it can be used by crops. Hence the action of these two materials is not the same on different soils and under varying weather conditions. The sulphate has been preferred by some because it would act slower; yet if conditions for nitration were unfavorable, it might not be available to the crop when needed. Again, under some circumstances, Sulphate of Ammonia has been found to be actually harmfulf to plants. The use of Lime ifi connection with the Sulphate of Ammonia has been found by Professor Wheeler, of Rhode Island, to be valuable, in many cases, as a correction of its harmful effects and to be necessary for its nitrification. Professor Wheeler has made a very exhaustive study of the use of Lime with these mineral sources of Nitrogen ; they agree, in the main, with the results obtained at this Station. *Gain of 7.8 bushels, or 75 per cent. f On account of its leaving a strong mineral acid residue in the soil, after its Nitrogen has been nitrated by the soil. Food for SOUTH CAROLINA AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. 98 From Bulletin No. 56, p. 5. Wheat. /. Comparison of Varieties. IV. Home Manures. II. Quantity of Seed per Acre. V. Commercial Fertilizers. III. Experiment with Nitrogen. VI. Tillage. _ ... If wheat is sown upon land deficient Fertilizers. . • • . . in organic matter, it is wise to use a com- plete fertilizer, containing Nitrogen, phosphoric acid and potash. // wheat shows an unhealthy appearance in early spring, especially upon sandy lands, an application of seventy-five pounds of Nitrate of Soda will prove beneficial provided there is enough phosphoric acid in the soil to co-operate with it to make the grain. Experiment with Nitrogen, .-v. . To compare effects of Nitrogen from cot- ton-seed meal and Nitrate of Soda and the latter applied with the seed and as a top-dressing. The intention was to use on each plot a constant quan- tity of phosphoric acid and potash as the equivalent of these ingredients in 200 pounds of cotton-seed meal. The first plot received cotton-seed meal alone — yield 17.5 bus. The second, phosphoric acid and potash and Nitrate of Soda all applied with the seed — yield 20.8 bus. The third received only phosphoric acid and potash — yield 17.6 bus. The fourth received in addition to phosphoric acid and potash applied with the seed, Nitrate of Soda as a top-dressing — yield 19.4 bus. Barley. This crop does best on a strong clay loam, but the soil must not be rich in organic matter. Soils naturally rich in ammoniates are unfavorable, as one of the most important points in high-grade barley is a complete maturity of the Food for grain. With soils rich in vegetable matter, the supply of ant8 the only digestible Nitrogen or what is exactly the same 99 thing, Nitrates, continues so late in the season that maturity is retarded seriously. About 400 pounds per acre of fertilizer should be applied broadcast before seeding. As soon as the grain is "up," top-dress with 150 pounds of Nitrate of Soda per acre. If the soil is very rich, apply only 100 pounds of Nitrate. We would recommend drilling in with the Barley or Oats a mixture of 250 pounds acid phos- phate and 100 pounds Nitrate of Soda Barley per acre, and if the land is very sandy add a Uats. 100 pounds sulphate of potash to the mixture. In an experiment at Woburn, made for the Royal Agri- cultural Society of England, by the late Dr. Voelcker, the following results were obtained : Mineral manures and sulphate ammonia 36.75 bushels per acre. Nitrate 275 lbs. and minerals 42.50 bushels per acre. Gain for Nitrate, 16 per cent. The ammonia salt and the Nitrate used contained the same amount of nitrogen plant food. Compared with cotton-seed meal, 124 pounds of Nitrate of Soda gave 49.5 bushels barley per acre as compared to 37 bushels from 1,000 pounds cotton-seed meal applied the previous year. Gain for Nitrate 33.7 per acre. Oats. This grain does well on nearly all types of soil, but responds freely to good treatment. There is a vast differ- ence in the quality of oats when grown on poor or rich soils. Perhaps no other crop so effectually conceals impoverish- ment; at the same time the feeding value of oats grown on poor soil is very low. In the North oats are sown in the spring, and usually after corn or a turned down clover sod. In such cases the crop is rarely ever given fertilizer, but shows an excellent return for a top-dressing of 100 pounds of Nitrate of Soda per acre. The crop has strong foraging powers, and will find available mineral plant food where a Food for wheat crop would utterly fail. On soils pretty badly ex- >nts hausted, an application of 500 pounds of fertilizer will yield 100 a profitable return, provided the top-dressing of Nitrate is not omitted. Under any condition of soil or fertilizing, a HIGHLANDS EXPERIMENTAL FARMS. 200 lbs. Bone Dust and eight loads of Stable Manure per acre. Yield, 30 bushels per acre. 1,000 lbs. Lime, 400 lbs. Acid Rock, 200 lbs. Muriate of Potash and 100 lbs. Nitrate of Soda per acre. Yield, 60 bushels per acre. sickly green color of the young crop shows need of Nitrate of Soda plant food, and the remedy is a top-dressing of Nitrate. In seeding, use two or three bushels to the acre. Formula for Oats: For One Acre. Acid phosphate (at sowing time) 200 lbs. Muriate of potash (at sowing time) 100 " Nitrate of Soda (in the spring) 100 " 400 lbs. NITRATE TEST Food ,or Plants At Kentucky Experiment Station. BULLETIN 99. The oats in this experiment were sown in April and harvested in July. Plot No. 1 was one acre in area; the others were one-half acre each. No fertilizer, yield, 27.5 bushels. 160 lbs. Nitrate of Soda, yield, 37.1 bushels. An authenticated experiment made by Mr. P. Dickson, of Barnhill, Laurencekirk, N. B., gave a return from the use of 1 12 pounds of Nitrate of Soda of 64 bushels per acre, while the soil without Nitrate gave a crop of only 36 bushels. Top-dressings for oats should average 100 pounds to the acre. It should always be applied some ten days after the young plants have broken ground. Rye. This is another illustration of the necessity of care in the use of fertilizer Nitrogen. Rye does best on lighter soils so long as they are not too sandy, but if the soil is rich in vege- table matter, or if a fertilizer is used containing much organic ammoniate, the grain yield will be disappointing; the crop fails to mature in season because the Nitration of organic Nitrogen or humus is greatest during the warm days of mid- summer, and a constant supply of available Nitrate is being furnished at a time when the crop should commence to ma- ture. The crop needs Nitrate, but it should have been sup- plied during the earlier stages of growth. Use at first a gen- eral fertilizer, 500 pounds per acre. Top Dress as soon as the crop shows growth in the spring with 100 pounds of Nitrate of Soda to the acre, broadcast. Buckwheat. This crop does well on almost all kinds of soil, but should follow a grain or hoed crop — that is, a clean cultiva- tion crop. On thin soils use about 400 pounds of general fer- tilizer to the acre, applied just before seeding, or even with the seed. Heavy soils do not require fertilizing for this crop, 'ood for as it has exceptional foraging powers, and will find nourish- s ment where many grain crops will starve. As soon as the 102 plants are well above ground, apply a top-dressing of 100 pounds of Nitrate of Soda per acre, both on strong and light soils. Use one bushel of seed per acre on thin soils, but a heavier application on richer soils. Corn. This crop is specially adapted for making use of rough- age of all sorts. It has a long season of growth and makes its heaviest demand for food late in the season when the conditions are such that soil Nitration is at its highest period of development. It is also a deep rooting crop and capable of drawing its food and water from great depths. It needs vast quantities of water, and the tillage must be very thorough that an even earth mulch may be practically continuous. In the early spring it frequently starts off slowly, and on this account should have some help in the form of hill applications of highly available plant food. Sweet corn is quite a different crop from field corn; it has a much shorter period of growth and should be fertilized much more heavily. The object in this case is not a matured grain, and Nitrate of Soda should be used very liberally in the shape of top-dressings. Formula for top-dressing Corn: Nitrate of Soda 200 lbs. Fertilization and Cultivation of Corn. Bulletin of North Carolina Department of Agriculture. By DR. B. W. KILGORE, Raleigh, N. C. It unquestionably pays well to thor- oughly break and broadcast harrow land Using a two-horse plow and running it 8 to 10 inches deep, and afterwards harrowing with large smoothing Culture, for corn harrow, puts the land in nice condition. It is also well to run Food f a small-tooth harrow across corn rows about the time the Plants plants are coming up, and even after they are several inches io3 high, slanting the teeth of the harrow backward. Harrowing in this way saves after-cultivation, and is a quick way of get- ting over the land. The land being thoroughly broken before the corn is put in the ground, only shallow, level cultivation with some one of the considerable number of good cultivators need be given during the growing season. The one-horse cultivators cover corn rows in two to three furrows, and the two-horse ones at a single trip. The cultivation should be frequent — about every ten days — and if possible just after rains, so as to break any crust formed by showers, leaving a dust mulch to retard the loss of moisture added to the soil in the previous rains. Toward the end of the growing season the cultivators should only be run one to one and a half inches deep, so as to disturb as little as possible the roots of the plants, which, by that time, are well into the middle of the rows. The experimental work on the sandy p ... soils of the east, reports of which have been . ~ j i u j r »<>r Corn. made previously, has progressed tar enough, we feel, to draw some conclusions in reference to the best amounts and proportions of Nitrogen, phosphoric acid and potash for corn. As the results of the past two years' work have not yet been published, the following formulas, based on the result of the first two years' tests and tests in other States with similar soil and climatic conditions, are given as good ones for corn : FOR CORN ON LAND IN FAIR CONDITION. Acid phosphate, 14 per cent, phosphoric acid i,°45 lbs. Cotten-seed meal, 6.59 per cent, nitrogen, 2.5 phosphoric acid and 1.5 potash 520 lbs. Nitrate of Soda, 15 per cent, nitrogen 225 lbs. Kainit, 12.5 per cent, potash 210 lbs. 2,000 lbs. In this formula one-half of the Nitrogen is supplied by Nitrate of Soda and the other one-half by cotton-seed meal. This mixture will contain: available phosphoric acid, 8.0 per cent.; potash, 1.7 per cent.; nitrogen, 3.4 per cent, (equal to ammonia, 4.0 per cent.) . io4 Acid phosphate, 14 per cent, phosphoric acid 965 lbs. Cotton-seed meal, 6.59 per cent, nitrogen, 2*5 phosphoric acid and 1.5 potash 750 lbs. Nitrate of Soda, 15 per cent, nitrogen no lbs. Kainit, 12.5 per cent, potash 175 lbs. 2,000 lbs. In this formula one-fourth of the Nitrogen is supplied by Nitrate of Soda and the other three-fourths by cotton-seed meal. This mixture will contain : available phosphoric acid, 7.7 per cent.; potash, 1.7 per cent.; Nitrogen, 3.3 per cent, (equal to ammonia, 4.0 per cent.). N. f This material is quick-acting because of its <, . easy solubility in water. For this reason when used in a considerable quantity in fertilizers at time of planting on light sandy land, there is danger of its being leached beyond the reach of the roots of the plants before they can use it. On clay lands and loams having good subsoils, to them this danger does not exist, certainly not to the extent that it does on light soils. A small amount of Nitrate of Soda in the mixture will give the crop a quick start and make its cultivation easier and more economical. On light lands it would likely be better to omit the Nitrate from the mixture and apply it as a top dressing between the tenth and last of June on early corn. Nitrate of Soda may take the place of a portion of the other nitrogen- furnishing materials in any of the formulas, one pound of Nitrate being equal in its content of nitrogen to 2.2 pounds cotton-seed meal, 2 pounds fish scrap, 1.2 pounds dried blood. Nitrate of Soda is frequently used as a top dressing for corn and is a valuable material for use in this way. A good application is 50 to 75 pounds per acre, distributed along the side of the row or dropped beside the plants and three or four inches from them, or else where there is a ridge in the center it may be distributed on this and when it is thrown out the Nitrate will be thrown to the two sides of the row. ... . - On clay lands and loams having good sub- c t... . soil the fertilizer should be applied in rertilizers to . P the drill, at or just before planting, at the rate of two to four hundred pounds per acre. On light sandy lands it is best to use 50 to 100 pounds (of Nitrate) in the drill at time of planting, to give the crop a Food for good start, and the balance of the fertilizer as a side-dressing ants when the corn has begun to grow well. ios Hops. A Record of Four Years' Experiments with Hops. The experiments were conducted at Golden Green, Hadlow, near Tunbridge, England, and under the super- vision of Dr. Bernard Dyer. Seven plots were arranged, all except No. 7 receiving equal and ample quantities of phosphoric acid and potash, but varying amounts of Nitrate of Soda, and (plot 7) thirty loads of stable manure. The fertilizing of the plots, and the average crop, kiln dried hops per acre, with the percentage of gain over the plot not treated with Nitrate, are shown in the following table. Plot and Fertilizer. Kiln dried Hops. Gain Per Cent 1 No. Nitrate 9.75 cwt. — 2 2 cwt Nitrate 12.00 " 23 3 4 " " 13.67 " 39 4 6 » " 13.75 " 4i 5 8 " " 14.58 " 49 6 10 " " 14.58 " 49 7 30 loads manure 10.25 " 5 The results show a material gain in the crop from the use of Nitrate of Soda, but the applications on plots 5 and 6 are perhaps greater than will prove economical. The quality of the crop was given exhaustive examination, with the results that plots 2, 3, 4 and 7 graded all the same, and the highest. The quality on the other plots was not ma- terially different. As a result of the investigation, Dr. Dyer recommends Nitrate of Soda strongly for hop growing, but suggests early applications. Formula for Hops : Nitrate of Soda 600 lbs. Acid phosphate 200 " Sulphate of potash, 100 lbs., or unleached wood ashes .... 400 " Lime 100 " FERTILIZER PER VINE, OMITTING NITRATE NITROGEN. 3-5 oz. Muriate or Sulphate of Potash per vine, or 34 lbs. per acre. 2 oz. Acid Phosphate per vine, or 1 1 3 lbs. per acre. FERTILIZER PER VINE, WITH NITRATE NITROGEN. 3-5 oz. Muriate or Sulphate of Potash per vine, or 34 lbs. per acre. 2 oz. Acid Phosphate per vine, or 1 1 3 lbs. per acre. 3 1-3 oz. Nitrate of Soda per vine, or 189 lbs. per acre. "££ Market Gardening with Nitrate. «os d i i ^e f°M°wmS 's tne result of a practi- Results in an caj stucjy 0£ concjitions on a large truck Unfavorable fann> near New York. In every case the urowing sea- operations of the farm were carried out on son with Low a stricdy business basis The soil is a rices tor heavy clay with a rather intractable clay roaucts. subsoil, decidedly not a soil naturally suited to growing garden crops. The weather was unfavorable, including the most severe drought in thirty years; from March 2 2d to July 8th practically no rain fell. Owing to the unfavorable season, the grade of garden products was low, causing a low ruling in prices. Details by crops follow : Asparagus. The bed was twenty years old, and had been neglected. As soon as workable, it was disc-harrowed, and later smooth- harrowed with an (Acme harrow. Nitrate of Soda was ap- plied to the best test plots April 10th, 200 pounds per acre, sown directly over the rows and well worked into the soil. A second application of 100 pounds per acre was made to plot 1 April 24th; and, on the 29th, a third application of equal amount. The experiment comprised three plots, two fertilized with Nitrate of Soda, and one without Nitrate, plot 3. Plots 1 and 2, treated with the Nitrate, produced marketable stalks ten days in advance of plot 3, a very material advantage in obtaining the high prices of an early market. The results were as follows, in bunches per acre : Plot and Fertilizer Bunches per acre. Gain. 3. No Nitrate 560 2. 200 lbs. Nitrate 680 120 1. 400 lbs. Nitrate 840 280 The financial results are as follows, prices being those actually obtained in the New York markets: Plot i. Plot 2. Plot 3. Fertilizer, Nitrate 400 lbs. 200 lbs. Gross receipts $207.90 $161.50 Fertilizer cost 840 4.20 Applying fertilizer 2.00 1.00 Net receipts 197-50 161.50 $112.00 Nitrate made gain 85.50 44-30 The use of 400 pounds of Nitrate of Soda produced on Food for plot 1 a gain of $85.50 on a fertilizer and application cost lants of $10.40; the use of 200 pounds of Nitrate returned a IO? similar gain of $44.30 on a fertilizer and application cost of $5.20. Snap Beans. The beans were grown for pods, or what is known as string beans. Three varieties were experimented with, Chal- lenger, Black Wax, and the Red Valentine. Seeds were drilled in May 10th, in rows two feet apart; on May 22nd, 100 pounds of Nitrate of Soda were applied per acre, and on the 27th, another application of 150 pounds was drilled in. June 12th, an application of 50 pounds was drilled along the rows, followed by 100 pounds June 19th; in all 400 pounds of Nitrate of Increase in soda per acre. Half the field was not Cr°P and Bet" treated with Nitrate. In the case of the ter Quality Black Wax beans, the Nitrated land gave a Resulted as crop 6 days in advance of the part not we" as saving treated with Nitrate, and the same gain ln iime' was made by the Nitrated Valentine beans. The Black Wax beans treated with Nitrate produced 75 per cent, more marketable crop than the non-Nitrated portion, and the Valentine variety 60 per cent. Taking into consideration the enhanced price due to earlier ripen- ing, the average price of the Nitrated Black Wax beans averaged some 60 per cent, higher than the portion of the field not treated with Nitrate of Soda ; in like manner, the increased price of the Valentine beans was 45 per cent. Beets. The crop must be forced to quick growth in order to obtain tender, crisp Table Beets vegetables, quickly salable and at good Grown on prices. Nitrate of Soda was compared with Nitrate were unfertilized soil, with the result that on the Ready for Mar- Nitrated plots marketable beets were ket 16 Days pulled $6 days from seeding; the unferti- Ahead of Un- lized plot required 72 days to produce fertilized Plots. marketable vegetables. Nitrate of Soda was applied at the rate of 500 pounds per acre, in four ap- plications. Early Cabbage. The cabbage plots were thoroughly worked up, and planted to Henderson's Early Spring Variety. Part of the soil was treated with Nitrate of Soda at the rate of 575 pounds per acre, in five applica- tions ranging from May 1st to June 17th. The part of the plot not treated with Nitrate of Soda was a total failure, but allowing the same was Saved from Total Failure. A Dollar Spent in Nitrate Re- turned $21.00 in Increased Crop. number of plants as the fertilized portion, and also allowing for difference in price on account of later ripening, the crop on the portion not treated with Nitrate should have returned a gross amount of $292.50. The Nitrated portion returned gross receipts of $720, from which deduct- ing $19.50 for fertilizer and application of same, we have $700.50 for Nitrate of Soda as compared with $292.50 without Nitrate, a net profit for the Nitrate of $408. That is, for every dollar spent for Nitrate of Soda, the crop returned an additional $21 nearly. Celery. Crisp stalks of rich nutty flavor are a matter of rapid, unchecked growth, and plant food must be present in un- stinted quantity, as well as in the most quickly available form, the best example of which is Nitrate of Soda. The soil was plowed early in May, and subsoiled, thoroughly Food for breaking the soil to a depth of 10 inches. Thirty bushels Plants of slaked lime were broadcasted per acre . IIX immediately after plowing, followed by a Extraordinary dressing of 20 tons of stable manure, all Returns on well worked into the soil. Plants were set Celery. May 10th. The tract was portioned into three tracts for experimental purposes; plot 1 received 675 pounds of Ni- trate of Soda per acre in six applications, May 16th, 22nd, June 1st, 10th, 17th and 24th. Plot 2 received 475 pounds in five applications, May 16th, 22nd, June 1st, 17th and 24th. Plot 3 was not treated with Nitrate of Soda. Plot 1 was ready for market July 6th, and was all off by the 10th. Plot 2 was ready for market July nth and was all harvested by the 14th. Plot 3 was practically a failure and was not harvested. Plot i, being first in the market, had the advantage of the best prices; the gross receipts were, per acre, $957.80; from which must be deducted $18.67 f°r Nitrate of Soda and the application of same — a net result of $939.13 per acre. Plot 2 gave a gross return of $676.30, from which $13.72 must be deducted for fertilizer, leaving $662.58 per acre net. Plot 1 makes therefore a gain of $276.55 over plot 2, simply from the earliness in maturing, due to the heavy applications of Nitrate, for the total crop was approximately the same for both plots. Cucumbers. Plants were set in box frames May 4th. The frames were well filled with rotted manure, and were banked as a protection against late frosts. A portion of the field was treated with Nitrate of Soda; on May 10th each plant was given a quart of a solution made by dissolving three pounds of Nitrate of Soda in 50 gallons of water. Applications in quantity the same were made on the experimental plot May 1 6th, 22nd, 29th, June 3rd, 9th, 15th, 22nd and 26th; making a total of 165 pounds of Nitrate of Soda per acre. On June 27th the experimental plot was setting fruit rapidly, while the plot not Nitrated was just coming to bloom. The Nitrated plot was given on June 29th a quart of a solution made by dissolving two ounces of Nitrate of Soda in a gallon of water; and this application was repeated July 3rd, 7th, Food for i ^th, 24th and August 8th. This practically doubled the P1>ntg Nitrate application. 1,1 The first picking on the Nitrated plot was Gain in Time made July 1st, on the non-Nitrated plot in this Crop ju]y 22nd, when prices were at the low- Very Remark- est p0jnt After the early market season able, I wo was overj tne vines were treated for pick- weeks in ling cucumbers, the Nitrated plot receiving Advance. ^0 p0un(js 0f Nitrate of Soda dissolved in water as before; later, two applications of a quart each, con- taining half an ounce per gallon. The result was that the vines continued bearing until cut down by frost. The esti- mated yields were as follows : Nitrated plot, per acre, 6,739 dozen, plot not Nitrated gave per acre 948 dozen. Sweet Corn. The crop was planted on rather poor soil. Seed was planted May 4th, and the cultivators started May 12th. A portion of the field was selected for experiment, and on this 75 pounds of Nitrate of Soda were applied per acre May 20th, drilled close to the row. A sec- ond application of the same amount was made May 26th, and on June 5th a third application. On June 17th 100 pounds per acre were applied and cul- tivated into the soil. The total Nitrate applied to the ex- perimental plot amounted to 325 pounds per acre. The Nitrated plot ripened corn 5 days ahead of the non-Nitrated portion, and produced QQ4 dozen ears against 623 dozen from an acre not treated with Nitrate of Soda. The Nitrated crop, being earlier in the market, brought better prices; the gross return being $99.40 per acre as compared with $62.30 for the non-Nitrated plot. The cost of the Nitrate and its application expenses amounted to $9.75 per acre, leaving a net gain from the use of Nitrate of Soda, of $27.35 Per acre- Egg-Plant. The plants were set in the usual manner, part of the tract being treated with Nitrate of Soda at the rate of 475 pounds per acre to observe the practical value of the Nitrate for forcing. Before setting, the plants were given a light ap- "3 plication of Nitrate in solution. June ist 150 pounds were Food ior applied, on the tenth this was repeated, and on June 22nd a F third application was made. The Nitrated plot produced marketable fruit July 5th, the non-Nitrated plot did not reach the market until July 26th. The Nitrated plot produced per acre 33,894 fruits, all of good quality; the non-Nitrated plot produced only 8, J 12 fruits per acre. Kale. An application of 50 pounds of Nitrate of Soda and 100 pounds of Dried Fish per acre, in May, increased the growth 30 per cent. 750 lbs. Nitrate of Soda to the acre, in 5 applications. No Nitrate. Early Lettuce. The plants were started in the hot-house, and pricked into cold frames; April 26th they were set in the field. The Nitrate applications on the experiment plot were per acre as follows: April 29th, 100 pounds; May 4th, 150 pounds; May 1 2th, 200 pounds; May 18th, 200 pounds; May 23rd, 100 pounds; a total of 750 pounds per acre. The Nitrated plot was first cut May 26th, and at this time the non-Nitrated plot was just beginning to curl a few leaves towards the heart for heading. Approximately, the Nitrated plot produced per acre, 1,724 dozen heads, and so early to the market that the average wholesale price was 25 cents per dozen; per acre, ii4 Food for $431.00. From this we must deduct $20.00 for Nitrate and Plants the expense of applying same, leaving net $411.00. On the non-Nitrated plot only about 4 per cent, of the plants headed, and these reached the market three weeks late. The financial statement shows 48 dozen heads at 10 cents, or a net return per acre of $4.80. That is, without the Nitrate dressing, the crop was a failure. Onions. The soil was in bad condition, and was liberally limed. Seeding was completed April 15th, and the plants were rap- idly breaking ground by the 28th. The tract was divided into three plots; plot 1 received 675 pounds of Nitrate of Soda in six applications at intervals of a week or 10 days; 675 lbs. of Nitrate of Soda to the acre, in 6 applications. 375 lbs. of Nitrate of Soda to the acre, in 4 applications. No Nitrate. plot 2, 375 pounds in four applications; plot 3 was not treated with Nitrate. The Nitrated plots seemed least affected by the exceptionally dry weather, but the crop on all the plots was no doubt reduced by the unfavorable conditions. The following table gives the results by plots, computed to an acre basis : Nitrate Nitrate No 675 lbs. 375 lbs. Nitrate. Total yield 756 bu. 482 bu. 127 bu. Per cent scullions 1.5 1.7 19.0 Average price per bushel 75 cts. 65 cts. 35 cts. Total receipts $567.00 $31330 $44-50 Fertilizer cost 20.17 9-3° Total net receipts 546.83 304.00 44-5° The results show very clearly that but for the Nitrate applications, the crop must have been a failure in every respect. "5 Early Peas. Food for Plants This crop was planted under same conditions and in like manner to the snap beans; 300-pounds of Nitrate of Soda were applied per acre, to the experiment plots. Two varieties were planted, early and late. The results were : Early. Late. Nitrate. Nothing. Nitrate. Nothing. Date planted April 15. April 15. May 1. May x. First picking June 8. June 17. June 29. July 4. Gain to Market 7 days. 5 days. Period of bearing. . . .11 days. 8 days. 10 days. 6 days. Crop on first picking. 55 p. ct. 40 p. ct. 57 p. ct 38 p. ct. Total yield (p. ct.).i6s 100 168 100 The season was very unfavorable for this crop, yet the results show that the Nitrate made a powerful effort to offset this disadvantage. The earliness to market in this case is as pronounced as in the other garden crops, and is one of the most profitable factors in the use of Nitrate of Soda. The lengthening of the bearing period is an added advantage. Early Potatoes. Ploughing was finished the second week in April, and limed at the rate of 35 bushels per acre. Furrows were opened three feet apart, and 750 pounds per acre of a high- grade fertilizer worked into the rows. May 1st the potatoes were breaking ground, and 100 pounds of Nitrate of Soda were applied per acre on the experiment plot. On the nth 200 pounds of Nitrate were applied, and on the 29th 150 pounds more were cultivated in with a horse-hoe. The total Nitrate application per acre was 450 pounds. The Nitrated plot was harvested July 6th, and retailed at an average price of $1.60 per bushel; the plot not treated with Nitrate was dug July 17th, eleven days later, and the highest price ob- tained was 80 cents per bushel. The Nitrated plot produced per acre 19 bushels unmarketable tubers, the non-Nitrated plot 46 bushels. The total crop marketable was 297 bushels for Nitrate, and 92 bushels for non-Nitrated plot. Deduct- ing the cost of Nitrate of Soda and the expense of applying same, the Nitrated crop was worth $463.30 per acre, while the non-Nitrated plot returned only $69.00 per acre. For every dollar expended for Nitrate of Soda, the crop increase gave $30.18 return. Food for Plants 116 Late Potatoes. Conditions same as in the case of early potatoes, except the Nitrate of Soda was used at the rate of 500 pounds per acre, in five applications. The crop per acre on the Nitrated plot, marketable tubers, amounted to 374 bushels; on the non- Nitrated plot the yield amounted to 25/ bushels marketable tubers. The gain for Nitrate of Soda was 143 bushels, or nearly 62 per cent, increase. Early Tomatoes. With this crop the object is to mature quickly, rather than obtain a heavy acre yield; one basket of early tomatoes at $1.25 is worth more than 15 baskets later in the season, when the price is about 8 cents per basket. The plants to be used on the Nitrated plot were treated with a diluted solution of Nitrate four separate times. Plants were field set May 17th, and given six applications of Nitrate of Soda: 1st, 100 pounds per acre soon after setting out; 2nd, 3rd and 4th of 75 pounds each; and 5th and 6th of 50 pounds each — in all, about 450 pounds per acre. The results were: Plants set out in field May First picking June 30. Days, setting to first picking Crop at $1.00 and upward per basket. . II l» .75 " II II .50 " II II .30 II II .25 II 11 .15 • «> II .08 Estimated yield per acre, baskets. Gross receipts Cost of fertilizer and application. Net receipts Gain per acre for Nitrate Nitrate. No Nitrate. day 17. May 17. une 30. July 19. 43 40 p. c. 62 30 " 10 p. c 20 " 15 " 10 ■ 20 ■ 25 " IS" ,. » *5 500 600 $377.50 10.35 $190.20 3^7-15 190.20 176.95 The indicated gain amounts to a return of $17.09 for every dollar expended for Nitrate of Soda. The experiments detailed in this pamphlet are all on a working basis. In every case the object was to force the crop to an early yield, and while the applications of Nitrate CO ■*-» o u u O +j a o Z Cu PL, O ft Food for Plants 117 of Soda seem large and are large in proportion to the actual needs of the crops grown, at the same time the nature of market-gardening requires free use of immediately available plant food, and the results show that such use is very profit- able. Food for Plants 118 Late Spinach. 350 lbs. Nitrate of Soda to the acre, in two applications. No Nitrate. Asparagus. The soil should be sandy, or a light loam. As the crop remains in position for many years, the land should be selected with that fact in mind. The soil must be kept very clean and mellow. Stable manure is very objectionable on account of its weed seeds. It is only by a quick, even growth that large, crisp stalks can be produced, and there must be no check through a scanty supply of plant food. In the spring, as soon as the ground can be worked, clear off the rows and loosen up the soil, and apply broadcast along the rows a top-dressing of Nitrate of Soda, from 200 to 300 pounds. With this crop, the full application of Nitrate can be made at one time. Enormous profits may be derived from the proper use of fertilizers on asparagus. If the rent, labor, etc., for a crop of asparagus is $200 per acre, and the crop is three tons of green shoots at $100 per. ton, on the farm, the profit is $100 per acre. If we get six tons at $100 per ton, the profit, less the extra cost of labor and manure, is $400 per acre. In such crops as asparagus, however, doubling the yield by the use of Nitrate of Soda does not tell half the story. Asparagus is sold by the bunch, weighing about 2l/2 pounds. The prices range, according to earliness and quality, from 10 cents to 25 cents per bunch at wholesale, or from $80 to $200 per ton. By leaving out all these considerations and assuming Food ioT that the non-Nitrated asparagus yields three tons per acre ants and sells for $100 per ton, and that the Nitrated asparagus "9 yields six tons per acre and sells for $200 per ton, the profits of the two crops, less the extra cost for labor and manure, are as follows : Without Nitrate of Soda $ ioo per acre. With Nitrate of Soda 1,000 per acre. Beets, Carrots, Parsnips, Etc. For garden crops such as beets, carrots, Market parsnips, onions, spinach, lettuce, etc., sow Garden Crops, the mixture as recommended for potatoes, broadcast before the seed is sown, at the rate of from 500 to 1,000 pounds per acre, according to the richness of the land. When the land has been heavily manured for a number of years, it may not be necessary to use so much Phosphate and potash. Nitrate of Soda alone on such land often has a wonderful efect. The best fertilizer is a mixture of 200 pounds of Nitrate of Soda and 350 pounds phosphate. A small quantity of sulphate of potash should be added when the land is sandy. Cabbage and Cauliflower. For growing cabbages and cauliflower sow broadcast the same mixture as recommended for potatoes, using a small handful to each square yard of ground, and rake or harrow it in before sowing the seed. Cabbage requires a deep, mellow soil, and rich in plant food. Early maturing cabbage, perhaps the most profitable method of growing this vegetable, produces 30,000 pounds of vegetable substance to the acre, using about 140 pounds of ammonia, 129 pounds of potash, and 33 pounds of phos- phoric acid, all as actually assimilated plant food. The crop must be fertilized heavily. As the soil is thoroughly fined in the spring, there should be incorporated with it by rows, corresponding to the rows of plants, about 1,500 pounds of fertilizer per acre. For early cabbage set close together; it will pay to sow the fertilizers broadcast over the whole ground and work them in before setting out the plants. // the land has been Food for heavily manured for a number of years Nitrate of Soda alone 9 may do as much good as the mixture. In this case, the 1 20 Nitrate may be used after the plants are set out — a tea- spoonful to a plant. For late cabbage, set 2 y2 to 3 feet apart each way. It is a good plan to apply the fertilizers after the plants are set out. After the plants have set and have rooted, say a week from setting, apply along the rows a top-dressing of 200 pounds of Nitrate of Soda per acre and work into the soil with a fine toothed horse hoe ; the soil must be kept loose to a depth of at least two inches, and consequently there will be no extra labor in working this fertilizer into the soil. Some three weeks later incorporate in the same manner into the soil 300 to 400 pounds of Nitrate of Soda. Soil Nitration cannot be depended on under any circumstances for supply- ing enough natural Nitrate for cabbage. Nitrate of Soda is the only immediately predigested Nitrated ammoniate in the market and is an absolute necessity for early cabbage, and should be used liberally. This crop should not follow itself more than twice, as by so doing there is no little danger of serious disease to the crop. Cantaloupes. A continuous and rapid growth in cantaloupes is essen- tial to earliness and a good crop, and Nitrate of Soda under the proper conditions, and with proper care, will yield just such results. A dressing of Nitrate of Soda alongside the rows in cultivating, in addition to the general fertilizer used, has been most successful. A general fertilizer may be made up as follows: Nitrate of Soda 400 lbs. Dried Blood or Cotton-Seed Meal 400 lbs. Superphosphate, 14 per cent 500 lbs. Sulphate of Potash 200 lbs. Celery. Phosphate should be worked into the land intended for growing celery plants, either the fall before or in the spring, before the seed is sown, at the rate of 500 pounds per acre. As soon as the plants come up, sow broadcast 500 pounds of Nitrate of Soda per acre, or a small handful to each square yard. If heavy rains occur, it is well to give the plants an- Food ,or other application of Nitrate. This need not be as heavy as ants the first application. IZI Greenhouse Plant Food. The use of rotted stable manure as a source of green- house plant food has been the custom for so many years that more effective forms of plant food make headway slowly; yet this rotted stable manure has many disadvantages. It always contains more or less weed seed as well as disease germs, and it supplies its plant food in available form very irregularly. Also, by fermentation it materially influences the temperature of the seed bed, a temperature we have no means of regulating. The Nitrogen it contains is not Ni- trated, hence for forcing it cannot be safely relied upon. For greenhouse work, the fertilizer chemicals should be used, such as Nitrate of Soda, acid phosphate and sulphate of pot- ash. They should always be used in such proportions that ioo pounds of ammoniate Nitrogen are always accompanied by 30 pounds of phosphoric acid and 70 pounds of actual potash. The quantity to be applied should correspond to about three-fourths of an ounce of Nitrate Nitrogen per square yard of surface; that is, to each square yard of bench, use about 5 ounces of Nitrate of Soda, 3 ounces of acid phos- phate and 2 ounces of sulphate of potash. A mixture of these proportions may be dissolved in water and applied in small portions every few days, taking care, however, to cease appli- cations with those plants it is desired to fully mature, as soon as the desired growth is made. Lawns and Golf Links. Good lawns are simply a matter of care and rational treatment. If the soil is very light, top-dress liberally with clay and work into the sand. In all cases the soil must be thoroughly fined and made smooth, as the seed, being very small, require a fine seed bed. In the South seed to Bermuda grass or Kentucky blue grass; in the North the latter is also a good lawn grass, but perhaps a little less desirable than Rhode Island bent grass (Agrostis canina) . Avoid mixtures, as they give an irregularly colored lawn under stress of drouth or early frosts or maturity. For Rhode Island bent grass Food for use ^0 pounds of seed per acre, Kentucky blue grass 40 to 45 ants pounds, and for Bermuda grass 15 pounds. If for any reason 122 the soil cannot be properly prepared, pulverize the fertilizer very fine indeed. The grass should be mowed regularly and the clippings removed until nearly midsummer when they are best left on the soil as a mulch. For a good lawn, broad- cast per acre in the spring enough of a fertilizer to supply 100 pounds of actual potash and $o pounds of available phos- phoric acid; also, use at the same time and in the same man- ner, a top-dressing of 300 pounds per acre of Nitrate of Soda. By the end of June repeat the Nitrate top-dressing, using only 100 pounds of the material. At any time through the grow- ing season, yellow spots or lands should be given a light top-dressing of Nitrate, and thoroughly wet down if possible. Lawns are very different from field crops as they are not called upon to mature growth in the line of seed productions, and they may safely be given applications of Nitrate whenever the sickly green color of the grass appears, which shows that digestible or Nitrated ammonia is the plant food needed. These applications of plant food must be continued each year without fail, and all bare or partly bare spots well raked down and reseeded. If absolutely bare, these spots should be deeply spaded. On very heavy clay soils, and in low situa- tions, a drainage system must be established. Lettuce. Culture. — Sow in hotbeds in March, and in the open ground as soon as it can be worked, and transplant to rows 8 inches apart. Sow in two weeks' time same varieties again, as also Cos, for a succession. In August sow any of the varieties. In October some of these may be planted in frames, to head in winter and early spring. Always sow thin, and thin out well, or the plants will not be strong. The last spring sowing had better be grown where sown, being thinned out to 6 or 8 inches apart. To have Cos in good order they must be sown in a hotbed early in the year, and transplanted to a coldframe, so as to have good plants to set out at the opening of the ground. They require tying for a few days, when grown to blanch. Lettuce requires good ground, enriched with thoroughly rotted manure and well pulverized. The after-culture should be close and careful, to Food for secure the best results. ants INDIANA AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. Bulletin No. 84. Growing Lettuce With Chemical Fertilizers. BY PROF. WILLIAM STUART. The subject of lettuce culture with chemical fertilizers was undertaken by the writer some years ago, and has been continued. Page 134. It is safe to infer that for any quick growing crops, or where an application of Availability or Nitrogen is desirable in the maturing of a Nitrogen. crop, the Nitrate of Soda is preferable to dried blood. Mangolds. Nitrate of Soda pays well for roots if applied at the rate of from 150 to 200 pounds per acre. Use in two applica- tions about ten days apart, the first not earlier than July. The Essex Agricultural Society found by experiment that 12 tons of farmyard manure and 300 pounds superphosphate gave a crop of nearly ten and one-half tons per acre, but when 200 pounds of Nitrate of Soda were added, the yield was increased to over 15 Formulas and tons. The season was very unfavorable. Liirections. Three hundred pounds per acre of Nitrate is recommended. Melons, Cucumbers and Squash. The remarks following upon the profitable fertilizing of melons, applies also to cucumbers, cantaloupes, squashes and similar crops. All these crops do best on a rather light loam, or if heavier soils must be used the drainage should be of the best. The method of growing these crops is too well known to require mention here. They should generally follow a clean culture crop, such as corn, as most of these plants cover 123 Food for (-fog ground between rows so quickly that cultivation is limited ant8 to the first few weeks of growth. This is also an argument I2+ for a thorough preparation of the soil, deep plowing and deep working in preparing the hills. As soon as the plants are well started, work into the soil about the hills a few ounces of a Nitrated ammoniate (Ni- trate of Soda), a quantity per hill corresponding to 250 to 350 pounds of Nitrate of Soda per acre. The best way is to scatter the fertilizer for two feet around the hills and rake it into the soil with a steel garden rake. This not only mixes the fertilizer with the soil, but it loosens the ground and kills all small weeds that are coming up. If at any time the hills should show a sickly yellow, ap- ply Nitrate at once, however late in the season. Cucumbers, squashes and cantaloupes should be planted in hills 5 feet apart each way, watermelons in hills 10 feet apart each way. On very light soils, heavy rains are apt to leach out available plant food, a result soon followed by a yellowing of the stem of the plants. This is invariably a sign of a lack of Nitrated plant food. Level culture rather than ridges seems to be found more generally successful. Formula for Melons: Nitrate of Soda (in two or more applications) 800 lbs. Superphosphate 800 " Muriate of potash 200 " Profitable Onion Cultivation. Adaptability of There is no crop that can be grown the Onion to so successfully on a large scale, on such a all Soils. variety of soil and climate, and that will respond more profitably to intelligent cultivation and fer- tilizing, than the onion. The American farmer has usually been willing to leave the growing of this savory vegetable almost entirely to the enterprising foreign immigrant, who often makes more net profit at the end of the season from his five acres of onions than the general farmer makes on one hundred acres. The weeder and the improved wheel-hoe have made it comparatively easy to care for the crop ; there is no reason why the progressive farmer who is looking about for a New Money Crop should not raise onions with ease and Food for profit. Plants We shall consider here the growing of onions only as a I25 field crop for the fall and winter market. The onion can be successfully grown anywhere in the United States where other vegetables thrive. The reason that onions have not been more generally grown by farmers is owing to the mistaken idea that it is impossible to grow them without the application of vast quantities of stable manure, but Onion-growing with the aid of chemical fertilizers is not only much cheaper, but the average crop is much larger. The excessive quantity of stable manure required to grow a maximum crop tends to make the land too open, when the great secret of onion culture is to get the land solidified. The ploughing under of so much bulky manure also tends to cut off the moisture sup- ply from below, which is so important in the quick growth of crops of this nature and which can only be obtained by having the soil very compact and in fine tilth so as to promote the capillary movement of the soil moisture to the surface, where it may be retained for the use of the crop by means of frequent and shallow cultivation. The advantage of using Nitrate of Soda instead of stable manure as the source of Nitrogen for this crop is plainly evident, as the Nitrate supplies the most beneficial ingredient contained in the stable manure (Nitrogen), and in a form in which it is not dependent upon soil bacteria and weather conditions to make it available for the young plants when they need it most. If it be necessary to add humus to the soil in the form of stable manure it should, if possible, be applied a year in advance. Considering the fact that Nitrogen is the element most frequently lacking in our soils, and knowing that the onion responds most liberally to a plentiful feeding of ammoniate Food for Plants 12' o Cm •c 3 • «o <* ~~' 2 2 < N s -13 tx, C/D CO O J5 1 Pi h T3 Z < £ CO X) 3 a o a- ~T X ^ V u Z o (8 1- U Cm z 1 O "8 j3 ex, A o m j J5 •» -c 0 ♦ O LI B lr> 3 1 1 1- □ *T -o ■ « a E U a, & z « 0 -0 u 0 Efl ^~ T3 fi O ™ u 6 1- A 4 z s E O J > ft Cm 0 a 0 a f» >-> fa O > a 0 •a j fa J3 z"S I? fertilizers, it should have a liberal supply of that element in Food for the best possible form, viz.: Nitrate of Soda. We know that if a young pig or Character of ^ calf does not have an abundance of the Plant rood right kind of food when it is young it be- Required by comes stunted in growth and never recovers e Union. from it, no matter how judiciously it is afterwards fed. The intelligent cultivator has learned that the same rule holds good in the feeding of plants; hence the great importance of an immediately available supply very early in the season just as the plant is starting growth, and at which time it can only be obtained from an application of Nitrate of Soda, since the Nitrogen in other ammoniates does not become available until after the soil itself has warmed up to summer tempera- ture. The presence of Nitrate at the outset enables the plant to start off with a good healthy root growth, whereby it is better able to take up later the other and more complex food elements. If it cost $45.00 per acre for rent, ploughing, harrow- ing, seeding, weeding and cultivating to produce a crop of onions ready to harvest, then The crop of 225 bushels per acre costs 20 cts. per bushel. The crop of 450 bushels per acre costs 10 cts. per bushel. The crop of 900 bushels per acre costs 5 cts. per bushel. The latter yield is not at all unusual when the crop is properly fed with Nitrate of Soda and supplementary chem- ical fertilizers. In the first place, the onion, contrary to the general be- lief, does not require any special kind of soil, such as muck, black sand, etc., but will do well on any good corn or potato soil, provided it is not too sour or so stony as to interfere with the early and frequent cultivation of the crop. Even though a field is somewhat stony, it will pay to rake the stones into the dead furrows which should be about twenty feet apart, as the stones would make it impossible to do good work with the weeder and wheel hoe In selecting your field for onions it is, of course, advisable to choose one that is Necessity of likely to be affected as little as possible in Moisture in the event of a severe drought, and it is for * Food for this reason that onions, cabbage and those crops that espe- 8 cially require large quantities of moisture during their growth 128 are usually grown upon bottom lands. Ploughing for the onion crop should pref- Cultivation. erably be done m the fall to a depth of eight inches or more, leaving the soil in the furrow to be acted upon by the frost during the winter. It at the same time becomes more compact — the onion likes a solid seed bed. When for any reason the ploughing has to be done in the spring it should be done very early and worked down solid. The lands should be narrow, so that the numerous dead fur- rows will drain off excessive surface moisture early in the spring, as it is desirable to get the seed sown very early. As soon as the condition of the soil will per- Free use of the mit in the spring it should be worked Harrow and over with the harrow or pulverizer as Pulverizer. deeply as the ground will allow and rolled with a heavy roller, which should be followed at once with a light harrow, which will loosen the surface soil and form a light mulch to help conserve the moisture. This operation should be repeated each week until it is time to sow the seed, which is in this latitude when the apple trees begin to bloom. The seed should be sown with a hand seed drill about three-quarters of an inch deep and in rows about fifteen inches apart, using about six pounds of seed per acre. In about five days after the seed is sown the field should be gone over with the weeder to destroy any weeds that have started to germinate near the surface, and again in three or four days or before the onions come up. Always run the weeder across the rows. After the onions are up so that you can see the rows cultivate them carefully with the wheel hoe, using the sharp blades that are made for that purpose and going not more than one-half inch deep. As soon as any more weeds appear to be germinating go over the rows again with the weeder. The weeder may appear to be doing some damage, but if handled carefully there is no danger, as we have sown an extra pound of seed to allow for some being pulled out. When the onions are about four inches high it will prob- Food ,or ably be necessary to weed them once by hand. This will not 3 prove to be a tedious job if the weeder and wheel hoe have ,29 been used with good judgment. Nitrate should be applied as follows: One hundred pounds scattered broadcast over the field within a week after the seed is sown and fertilizing. before the plants break through the ground, and two more applications broadcast consisting of ioo pounds each at inter- vals of two or three weeks, depending somewhat upon the appearance of the plants as to growth and color. Generally speaking the Nitrate should all be applied during May and June, though ™.hen t0 APP!V if a drought occurs in July, and the onions i>IItrate' show signs of turning yellow at the tips, an extra dressing of 50 pounds per acre may be applied to advantage. In a wet season avoid putting it on late, as it might aggravate the tendency to produce a considerable number of scullions. It should only be applied when the plants are dry. The onion is an alkali-loving plant, and, like asparagus, seems to have a pe- use or i^om- culiar fondness for salt. The results of ex- mon periments on widely different soils show that it nearly always responds profitably to an application of about 200 pounds of salt per acre. This guides us to the choice of kainit for this crop, as that product contains about 35 per cent, of chloride of soda, or common salt, which also aids in con- serving the moisture in the soil. Good judgment must be used, however, as the kainit might have a harmful effect in a wet season on a low and naturally damp soil. About 400 pounds of kainit per acre should be used, as a rule. It should be drilled into the entire surface of the ground early in the spring to a depth of at least three inches, for the kainit becomes fixed m the soil very quickly and should be rather deep, so as not to attract the feeding roots too near the surface. In case wood ashes or muriate of pot- ash are used the time of making the application should be the same. Most vegetables will give greatly increased returns from the use of chemicals if lime is employed in conjunction with them. An application of 75 bushels per acre of ground quick- lime has also proved preventive of onion smut. Food for If the soil is a medium heavy clay upland and not acid Plants it is best to use the acid phosphate which contains, besides li° the phosphoric acid, about 50 per cent, of calcium sulphate (gypsum) . This unlocks the natural potash in the soil. The quantity of either to apply on ordinary soils is 1,000 pounds per acre very early in the spring, so that in fitting the ground it will become very thoroughly incorporated with the soil before the onion seed is sown. The following table gives the actual field results of six years' experiments with fertilizers and seven years with manures at the rate of 30 tons per acre : Manure. Chemicals. Tons per acre, average 8.90 14.02 Market value per ton, average $18.16 $20.52 The crop grown with chemical fertilizers was 5.12 tons greater per acre, or a gain over the stable manure of nearly 58 per cent; while the Nitrate crop averaged $2.36 greater market value per ton, an advance over the manure-grown crop of 13 per cent. Potatoes. As is well known this crop must have a deep mellow soil, inclining more to sand than clay. The soil must be fined to a considerable depth, and kept free of weeds throughout the growing season. The most successful growers use only commercial fertilizers, and the amounts applied per acre range from 200 pounds to 1,000 and even 2,000. The fer- tilizer used should be high in potash, and this potash should be of such form as to be free or nearly free of chlorine, such as sulphate of potash. Early potatoes have a short season of growth, and the Nitrating action in the soil is insufficient to keep up a high pressure of growth during the earlier weeks. For this crop Nitrate of Soda is indispensable, top-dressing along the rows as soon as the plants are well above the ground and at the rate of 200 pounds per acre. For fall potatoes, an application of 50 to 100 pounds of Nitrate will be suffi- cient. Heavy yields of potatoes can be secured only with good seed. Many of the most successful growers cold-storage their seed potatoes, that the vitality of the seed may not be reduced by freezing and thawing during winter. Seed should be cut to two or three "eyes," and only tubers of the best quality used. The rows should be about three feet apart, and the Food for seed dropped fifteen inches apart in the rows. Plants Formula for Potatoes: li* Amount of Fertilizer Used Per Acre. Nitrate of Soda 200 lbs. Muriate of Potash 100 " Superphosphate 300 " The land is first marked and a fur- rower run along the rows, making a furrow Applying about four inches deep. In this furrow the Fertilizers for fertilizer is applied, either by hand, or with Potatoes, a distributor, and well mixed with the soil. This is best done by running a cultivator along the row ; or when a distributor is used, an attachment in the form of a small cultivator can be made to do the work at one operation. The potatoes are then dropped in the furrow and covered. If it is thought best to cultivate both ways, the land can be marked across the fur- rows after the fertilizer is applied. Several experiments have been tried on the use of Ni- trate of Soda as a top-dressing for early potatoes. This was applied at the rate of 100 pounds per acre, after the potatoes were up and started to growing. One year this treatment increased the yield of merchantable potatoes 100 bushels per acre, and the average of several years was 20 per cent, increase. A Private Experimenter obtained results as below: i. 400 pounds superphosphate and 300 pounds sul- phate of potash 245 bushels per acre. 2. Same as plot 1 with the addition of 200 pounds of Nitrate of Soda 348 bushels per acre. It is evident from the fact that the addition of 200 pounds of Nitrate of Soda produced 103 bushels more than the superphosphate and potash alone, that potatoes must have Nitrogen, and that in greater quantities than is supplied by the ordinary so-called "Complete Potato Manure." Although the United States is a vastly larger country than Germany, we raised a potato crop in 1905 of only 260,741,294 bushels, as compared with the potato crop of 1,775,579,073 bushels which Germany raised. These bushels were of 60 pounds each. The explanation of so im- mense a production of potatoes by Germany is found in the Food for fact tnat the free distillation of alcohol for use in the arts p 8 has been a powerful stimulus to farm industry. Farming in '3a some districts of the empire has been made possible only be- cause of the ability of the people to produce cheap alcohol, and many farms owe their very existence to their distilleries. Not only has free alcohol been a stimulus to agriculture, but it has been of incalculable value in many lines of commercial development, and has aided greatly in raising Germany to her present industrial station. Sweet Potatoes. This crop prefers a soil lighter than Irish potatoes, but the preparation of the soil is much the same. It is an under- ground crop, and must not have to mine room for its roots. It should follow a clean cultivation crop, and be kept very clean itself. Too much ammoniate fertilizer interferes with the maturity of the crop, producing not only a large crop of useless vines, but also few marketable roots, and those of very poor keeping quality. On this account the ammoniate plant food applied should not be of the ordinary kind which becomes slowly available, and continues to supply active Nitrated ammonia later in the season, thus delaying maturity to such extent that the crop is injured by cold weather. Formula for Sweet Potatoes Nitrate of Soda (after slips are rooted) Top-Dressing. . . . 200 lbs. Muriate of potash 100 " Superphosphate 200 " The New Jersey Experiment Station made some exper- iments in Gloucester County, and the following table shows the results : Experiments with Fertilizers on Sweet Potatoes. Kind of fertilizer and Cost of Bushels per acre, quantity per acre. fertilizer. Large. Small. Total. 1. No manure 157 51 208 2. 320 lbs. bone-black, 160 lbs. muriate of potash $770 205 36 241 3. 200 lbs. Nitrate of Soda, 320 lbs. bone-black, 160 lbs. muriate of potash 12.34 270 58 328 4. 20 tons stable manure 30.00 263 61 324 It will be seen that the addition of Nitrate of Soda to Food for the bone-black and potash gave an increase of 6$ bushels per Plants acre, and that the Nitrate, bone-black and potash, together »33 costing $12.34, produced a little larger yield than 20 tons of manure, costing $30.00. "Another point of considerable importance, since it has reference to the salability of the potatoes, was noticed at the time of digging, viz.: That those grown with chemical manures alone were bright and smooth of skin, while at least one-third of those grown with barn-yard manure were rough and par- tially covered with scurf" Tomatoes. Tomatoes are successfully grown on all soils, excepting very light sand or a very heavy clay; with irrigation, they may be grown profitably on light sandy soils. The soil must be plowed deeply, and thoroughly worked. It is generally best to buy plants from a reputable grower, unless the crop is planted on a large scale for canning, in which case plants are grown under special instructions of the cannery. The main feature in profitable tomato growing is to maintain a rapid, steady growth. The soil should be kept pulverized at the sur- face as a mulch, for the crop uses enormous quantities of water. The plants continue bearing until frost, hence the earlier fruiting commences 'the heavier the crop through sim- ply having a longer period in bearing. Ten tons per acre is by no means an unusual yield, but plant food must be used with a free hand. The New Jersey Experiment Station made an experi- ment with different forms of ammoniates on this crop, and the Nitrated ammoniate (Nitrate of Soda) not only produced the largest crops, but also the largest quantity of "early" toma- toes, and the lowest per cent, of culls. The yield was twelve per cent, greater than that from sulphate of ammonia, and sixty-eight per cent, greater than that from dried blood. As soon as the plants are well rooted, top-dress with 200 to 300 pounds of Nitrate of Soda per acre, worked into the soil about the plants. Farm-yard manure may be used on this crop when grown for canning, but the results are always doubtful, as a continued stretch of dry weather may injure the crop through drying out the soil by the large quantity of vegetable matter mixed with it. However rich the soil may Food for be, or however freely chemical fertilizers may have been used, Plants ^g top-dressing of Nitrate will be found to have increased the *34 fruiting power of the plants, and to have also added to the flavor and color of the fruit. Formula for Tomatoes : Nitrate of Soda (in two or more applications) 400 lbs. Superphosphate 400 " Sulphate of potash '. 100 " It has been found by experiments made at the New Jer- sey Experiment Station for a period of three years, that Nit- rate of Soda, applied when the plants are set out, greatly in- creased their growth early in the season and produced a much larger crop of early ripe fruit than either barn-yard manure, "phosphates," or no manure at all. Experiments with Fertilizers on Tomatoes. Yield per Kind of fertilizer used and quan- Cost of acre in Value of tity per acre. fertilizer. bushels. crop. 1. No manure 613 $208.61 2. 160 lbs. Nitrate of Soda $4.00 838 300.64 3. 160 lbs. muriate of potash, 320 lbs. bone-black 7.20 649 252.92 4. 160 lbs. Nitrate of Soda, 160 lbs. muriate of potash, 300 lbs. bone-black 11.20 867 301.25 5. 20 tons barn-yard manure 30.00 612 218.27 It will be noticed that 160 pounds of Nitrate of Soda, costing $4.00, made an increase in the value of the crop of $92.03 per acre over the unfertilized land, and $82.37 over the land where 20 tons of barn-yard manure, costing $30.00, was used. It will also be noticed that the addition of phos- phate (bone-black) and potash had little or no effect. This does not indicate that tomatoes do not require phosphoric acid and potash, but that enough of these elements of plant food was already in the soil. The yield of early tomatoes was very decidedly increased by the use of Nitrate of Soda, both alone and together with phosphoric acid and potash. NEW JERSEY EXPERIMENT STATION, Food for Plants Bulletin No. 91. »35 Some of the early work of this Station was with ferti- lizers for tomatoes. The results in detail are given in the Bulletin, but it showed that Nitrate of Soda was particularly active with this crop and produced a larger increase than any other single ingredient. An application of 160 pounds per acre caused an increase of as much as five tons of tomatoes. There has been much valuable work conducted upon the use of Nitrogenous Fertilizers with various crops, and par- ticularly vegetables. This work has proven that this plant food is a potent factor in increasing the yields and improving the quality. Turnips and Swedes. Nitrate is applied for this crop quite in the same manner as for mangolds. Dr. Macadam reported to the Arbroath Farmers' Club a gain of 37 per cent, in yield from the use of 336 pounds of Nitrate of Soda per acre. An experiment conducted by Dr. Munro, of Downtown Agricultural College, Salisbury, gave a re- turn of nearly twenty and one-half tons Increased Yield- per acre, from an application of 600 pounds of Nitrate per acre, supplemented by phosphoric acid and potash. The Nitrate was used in three applications. An application of 300 pounds of Nitrate resulted in a yield of thirteen and one-third tons per acre. FERTILIZERS FOR FRUITS. Bulletin 66, Hatch Massachusetts Experiment Station. Lack of Nitrogen in the soil is detrimental to the size and quality of the fruit. The cheapest and most available Ammoniate is Nitrate of Soda. A few cents' worth applied Food for Plants »3« Nitrate of Soda on Apples. size of the tree. to each tree will give the largest possible yield of choicest fruit, returning many times its cost. Fertilizers for the Apple: The results show the most improvement where Nitrate of Soda was applied. For apple trees in grass the following fertilizer is recommended : Ni- trate of Soda i to 5 pounds, sulphate of potash i to 5 pounds, S. C. phos- phate rock, 4 to 10 pounds; the quan- tity used to be varied according to the Peaches. Fertilizers for the Peach : The fertili- zer recommended, depending upon the size of the trees, is substantially the same as for apples, except that the phosphate rock is reduced one-half for the earlier stages of growth, remaining the same as for apples in the later stages. Nitrate of Soda should not be applied until just as the trees are beginning to grow. Fertilizers for other fruits: For all perennial fruits, as well as shrubs and plants, the fertilizer used should be largely available in the early part of the season, as winter injuries. Nitrate of Soda is the most of ammoniate. 300 lbs. Nitrate. 500 lbs. Acid Phosphate. 200 lbs. Sulphate of Potash. Nitrate of Soda for Fruits Generally. a preventive to desirable form General Fruit Formula per Acre. Stable Manure and Artificial Fertilizer Upon Fruit Trees. In this country the manuring or fertilizing of fruit plantations is very commonly neglected, but in Europe fruit trees are as regularly treated with plant food as staple crops. According to the investigations of Professor Barth-Colmar Food for and Dr. Steglich, Dresden, the wood, foliage and fruit of lants apple, pear, cherry and bush fruits consume yearly per square '37 yard of surface shaded by the tree or bush, 219 grains of Nitrogen, 6$ grains of phosphoric acid, and 284 grains of actual potash; equivalent to fertilizer chemicals as follows: Nitrate of Soda, per square yard 3.5 ounces Acid Phosphate, per square yard 1.5 " Muriate Potash, per square yard 1.5 " Except on high-priced land, garden crops should not be grown in orchards, but Amount or Ka- where this custom is followed the quantity t'on ° ^'Jp1 of plant food should be increased to suit the £ood °ne needs of the additional crop to be grown. lree- For fruit alone apply between the fall of the leaf and the bursting of the buds, per square yard of surface shaded by the tree, the quantities of plant food shown above to be the actual needs of the crop. If the trees have made a weak growth the previous season, or have heavily fruited, apply between May and July about one ounce of Nitrate of Soda per square yard of surface; this in addition to the previously applied plant food. The practical effect of artificial manures for fruit cannot be denied, not only for quantity, but also for the quality of the crop. Stable manures seem to fail of regular bountiful results, probably because the stable manure supplies its am- monia in the Nitrated form very irregularly, and fruit trees can use ammonia plant food only in the Nitrated form. Practical figures showing the profitableness of artificial manures, fertilizers, have been shown by many experiments, particularly by those conducted at Feldbrunnen, near Oste- rode, Germany. The rational fertilization of fruit trees depends some- what upon their period of growth; young trees need ample supplies of Nitrated ammonia and potash to develop and ripen new wood. Later, at the bearing age, phosphoric acid and Nitrated ammonia are required for the formation of fruiting buds. These two phases in the making of an orchard should have due consideration and plant food used accord- ingly. i38 Food for Apples. Cherries. Plums. Plants Unfertilized 100 lbs. zoo lbs. too lbs. Fertilized 3.4*0 lbs. 218 lbs. 329 lbs. The following table shows the amount of Nitrogen, phosphoric acid and potash removed from an acre of ground by an average crop of the fruits named : Nitrogen. Phosphoric Potash, lbs. Acid. lbs. lbs. Grapes, crop of 10,000 lbs 17 15 50 Prunes, crop of 30,000 lbs 45 16 80 Apricots, crop of 30,000 lbs 69 21 84 It will be noticed that while a crop of prunes takes prac- tically no more phosphoric acid from the soil than a crop of grapes, yet the amount of Nitrogen removed is nearly three times as much, and in the case of apricots over four times as much as required by grapes. Tt is evident that a few crops of plums or apricots will materially reduce the amount of Nitrogen in the soil, which is usually deficient to start with, and therefore this element of plant food must be replenished or the fruit will soon deteriorate in size. " Time to apply should be when fruit is half grown, and cultivate in to get the Nitrate mixed with the moist soil." m m Unless it is known that there is suf- Quantities ficient phosphoric acid and potash in the Kequireu and soils, superphosphate or bone meal, and if Time to Apply. necesSary to furnish sulphate of potash, wood ashes, apply early in the winter or early spring. Two or three pounds of bone dust and one pound sulphate of pot- ash or ten pounds unleached wood ashes per tree would be about the right quantities. The Nitrate of Soda should be applied after the fruit is set at the rate of two to three pounds per tree. It is important that the fertilizers should be well mixed with the soil, and that they be applied not close to the trunks of the trees, but considerably further out than the branches reach. Small Fruits. Under this head we treat of blackberries, currants, gooseberries and raspberries. Strawberries are treated sepa- rately. All these small fruits are commonly grown in the garden, generally under such conditions that systematic tillage is not practicable. For this reason such plant food essentials as may exist naturally in the soil become available to the uses of the plants very slowly. This is as true of the decomposi- Food for tion of animal or vegetable ammoniates as of phosphates and 8 potashes. Consequently, small fruits in the garden suffer *39 from lack of sufficient plant food. All these plants when planted in gardens are usually set in rows four feet apart, the plants about three feet apart in the rows; about 4,200 plants to an acre. In field culture, blackberries arc usually set four feet apart each way. So far as possible, small fruits should be cultivated in the early spring, and .all dead canes removed. Work into the soil along the rows from 300 to 600 pounds of phosphate and potash ; when the plants are in full leaf, broadcast along the rows from 200 to 400 pounds of Nitrate of Soda, and work in with a rake. If at any time before August the vines show a tendency to drop leaves, or stop growing, apply more Nitrate. Small fruits must have a steady, even growth; in most cases unsatisfactory results can be directly traced to irregular feeding of the plants. In field culture, the crop must be tilled quite the same as for corn; in the garden in very dry weather irrigation should be used if possible. The yield per acre is very heavy, and, of course, the plants must be given plant food in proportion. Raspberries, Currants, Gooseberries. Sow broadcast, in the fall, a mixture of, say, 350 pounds of superphosphate and 100 pounds muriate of potash per acre. This can be done, if the rows are six feet apart, by sow- ing a large handful at every two steps on each side of the row. Raspberries and gooseberries should have a small handful, and currants a large handful to each bush. This should be cultivated in, if possible, early in the spring. Sow Nitrate of Soda in the same way. It will pay to put on as much Nitrate as you did superphosphate and potash, but if you do not want to put on so much, use smaller handfuls. If the superphos- phate and potash have not been applied in the fall, sow the mixture in the spring at the same time the Nitrate is sown and cultivate it in, early. Strawberries. This plant requires a moist soil, but not one water- logged at any time of the year. A light clay loam, or a sandy loam is preferable. There are several methods of cul- Food for tivation, but the matted row is generally found more profit- 8 able than the plan of growing only in hills. While some ho growers claim that one year's crop is all that should be har- vested before ploughing down for potatoes, as a matter of fact the common practice is to keep the bed for at least two harvests. In selecting plants care should be exercised to see that pistillate plants are not kept too much by themselves, or the blossoms will prove barren. The crop is a heavy con- sumer of plant food, and the soil cannot be made too rich. Farmyard manure should never be used after the plants are set out, as the weed seeds contained therein will give much trouble, especially as the horse hoe is of little use in the beds. Use from 400 to 800 pounds of phosphate, applied broadcast immediately after harvest; in the spring, a? soon as the straw- berry leaves show the bright, fresh green of new growth, and apply broadcast 200 pounds of Nitrate of Soda to the acre. e . . In setting out a new bed, scatter along the Strawberries. f -. . . . ^ . , r rows and cultivate in, berore the plants are set out, the following mixture : Nitrate of Soda 200 lbs. Muriate of Potash 100 ** Superphosphate 300 " It is well to scatter the fertilizers for a foot on each side of the rows so that the runners will have something to feed upon. In the spring sow Ni- trate of Soda on the bed broad- cast at the rate of about 200 pounds per acre. On old beds sow the mixture broadcast in the fall and an additional 200 pounds of Nitrate per acre in the spring. Prof. W. F. Massey (all farmers know him) writes: "I top-dressed an old strawberry bed in its fifth year of bear- ing with 300 pounds Nitrate of Soda per acre. I had in- tended ploughing it up the previous summer as it was in an exhausted condition and foul with white clover and sorrel. "The effect was amazing, for this bed of an acre and a quarter, from which I expected almost nothing, gave seven thousand quarts of berries. ! Figs. After investigating the requirements of the fig, Profes- sor George E. Colby, of the University of California Experi- ment Station, says: "The Fig leads among our fruits in its demand upon the soil for Nitrogen. Thus we find for the southern localities especially, the same necessity of early replacement of Nitrogen in figs and stone fruit as for Orange orchards, and partly for the same reason, viz., that California soils are usually not rich in their natural supply of this substance.'" Nitrate of Soda will furnish the necessary Nitrogen in its most available form, and at less cost than any other ma- terial. It will probably be best to use in addition to the Ni- trate an equal quantity of bone meal phosphate, say two pounds of each per tree. Grapes. Grape plantations should be located and planted by an expert, and one, too, who has experience with the locality se- lected as the site of the vine- yard. The treatment of the young plants is a matter of soil and climate, and for which there are no general rules. When the vines have reached bearing age, however, their fertilization becomes a very important matter. The new wood must be thoroughly matured to bear next year's fruit, and an excess of ammoniate late in the season not only defeats this ob- ject, but also lessens the number of fruit buds. Potash and phosphoric acid must be used freely, about 50 pounds of potash and 60 pounds of available phosphoric acid to the acre. This is not a crop for ordi- 141 Food for nary commercial fertilizers. The fertilizer suggested above Pltnts should be applied in the spring, and at the same time broad- •42 cast along the rows Nitrate of Soda at the rate of 200 pounds per acre. If the plants lose color in spots late in the season, work into the soil about the vine an ounce or so of Nitrate, but this must not be done later than midsummer. Profitable Fertilization of Grapes. Summary of Experiments by Prof. Paul Wagner, Director of Darmstadt Agricultural Experiment Station, Darmstadt, Qermany. Systematic fertilizer experiments with grapes have been conducted in this country so rarely that we must seek in- formation in this line from foreign experimenters. The experiment detailed below was conducted by Professor Paul Wagner, of the Darmstadt Agricultural Experiment Station, Darmstadt, Germany. The vines were grown singly in pots. The fertilizer application in the two pots illustrated herewith were at the rate of 3.3 ounces of Nitrate of Soda, .6 of an ounce muriate of potash and 2 ounces acid phosphate per vine. At the rate of 907 vines per acre (vines 6 by 8 feet) this application is the equivalent of 189 pounds Nitrate of Soda, 113 pounds acid phosphate and 34 pounds muriate of potash per acre. The accompanying illustrations show the growth of vine and also the production of fruit from the two pots, and the excellent effect of Nitrate of Soda is unmistakably shown. The actual yields of fruit were: Per Acre. Potash and acid phosphate without Nitrate of Soda 1,024 Uis. Potash and acid phosphate with Nitrate of Soda 4,929 " A remarkable point in this experiment was data to show the growth of leaf and wood for each 100 pounds of grapes, as follows: Wood. Leaf. With Nitrate, for 100 lbs. grapes 47 lbs. 13 lbs. Without Nitrate, for 100 lbs. grapes 119 " 34 " The evidence tends to confirm the belief that insufficient or improperly balanced fertilizers produce wood and leaf growth often at the expense of the fruit; that is, the mer- chantable portion of the crop. In fertilizing grapes the phosphate and potash should be applied early in the spring, before the vines begin to grow; Nitrate of Soda should be applied just at the time the vines commence growth in the spring. A better plan perhaps is to apply the Nitrate in Food for tw0 doses, one when the vines start growth in the spring, the Plants second some time three weeks later. 144 % ^» O T*8ijr^r*s k.*# ^^ 11 *'* t> ?r ^ * ir V ^ A' .4 «rf JP e3i ^ M&^%m*t« 1 'I X^S^^Jk^JTrWrVrmm'^' / wll ^vrTy^J^il^PnBl ^^^1^ Nursery Stock. Foodf< J Plants The soil should be a moderately light loam, somewhat *45 deep and thoroughly worked. It is an advantage if the soil has previously been in corn, or some other clean cultivation crop. Nursery stock should not be planted on turned-under clover stubble. A soil rich in ammoniates produces an over- growth of wood, which fails to mature. This is caused by continued supplies of natural Nitrate up to the time of frost, and as a consequence new sap wood is continually being formed, only to be killed back in winter. The ammonia in all low grade fertilizers is slowly Nitrated by the action of cer- tain soil organisms, which continue at work so long as there are any ammoniates to work upon, or the soil not frozen. All through the season of growth, more or less Nitrated am- monia is being supplied, which acts to prevent the complete ripening of the summer's growth. This is a marked evil in growing nursery stock. The wood is not matured and is badly killed back by frost, causing serious disfigurement; also the young trees become too slender and suffer more in transplanting. Apply along the rows a fertilizer consisting of 200 pounds of acid phos- phate and 200 pounds of sulphate of potash, at the rate of 400 pounds per acre, and work well into the soil. When the young trees are in full leaf, apply in the same manner 300 to 400 pounds of Nitrate of Soda to the acre; and, four weeks later, repeat the Nitrate application, using 150 to 200 pounds. This will ensure a rapid growth early in the season with ample time for thorough maturing before cold weather. The Nitrate of Soda supplies only Nitrated am- monia, which is immediately available for the uses of the plant. Nursery stock must be constantly watched for evidences of disease, and prompt action taken when such are discovered. Orange Groves. An orange that weighs a pound would sell in New York for a dime. When it takes six to weigh a pound they are worthless. Satisfactory results have been obtained in Florida by Food for fertilizing during the cold season. About two months before 9 the period of growth begins, apply for each full-grown tree "4* a mixture of 7 pounds of high-grade superphosphate and 7 pounds of sulphate of potash, by working it in the soil; after which one pound of Nitrate of Soda may be sown on the sur- face. In order to accomplish this application economically, it is well to mix the Nitrate with two or three times the quan- tity of fine, dry soil before applying. The working of the soil must not be so deep or thorough as to start the growth of the tree. An excess of Nitrate is to be avoided, but the amount mentioned is not too much. All other ammoniates on the market must be converted into Nitrate by weathering and the action of the soil bacteria before they can possibly be available for plant food. Nitrate of Soda is a pre-digested ammoniate, and while there is some danger of loss by leach- ing, this is easily avoided by the use of small and frequent applications. With sulphate of ammonia the danger is much greater, as it must be converted into Nitrate before it is available as food, and during this comparatively long process may all be lost by rains and leaching. Dried blood, cotton-seed meal and all other ammoni- ates, if used in such quantities as to afford an adequate supply of Nitrate, may cause die-back. No disease results from the proper use of Nitrate of Soda. Besides the possible losses indicated, when other ammoniates are used, there is an actual loss of Nitrogen during the process of Nitration, and all am- moniates must undergo Nitration — must be Nitrated before living trees or plants will feed on them. From six weeks to two months after the above applications Nitrate may be used again as above indicated. If desirable, two to three months later a further application of one and a half pounds of Ni- trate of Soda and potash may be made. In the case of your particular soil, it may well be that it is sufficiently rich in potash, and therefore, may not require a large application of it. In any event, the grower must be governed by the condi- tion of his grove and the general character of soil and climate in his particular locality. The early decay of orchards as well as failure to set fruit buds, is largely a matter of lack of plant food. Orchards should have Nitrate, applied early in the season, as late sup- plies of Nitrogen are liable to cause a heavy setting of leaf buds at the expense of next year's fruit. The ordinary am- Food f< moniates are not satisfactory for orchard work, as they con- ant8 tinue to supply available ammonia all through the season ; not I47 enough in the early part of the year to properly set the fruit, hence severe dropping; too much late in the year when none is needed and which causes the formation of leaf rather than fruit buds. The soil between the trees should be regularly tilled, much as in corn growing. That it is not generally done is no argument against the value of such cultivation methods. UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. Timely Hints for Farmers, No. 31. PROF. W. W. SKINNER. A fertilizer of about the composition given below has frequently been advised by the Station for fertilizing orange orchards, and is believed to be in every way suited to the purpose. It should be applied at the rate of from 500 to 1,500 pounds to the acre, according to age of trees and quality of soil, and "plowed in deeply at the edge of the branches, about the beginning of the growing season." Formula: Pounds. Bone tankage (10 per cent ammonia) 1,000 Nitrate of Soda 140 Sulphate of potash 60 Dissolved bone (16 per cent, available phosphoric acid) 800 2,000 Of General Interest. i48 What Machinery Accomplishes. 1. A sewing-machine does the work of 12 women. The United States export 100,000 of these machines yearly. 2. A Boston "bootmaker" will enable a workman to make 300 pairs of boots daily. In 1880 there were 3,100 of these machines in various countries, turning out 150 million pairs of boots yearly. 3. Glenn's California reaper will cut, thresh, winnow and put in bags the wheat of 60 acres in 24 hours. 4. The Hercules ditcher, Michigan, removes 750 cubic yards, or 700 tons of clay per hour. 5. The Darlington borer enables one man to do the work of seven in mak- ing a tunnel, and reduces the cost to one-third of work done by hand; it also permits a week's work to be done in two days. Average Annual Rainfall in the United States. Place. Inches. Neah Bay, Wash 123 Sitka, Alaska 83 Ft Haskins, Oregon 66 Mt Vernon, Alabama 66 Baton Rouge, Louisiana 60 Meadow Valley, California. ... 57 Ft. Tonson, Indian Ter 57 Ft. Myers, Florida 56 Washington, Arkansas 54 Huntsville, Alabama 54 Natchez, Mississippi 53 New Orleans, Louisiana 51 Savannah, Georgia 48 Springdale, Kentucky 48 Fortress Monroe, Virginia 47 Memphis, Tennessee 45 Newark, New Jersey 44 Boston, Massachusetts 44 Brunswick, Maine 44 Cincinnati, Ohio 44 New Haven, Connecticut 44 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 44 New York City, N. Y 43 Charleston, South Carolina ... 43 Gaston, North Carolina 43 Richmond, Indiana 43 Marietta, Ohio 43 St. Louis, Missouri 43 Place. Inches. Hanover, New Hampshire 40 Ft. Vancouver 38 Cleveland, Ohio 37 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 37 Washington, D. C 37 White Sulphur Springs, Va 37 Ft. Gibson, Indian Territory. ... 36 Key West, Florida 36 Peoria, Illinois 35 Burlington, Vermont 34 Buffalo, New York 33 Ft. Brown, Texas 33 Ft Leavenworth, Kansas 31 Detroit, Michigan 30 Milwaukee, Wisconsin 30 Penn Yan, New York 28 Ft. Kearney 25 Ft Snelling, Minnesota 25 Salt Lake City, Utah 23 Mackinac, Michigan 23 San Francisco, California 21 Dallas, Oregon 21 Sacramento, California 21 Ft. Massachusetts, Colorado. ... 17 Ft Marcy, New Mexico Ter — 16 Ft. Randall, Dakota 16 Ft Defiance, Arizona 14 Ft Craig, New Mexico Ter.... it Muscatine, Iowa 42 Baltimore, Maryland 41 New Bedford, Massachusetts 41 Providence, Rhode Island 41 Ft. Smith, Arkansas 40 Number of Years Seeds Vegetables. Years. Cucumber 8 to ic Melon 8 to 10 Pumpkin 8 to 10 Squash 8 to 10 Broccoli 5 to 6 Cauliflower 5 to 6 Artichoke 5 to 6 Endive 5 to 6 Pea 5 to 6 Radish 4 to 5 Beets 3 to 4 Cress 3 to 4 Lettuce 3 to 4 Mustard 3 to 4 Okra 3 to 4 Rhubarb 3 to 4 Spinach 3 to 4 Turnip 3 to 6 San Diego, California 9 Food for Ft. Colville, Washington 9 Plants Ft. Bliss, Texas 9 ~ Ft Bridger, Utah 6 Ft Garland, Colorado 6 Retain Their Vitality. Vegetables. Years. Asparagus 2 to 3 Beans 2 to 3 Carrots 2 to 3 Celery 2 to 3 Corn (on cob) 2 to 3 Leek 2 to 3 Onion 2 to 3 Parsley 2 to 3 Parsnip 2 to 3 Pepper 2 to 3 Tomato 2 to 3 Egg-Plant 1 to 2 Herbs. Anise 3 to 4 Caraway 2 Summer Savory 1 to 2 Sage 2 to 3 How Deep in the Ground to Plant Corn. The following is the result of an experiment with Indian Corn. That which was planted at the depth of 1 inch, came up in 8J^ days. 1 ]/2 inch, came up in 9 }4 days. 2 inches, came up in 10 days. 2j^ inches, came up in nj^ days. 3 inches, came up in 12 days. I1/* inches, came up in 13 days. 4 inches, came up in 13^ days. The more shallow the seed was covered with earth, the more rapidly the sprout made its appearance, and the stronger afterwards was the stalk. The deeper the seed lay, the longer it remained before it came to the surface. Four inches was too deep for the maize, and must, therefore, be too deep for smaller kernels. Amount of Barbed Wire Required for Fences. Estimated number of pounds of Barbed Wire required to fence space for distances mentioned, with one, two or three lines of wire, based upon each pound of wire, measuring one rod (i6J^ feet). iSo 2 lines. 3 lines. ioiH lbs. 152 lbs. 2SlA lbs. 38 lbs. 72 lbs. 108 lbs. 1560 lbs. 3840 lbs. 640 lbs. 960 lbs. 2 lbs. 3 lbs. 200 lbs. 300 lbs. 12J/6 lbs. 18 ft lbs. 1 line. 1 square acre 50^3 lbs. 1 side of a square acre ia^<3 lbs. 1 square half-acre 36 lbs. 1 square mile 1280 lbs. 1 side of a square mile 230 lbs. 1 rod in length 1 lb. 100 rods in length 100 lbs. 100 feet in length 6ft lbs. How Grain will Shrink. Farmers rarely gain by holding on to their grain after it is fit for market, when the shrinkage is taken into account. Wheat, from the time it is threshed, will shrink two quarts to the bushel or six per cent, in six months, in the nr>st favorable circumstances. Hence, it follows that ninety-four cents a bushel for wheat when first threshed in August, is as good, taking into account the shrinkage alone, as one dollar in the following February. Corn shrinks much more from the time it is first husked. One hundred bushels of ears, as they come from the field in November, will be reduced to not far from eighty. So that forty cents a bushel for corn in the ear, as it comes from the field, is as good as fifty in March, shrinkage only being taken into account. In the case of potatoes — taking those that rot and are otherwise lost — together with the shrinkage, there is but little doubt that between October and June, the loss to the owner who holds them is not less than thirty-three per cent. This estimate is taken on the basis of interest at 7 per cent., and takes no account of loss by vermin. One hundred pounds of Indian meal is equal to 76 pounds of wheat, 83 of oats, 90 of rye, 11 1 of barley, 333 of corn stalks. Length of Navigation of the Mississippi River. The length of navigation of the Mississippi River itself for ordinary large steamboats is about 2,161 miles, but small steamers can ascend about 650 miles fuither. The following are its principal navigable tributaries, with the miles open to navigation: Miles. Miles. Minnesota 295 Wisconsin x6o Chippewa 90 Rock 64 Iowa 80 Illinois 350 Missouri 2900 Yellowstone 474 Big Horn 50 Ohio 950 Allegheny 325 Monongahela no Muskingum 94 Kanawha 94 Kentucky 105 Green 200 Wabash 365 Cumberland 600 Tennessee 270 Clinch 50 Osage 302 White 779 Little White 48 Big Hatchie 75 Sunflower 271 Tallahatchie 175 Red 986 Cypress 44 Black 61 Bartholomew 100 Macon 60 Atchafalaya 218 St Francis 180 Black 147 Arkansas 884 Issaquena 161 Yazoo 228 Big Black 35 Cane 54 Ouachita 384 Bceuf 55 Tensas 112 Teche 91 D'Arbonne 50 Lafourche 168 The other ten navigable tributaries have less than fifty miles each of navigation. The total miles of navigation of these fifty-five streams is about 16,500 miles, or about two-thirds the distance around the world. The Mississippi and its tributaries may be estimated to possess 15,550 miles navi- gable to steamboats, and 20,221 miles navigable to barges. The Longest and Greatest Rivers in the World. Name. Mil«*s. Amazon 3,600 Nile 3,000 Missouri, to its junction with the Mississippi 2,900 Missouri, to the sea, forming the longest in the world ... 4,100 Mississippi, proper 2,800 Lena 2,600 Niger, or Jobila 2,600 Obe 2,500 St. Lawrence 2,200 Madeira 2,000 Arkansas 2 000 Volga 2,000 Rio Grande 1,800 Danube 1,600 St. Francisco 1,300 Columbia 1,200 Nebraska 1,200 Name. Miles. Red River 1,200 Colorado in California 1,100 Yellowstone 1,000 Ohio 950 Rhine 950 Kansas 900 Tennessee 800 Red River of the North 700 Cumberland 600 Alabama 600 Susquehanna 500 Potomac 500 James 500 Connecticut 450 Delaware 400 Hudson 3 50 Kennebec 300 Thames 233 The Great Canals of the World. The Imperial canal of China is over 1,000 miles long. In the year of I 86 1 was completed the greatest undertaking of the kind on the European continent, the canal of Languedoc, or the Canal du Midi, to connect the Atlantic with the Mediterranean; its length is 148 miles, it has more than 100 locks, and about 50 aqueducts, and its highest part is no less than 600 feet »5* above the sea; it is navigable for vessels of upward of a hundred tons. The largest ship canal in Europe is the great North Holland canal, completed in 1825 — 125 feet wide at the water surface, 31 feet wide at the bottom, and has a depth of 20 feet; it extends from Amsterdam to the Helder, 51 miles. The Caledonia canal, in Scotland, has a total length of 60 miles, including 3 lakes. The Suez canal is 88 miles long, of which 66 miles are actual canal. The Erie canal is 350^2 miles long; the Ohio canal, Cleveland to Ports- mouth, 332; the Miami and Erie, Cincinnati to Toledo, 291; the Wabash and Erie, Evansville to the Ohio line, 374. Carrying Capacity of a Freight Car. This Table is for Ten Ton Cars. Whiskey 60 barrels Lumber 6,000 feet. Salt 70 barrels Barley 300 bushels. Lime 70 barrels Wheat 340 bushels. Flour 90 barrels Flax Seed 360 bushels. Eggs 130 to 160 barrels Apples 370 bushels. Flour 200 sacks. Corn 400 bushels. Wood 6 cords Potatoes 430 bushels. Cattle 18 to 20 head. Oats 680 bushels. Hogs 50 to 60 head. Bran 1,000 bushels. Sheep 80 to 100 head. Butter 20,000 pounds. How to Measure Corn in Crib, Hay in Mow, Etc. This rule will apply to a crib of any size or kind. Two cubic feet of good, sound, dry corn in the ear will make a bushel of shelled corn. To get, then, the quantity of shelled corn in a crib of corn in the ear, measure the length, breadth and height of the crib, inside of the rail; multiply the length by the breadth and the product by the height; then divide the product by two, and you have the number of bushels of shelled corn in the crib. To find the number of bushels of apples, potatoes, etc., in a bin, multiply the length, breadth and thickness together, and this product by 8, and point off one figure in the product for decimals. To find the amount of hay in a mow, allow 512 cubic feet for a ton, and it will come out very generally correct. Rules for Business Farmers. The way to get credit is to be punctual in paying your bills. The way to preserve it is not to use it much. Settle often; have short accounts. Trust no man's appearances — they are deceptive — perhaps assumed, for the purpose of obtaining credit. Beware of gaudy exterior. Rogues usually dress well. The rich are plain men. Trust him, if any, who carries but little on his back. Never trust him who flies into a passion on being dunned; make him pay quickly, if there be any virtue in the law. Be well satisfied before you give a credit that those to whom you give it are safe men to be trusted. Sell your goods at a small advance, and never misrepresent them, for those whom you once deceive will beware of you the second time. Deal uprightly with all men, and they will repose confidence in you, and Food for soon become your permanent customers. Plants Beware of him who is an office seeker. Men do not usually want an ,,, office when they have anything to do. A man's affairs are rather low when he seeks office for support. Trust no stranger. Your goods are better than doubtful charges. What is character worth, if you make it cheap by crediting everybody? Agree beforehand with every man about to do a job, and, if large, put it into writing. If any decline this, quit, or be cheated. Though you want a job ever so much, make all sure at the onset, and in case at all doubtful, make sure of a guarantee. Be not afraid to ask it; the best test of responsi- bility; for, if offence be taken, you have escaped a loss. Business Laws in Brief. Ignorance of law excuses none. It is a fraud to conceal a fraud. The law compels no one to do impossibilities. An agreement without consideration is void. Signatures made with lead-pencil are good in law. A receipt for money paid is not legally conclusive. The acts of one partner bind all the others. Contracts made on Sunday cannot be enforced. A contract made with a minor is invalid. A contract made with a lunatic is void. Contracts for advertising in Sunday newspapers are invalid. Each individual in a partnership is responsible for the whole amount of the debts of the firm. Principals are responsible for the acts of their agents. Agents are responsible to their principals for errors. A note given by a minor is void. It is not legally necessary to say on a note "for value received." A note drawn on Sunday is void. A note obtained by fraud, or from a person in a state of intoxication, cannot be collected. If a note be lost or stolen, it does not release the maker; he must pay. The indorser of a note is exempt from liability if not served with notice of its dishonor within twenty-four hours of its non-payment. How to Treat Sunstroke. Take the patient at once to a cool and shady place, but don't carry him far to a house or hospital. Loosen the clothes thoroughly about his neck and waist. Lay him down with the head a little raised. Apply wet cloths to the head, and mustard or turpentine to the calves of the legs and the soles of the feet. Give a little weak whiskey and water if he can swallow. Meanwhile, let some one go for the doctor. You cannot safely do more without his advice. Sunstroke is a sudden prostration due to long exposure to great heat, especially when much fatigued or exhausted. It commonly happens from undue'exposure to the sun's rays in summer. It begins with pain in the head, or dizziness, quickly followed by loss of consciousness and complete prostra- tion. Food for Plants »54 Time Required for Food. Apples, sour, hard Apples, sweet, mellow Bass, striped Beans, pod Beans and green corn Beef Beefsteak Beef, fresh, lean, dry Beef, fresh, lean, rare Beets Bread, corn Bread, wheat, fresh Cabbage Cabbage, with vinegar Cabbage Carrot, orange Catfish Cheese, old, strong Chicken, full grown Codfish, cured dry Custard Duck, tame Duck, wild Eggs, fresh Eggs, fresh Eggs, fresh Eggs, fresh Eggs, fresh Eggs, fresh Fowls, domestic Hashed meat and vegetables Lamb, fresh Milk Milk Mutton, fresh Oysters, fresh Oysters, fresh Oysters, fresh Parsnips Pork, steak Pork, fat and lean Pork, recently salted Pork, recently salted Potatoes, Irish Potatoes, Irish Salmon, salted Sausages, fresh Digesting Food. How Cooked. H. M. Raw 2.50 Raw 1.30 Broiled 3.00 Boiled 2.30 Boiled 3.45 Fried 4,00 Broiled 3 00 Roasted 3.30 Roasted 3.00 Boiled 3.45 Baked 3.15 Baked 1.30 Raw 2.30 Raw '. . . 2.00 Boiled • 4.30 Boiled 3 13 Fried 3.30 Raw 3.30 Fricasseed 2.45 Boiled 2.00 Baked 2.45 Roasted 4.00 Roasted 4.30 Raw 2.00 Scrambled 1.30 Roasted 2.15 Soft boiled 3.00 Hard boiled 3.30 Fried 3.30 Roasted 4.00 Warmed 2.30 Broiled 2.30 Boiled 2.00 Raw 2.15 Broiled 3.00 Raw 2.55 Roasted 3.15 Stewed 3.30 Boiled 2.30 Broiled 3.15 Roasted 5.15 Stewed 3.00 Fried 4.15 Baked 2.30 Boiled 3.30 Boiled 4.00 Broiled 3.20 »55 Soup, bean Boiled 3.00 Food for Soup, chicken Boiled 3.00 Plants Soup, mutton Boiled 3.30 Soup, beef, vegetable Boiled 4.00 Trout, salmon, fresh Boiled ..... 1.30 Turkey, domesticated Roasted 2.30 Veal, fresh Boiled 4.00 Veal, fresh Fried 4.30 How to Rent a Farm. In the rental of property, the greater risk is always on the landlord's side. He is putting his property into the possession and care of another, and that other is not infrequently a person of doubtful utility. These rules and cautions may well be observed: 1. Trust to no verbal lease. Let it be in writing, signed and sealed. Its stipulations then become commands and can be enforced. Let it be signed in duplicate, so that each party may have an original. 2. Insert such covenants as to repairs, manner of use and in restraint of waste, as the circumstances call for. As to particular stipulations, examine leases drawn by those who have had long experience in renting farms, and adopt such as meet your case. 3. There should be covenants against assigning and underletting. 4. If the tenant is of doubtful responsibility, make the rent payable in installments. A covenant that the crops shall remain the lessor's till the lessee's contracts with him have been fulfilled, is valid against the lessee's credi- tors. In the ordinary case of renting farms on shares, the courts will treat the crops as the joint property of lord and tenant, and thus protect the former's rights. 5. Every lease should contain stipulations for forfeiture and re-entry in case of non-payment or breach of any covenants. 6. To prevent a tenant's committing waste, the courts will grant an injunction. 7. Above all, be careful in selecting your tenant. There is more in the man than there is in the bond. Facts for the Weatherwise. If the full moon rises clear, expect fine weather. A large ring around the moon and low clouds indicate rain in twenty-four hours; a small ring and high clouds, rain in several days. The larger the halo about the moon the nearer the rain clouds, and the sooner the rain may be expected. When the moon is darkest near the horizon, expect rain. If the full moon rises pale, expect rain. A red moon indicates wind. If the moon is seen between the scud and broken clouds during a gale, it is expected to send away the bad weather. In the old of the moon a cloudy morning bodes a fair afternoon. Food for If there be a general mist before sunrise near the full of the moon, the Plants weather will be fine for some days. iS6 Farmers' Barometers. If chickweed and scarlet pimpernel expand their tiny petals, rain need not be expected for a few hours, says a writer. Bees work with redoubled energy just before a rain. If flies are unusually persistent either in the house or around the stock, there is rain in the air. The cricket sings at the approach of cold weather. Squirrels store a large supply of nuts, the husks of corn are usually thick, and the buds of deciduous trees have a firmer protecting coat if a severe winter is at hand. Corn fodder is extremely sensitive to hygrometric changes. When dry and crisp, it indicates fair weather; when damp and limp, look out for rain. A bee was never caught in a shower; therefore when his bees leave their hive in search of honey, the farmer knows that the weather is going to be good. How to See the Wind. Few persons know that it is possible actually to see the wind, but it can be done as follows: Take a polished metal surface of two feet or more, with a straight edge; a large hand-saw will answer the purpose. Choose a windy day for the ex- periment, whether hot or cold, clear or cloudy; only let it not be in murky, rainy weather. Hold your metallic surface at right angles to the direction of the wind — i. e., if the wind is north hold your surface east and west, but instead of holding it vertical incline it about forty-two degrees to the horizon, so that the wind, striking, glances and flows over the edge as the water flows over a dam. Now sight carefully along the edge some minutes at a sharply defined object, and you will see the wind pouring over the edge in grace- ful curves. Make your observations carefully and you will hardly ever fail in the experiment. The results are better if the sun is obscured. Philosophical Facts. The greatest height at which visible clouds ever exist does not exceed ten miles. Air is about eight hundred and fifteen times lighter than water. The pressure of the atmosphere upon every square foot of the earth amounts to two thousand one hundred and sixty pounds. An ordinary sized man, supposing his surface to be fourteen square feet, sustains the enormous pressure of thirty thousand, two hundred and forty pounds. The barometer falls one-tenth of an inch for every seventy-eight feet of elevation. The violence of the expansion of water when freezing is sufficient to cleave a globe of copper of such thickness as to require a force of 27,000 pounds to produce the same effect. During the conversion of ice into water one hundred and forty degrees of Food for heat are absorbed. Plants Water, when converted into steam, increases in bulk eighteen hundred ,57 times. In one second of time — in one beat of the pendulum of a clock — light travels two hundred thousand miles. Were a cannon ball shot toward the sun, and were it to maintain full speed, it would be twenty years in reaching it — and yet light travels through this space in seven or eight minutes. Strange as it may appear, a ball of a ton weight and another of the same material of an ounce weight, falling from any height will reach the ground at the same time. The heat does not increase as we rise above the earth nearer to the sun but decreases rapidly until, beyond the regions of the atmosphere, in void, it is estimated that the cold is about seventy degrees below zero. The line of perpetual frost at the equator is 15,000 feet altitude; 13,000 feet between the tropics ; and 9,000 to 4,000 between the latitudes of forty degrees and forty-nine degrees. At a depth of forty-five feet under ground, the temperature of the earth is uniform throughout the year. In summer time, the season of ripening moves northward at the rate of about ten miles a day. The human ear is so extremely sensitive that it can hear a sound that lasts only the twenty-four thousandth part of a second. Deaf persons have sometimes conversed together through rods of wood held between their teeth, or held to their throat or breast. The ordinary pressure of the atmosphere on the surface of the earth is two thousand one hundred and sixty-eight pounds to each square foot, or fifteen pounds to each square inch ; equal to thirty perpendicular inches of mercury, or thirty-four and a half feet of water. Sound travels at the rate of one thousand one hundred and forty-two feet per second — about thirteen miles in a minute. So that if we hear a clap of thunder half a minute after the flash, we may calculate that the discharge of electricity is six and a half miles off. Lightning can be seen by reflection at the distance of two hundred miles. The explosive force of closely confined gunpowder is six and a half tons to the square inch. How to Preserve Eggs. To each pailful of water, add two pints of fresh slacked lime and one pint of common salt; mix well. Fill your barrel half full with this fluid, put your eggs down in it any time after June, and they will keep two years, if desired. Estimating Measures. A pint of water weighs nearly 1 pound, and is equal to about 27 cubic inches, or a square box 3 inches long, 3 inches wide and 3 inches deep. A quart of water weighs nearly 2 pounds, and is equal to a square box of about 4 by 4 inches and 3J/2 inches deep. i58 Food for A gallon of water weighs from 8 to 10 pounds, according to the size of Plants the gallon, and is equal to a box 6 by 6 inches square and 6, 7 or 7^3 inches deep. A peck is equal to a box 8 by 8 inches square and 8 inches deep. A bushel almost fills a box 12 by 12 inches square and 24 inches deep, or 2 cubic feet A cubic foot of water weighs nearly 64 pounds (more correctly, 62J/2 pounds), and contains from 7 to 8 gallons, according to the kind of gallons used. A barrel of water almost fills a box 2 by 2 feet square and xl/i feet deep, or 6 cubic feet. Petroleum barrels contain 40 gallons, or nearly 5 cubic feet. Number of Nails and NAILS. Name Size 3 penny, fine 1% inch. 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 12 16 20 30 40 50 6 8 10 12 ... 154 ... 1/2 ... tH ... 2 ... *H ... 2Y2 ... 2M ... 3 ... ilA ... iV2 ... 4 ... 454 ... 5 ... 5/2 fence 2 " *Vi " 3 " 3*4 Number Per Lb. 760 nails 480 " 300 " 200 " 160 ■ 128 " 92 " 72 " 60 ■ 44 " 32 " 24 " 18 " 14 " 12 " 80 " SO " 34 " 29 " Tacks per Pound. TACKS. Number Length. Per Lb. Name 1 oz 1/2 " 2 ", zy2 " 3 " 4 " 6 " 8 10 " 12 " 14 " 16 18 ". 20 22 " 24 '*. . A . 54 . A • H . A . A • H . tt • Va . if • % . H .X .itV inch 16,000 10,666 8,000 6,400 •••• 5,333 4,000 2,666 2,000 1,600 .... 1,333 1,143 .... 1,000 .... 888 800 .... 727 .... 666 Number Brick Required to Construct any Building. Foodfor (Reckoning 7 Brick to Each Superficial Foot.) 159 Superficial Feet of Wall. 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 20 30 40 5° 60 70 80 90 100 200 300 400 500, 600, 700, 800 900 1000 Number of Bricks to Thickness of 4 inch. 7 IS *3 3° 38 45 53 60 68 75 150 225 300 375 450 5*5 600 675 750 1,500 2,250 3,000 3»75o 4,500 5>*5° 6,000 6,750 .7.5°° 8 inch. *5 30 45 60 75 90 105 120 135 150 300 450 600 750 900 1,050 1,200 x»35° 1,500 3,000 4,500 6,000 7,500 9,000 10,500 12,000 i3>5°° 15,000 12 inch. 23 45 68 90 "3 '35 158 180 203 225 450 675 900 1,125 M50 i»575 1,800 2,025 2,250 4,500 6,750 9,000 11,250 13,500 *5.75° 18,000 20,250 22,500 16 inch. 30 60 90 120 150 180 210 240 270 300 600 900 1,200 1,500 1,800 2,100 2,400 2,700 3,000 6,000 9,000 12,000 15,000 18,000 21,000 24,000 27,000 30,000 20 inch. 38 75 113 150 188 225 263 300 338 375 750 1,125 1,500 i,875 2,250 2,625 3,000 3,375 3,75° 7,500 11,250 15,000 18,750 22,500 26,250 30,000 33,75° 37,500 24 inch. 45 90 *35 180 225 270 3i5 360 405 450 900 x,35° 1,800 2,250 2,700 3,150 3,600 4,050 4,500 9,000 13,500 18,000 22,500 27,000 3r,5oo 36,000 40,500 45,000 Facts for Builders. One thousand shingles, laid 4 inches to the weather, will cover 100 square feet of surface, and 5 pounds of shingle nails will fasten them on. One-fifth more siding and flooring is needed than the number of square feet of surface to be covered, because of the lap in the siding and matching. One thousand laths will cover 70 yards of surface, and n pounds of lath nails will nail them on. Eight bushels of good lime, 16 bushels of sand, and one bushel of hair, will make enough good mortar to plaster 100 square yards. A cord of stone, 3 bushels of lime and a cubic yard of sand, will lay 100 cubic feet of wall. Five courses of brick will lay one foot in height on a chimney; 16 bricks in a course will make a flue 4 inches wide and 12 inches long, and 8 bricks in a course will make a flue 8 inches wide and 16 inches long. Food for Cement i bushel and sand 2 bushels will cover 3^ square yards one inch Plants thick, 4V2 square yards }4 inch thick, and 6->4 square yards l/z inch thick. One bush, cement and 1 of sand will cover 2% square yards 1 inch thick, 3 square yards }% inch thick, and 4^ square yards, l/2 inch thick. 160 Weight of a Cubic Foot of Earth, Stone, Metal, Etc. Article. Pounds. Alcohol 49 Ash wood 53 Bay wood 51 Brass, gun metal 543 Blood 66 Brick, common 102 Cork 15 Cedar 35 Copper, cast 547 Clay 120 Coal, Lehigh 56 Coal, Lackawanna 50 Cider 64 Chestnut 38 Earth, loose 94 Glass, window 165 Gold 1,203^ Hickory, shell bark 43 Hay, bale 9 Hay, pressed 25 Honey 90 Iron, cast 450 Iron, plates 481 Iron, wrought bars 486 Ice 57J-4 Lignum Vitae wood 83 Logwood 57 Lead, cast 709 Article. Pounds. Milk 64 Maple 47 Mortar no Mud 102 Marble, Vermont 165 Mahogany 66 Oak, Canadian 54 Oak, live, seasoned 67 Oak, white, dry 54 Oil, linseed 59 Pine, yellow 34 Pine, white 34 Pine, red 37 Pine, well seasoned 30 Silver 625H Steel, plates 487H Steel, soft 489 Stone, common, about 158 Sand, wet, about 128 Spruce 31 Tin 455 Tar 63 Vinegar 67 Water, salt 64 Water, rain 62 Willow 36 Zinc, cast 428 What a Deed to a Farm in Many States Includes Every one knows it conveys all the fences standing on the farm, but all might not think it also included the fencing-stuff, posts, rails, etc, which had once been used in the fence, but had been taken down and piled up for future use again in the same place. But new fencing material, just bought, and never attached to the soil, would not pass. So piles of hop poles stored away, if once used on the land and intended to be again so used, have been con- sidered a part of it, but loose boards or scaffold poles merely laid across the beams of the barn, and never fastened to it, would not be, and the seller of the farm might take them away. Standing trees, of course, also pass as part of the land; so do trees blown down or cut down, and still left in the woods where they fell, but not if cut, and corded up for sale; the wood has then Food for become personal property. Plants If there be any manure in the barnyard, or in the compost heap on the ~7 field, ready for immediate use, the buyer ordinarily, in the absence of any contrary agreement, takes that also as belonging to the farm, though it might not be so, if the owner had previously sold it to some other party, and had collected it together in a heap by itself, for such an act might be a technical severance from the soil, and so convert real into personal estate; and even a lessee of a farm could not take away the manure made on the place while he was in occupation. Growing crops also pass by the deed of a farm, unless they are expressly reserved; and when it is not intended to convey those, it should be so stated in the deed itself; a mere oral agreement to that effect would not be, in most States, valid in law. Another mode is to stipulate that possession is not to be given until some future day, in which case the crops or manures may be removed before that time. As to the buildings on the farm, though generally mentioned in the deed, it is not absolutely necessary they should be. A deed of land ordinarily carries all the buildings on it, belonging to the grantor, whether mentioned or not; and this rule includes the lumber and timber of any old building which has been taken down, or blown down, and packed away for future use on farm. Relative Value of Different Foods for Stock. One hundred pounds of good hay for stock are equal to: Articles. Pounds. Articles. Pounds. Beets, white silesia 669 Lucern 89 Turnips 469 Clover, red, dry 88 Rye-Straw 429 Buckwheat 78J4 Clover, Red, Green 373 Corn 62% Carrots 371 Oats 59 Mangolds 368^ Barley 58 Potatoes, kept in pit 350 Rye 53^ Oat-Straw 347 Wheat 4454 Potatoes 360 Oil-Cake, linseed 43 Carrot leaves (tops) 135 Peas, dry 37^ Hay, English 100 Beans 28 Weights and Measures for Cooks, Etc. 1 pound of Wheat Flour is equal to 1 quart 1 pound and 2 ounces of Indian Meal make 1 quart 1 pound of Soft Butter is equal to 1 quart 1 pound and 2 ounces of Best Brown Sugar make 1 quart 1 pound and 1 ounce of Powdered White Sugar make t quart 1 pound of Broken Loaf Sugar is equal to 1 quart 4 Large Tablespoonfuls make x/z gill i Common-sized Tumbler holds }4 pint 1 Common-sized Wine-glass is equal to Y* gill Food for i Tea-cup holds i gill Plant* i Large Wine-glass holds 2 ounces ^ i Tablespoonful is equal to 54 ounce Capacity of Cisterns for Each 10 Inches in Depth. 25 feet 20 feet 15 feet 14 feet 13 feet 12 feet 1 1 feet 10 feet 9 feet 8 feet in diameter in diameter in diameter in diameter in diameter in diameter in diameter in diameter in diameter in diameter holds 3059 holds 1958 holds 1101 holds 959 holds 827 holds 705 holds 592 holds 489 holds 396 holds 313 gallons gallons gallons gallons gallons gallons gallons gallons gallons gallons 7 feet ey2 feet 6 feet 5 feet \Vi feet 4 feet 3 feet 2}4 feet 2 feet n diameter n diameter n diameter n diameter n diameter n diameter n diameter n diameter n diameter holds 239 gallons holds 206 gallons holds 176 gallons holds 122 gallons holds 99 gallons 78 gallons 44 gallons 30 gallons 19 gallons holds holds holds holds Surveyor's Measure. 7.92 inches i link, 25 links 1 rod, 4 rods 1 chain, 10 square chains or 160 square rods 1 acre, 640 acres 1 square mile. Cubic Contents of Different Measures. A box 24 inches long by 16 inches wide, and 28 inches deep, will contain a barrel, or three bushels. A box 24 inches long by 16 inches wide, and 14 inches deep, will con- tain half a barrel. A box 16 inches square and 8 2-5 inches deep, will contain one bushel. A box 16 inches by 8 2-5 inches wide, and 8 inches deep, will contain half a bushel. A box 8 inches by 8 2-5 inches square, and 8 inches deep, will contain one peck. A box 8 inches by 8 inches square, and 4 1-5 inches deep, will contain one gallon. A box 7 inches by 4 inches square, and 4 4-5 inches deep, will contain half a gallon. A box 4 inches by 4 inches square, and 4 1-5 inches deep, will contain one quart A box 4 feet long, 3 feet 5 inches wide, and 2 feet 8 inches deep, will contain one ton of coal. Strength of Ice of Different Thickness. Two inches thick — Will support a man. Four inches thick — Will support a man on horseback. Five inches thick — Will support an eighty-pounder cannon. Eight inches thick — Will support a battery of artillery, with carriages and horses. Ten inches thick — Will support an army; an innumerable multitude. Amount of Oil in Seeds. Kinds of Seed. Per Cent. Oil. Rapeseed 55 Sweet Almond 47 Turnipseed 45 White mustard 37 Bitter almond 37 Hempseed 19 Linseed 17 Indian corn 7 Kinds of Seed. Per Cent. Oil. Oats V/t Clover hay 5 Wheat bran 4 Oat straw 4 Meadow hay 3^ Wheat straw 3 Wheat flour 3 Barley 2^/2 Results of Saving Small Amounts of Money. The following shows how easy it is to accumulate a fortune, provided proper steps are taken. The table shows what would be the result at the end of fifty years by saving a certain amount each day and putting it at interest at the rate of six per cent: Daily Savings. The Result. Sixty cents $57,024 Seventy cents 66,528 Eighty cents 76,032 Ninety cents 85,537 One dollar 95,041 Five Dollars 465,208 Daily Savings. The Result. One Cent $ 950 Ten cents 9>5C4 Twenty cents 19,006 Thirty cents 28,512 Forty cents 38,015 Fifty cents 47.520 Nearly every person wastes enough in twenty or thirty years, which, if saved and carefully invested, would make a family quite independent; but the principle of small savings has been lost sight of in the general desire to become wealthy. Savings Bank Compound Interest Table. Showing the Amount of $1, from One Year to Fifteen Years, with Compound Interest Added Semi-Annually, at Different Rates. Food for Plants 163 One year Two years .... Three years . Four years . . . Five years. . . . Six years .... Seven years.. Eight years. . . Nine years . . . Ten years Eleven years. . Twelve years . Thirteen years Fourteen years Fifteen years Three Per Cent. I 03 I 06 I 09 12 16 19 23 _>6 30 34 P 4^ 47 51 56 Four Per Cent. $1 04 08 I 12 I 17 I 21 I 26 I 31 1 37 1 42 1 48 1 54 1 60 1 67 1 73 1 80 Five Per Cent. $1 05 I 80 I 90 1 99 2 09 Food for Time at which Money Doubles at Interest. Plants J Rate. Simple Interest. Compound Interest. '^4 Two per cent 50 years 35 years, 1 day Two and one-half per cent. .. 40 years 28 years, 26 days Three per cent 33 years. 4 months 23 years, 164 days Three and one-half per cent.... 28 years, 208 days ........ .20 years, 54 days Four per cent. . . 25 years 17 years, 246 days Four and one-half per cent 22 years, 81 days 15 years, 273 days Five per cent 20 years 15 years, 75 days Six per cent 16 years, 8 months 11 years, 327 days One dollar loaned one hundred years at compound interest at three per cent, would amount to $19.25, at 6 per cent, to $340.00. Nitrogenous Fertilizing and Net Profit. Resume of a Lecture by Dr. Paul Wagner. "It has been said by an eminent experimenter and farm- er that 'Water and Nitrogen govern the yield and the net profit.' Is it correct? May it be accepted as a rule that, where there has been a poor crop, deficiency of moisture or hunger for nitrogen, or both, are the principal causes? May it be accepted as a rule that, when a field needs fertilizing, it requires in the first place nitrogen, and only in the second place phosphoric acid and potash, in order to produce maxi- mum yields? The question is an important one, and well worthy of study." Experiments with Oats on Different Soils. At the Darmstadt Experiment Station last summer were cultures of oats, which presented a clear picture of the manurial requirements of various Hessian soils. Samples had been taken of the field soil of eleven several districts, which had been placed in vegetation pots, variously fertilized, and seeded with oats. Methods of Fertilizing. The first pot received a complete dressing of potash, phosphoric acid and nitrogen, in sufficient quantity to pro- duce the highest possible yield. The second pot received the like dressing, but without phosphoric acid. The third the like dressing, without potash. Food for The fourth received the like dressing without nitrogen, nts and by way of control, each of these experiments was carried l6s out in triplicate, so that each of the eleven soils served for twelve separate experiments. Buckwheat Grown with Nitrate of Soda, 75 lbs. to the acre, alongside of Corn, showing extraordinary height oc the Buckwheat. These soils represented both loam and sandy soils, and the following table shows the relative yields under the dif- ferent treatments for the different soils: — Kind of Soil. Loam Sandy Sandy Loam Yield in Gms. Gms. Gms. Gms. Complete Dressing ..., 99 88 88 79 Complete without phosphoric acid 82 85 62 21 Complete without potash 90 79 86 52 Complete without nitrogen 11 9 5 5 It will be observed that with the complete dressings the yields on all of the soils were the best, and that when phos- phoric acid or potash was omitted from the complete dress- ings the yield to the eye wa9»diminished, though only slightly in some cases. Weighing showed, however, that the yield fell 17% as compared with the complete dressing, when the phosphoric acid was omitted, and 19% when the potash was Food for absent. On the other hand, when the nitrogen was omitted Pltnts from the dressings, there was practically a complete failure 166 0f crop. The experiments show that these soils require before everything that nitrogen shall be supplied, then phos- phoric acid and potash. In the first experiment, the yield without nitrogen fell from 99 grams of the grain to 1 1 grams of grain, and that when the phosphoric acid and potash were omitted the yield fell only about 17 to 19 per cent. In the second experiment, the results are very similar to those of the first. The soil not being poor in phosphoric acid and potash, but extremely poor in nitrogen; in this soil, also, if before everything the dressing is not rich in nitrogen, no increase is to be obtained on the field without nitrogenous fertilizer. In the third experiment, where potash and phosphate fertilizers without nitrogen were applied, the plants suffered so badly from nitrogen hunger that only 5 grams of grain have been harvested from the pot. With the addition of ni- trogen in the form of Nitrate of Soda in the complete dress- ing, the produce was no less than 88 grams of grain. In the fourth experiment, there are also distinct indica- tions of hunger for nitrogen, besides hunger for phosphoric acid, and though less striking, a clearly perceptible hunger for potash. A review of the four experiments shows very clearly the plant-food deficiencies of the several soils. The results of these experiments would be still more attractive and inter- esting if the living plants could be observed as they showed indications of the hunger of the plants for nitrogen, and like- wise if it exists in a high degree, their hunger for phosphoric acid and potash are to be recognized. Plants hungering for nitrogen are of a yellowish-green color; if very greatly hun- gering, they are of a greenish-yellow. Hunger for phosphoric acid makes itself observable by characteristic brown stripes on the leaves, and hunger for potash is to be recognized by yellow spots, gradually becoming brown, on the leaves, and by the flaccid appearance of the plants. A further evidence of the need for nitrogen is given by the yields of grain obtained from vegetation experiments on 11 other soils. Yields of Grain from the Pots, the Mean of Three Years' Food for Experiments. Plants With With complete dressing: 167 complete Without phos- Without Without dressing phoric acid potash nitrogen gr- gr- gr- g*- Gravelly loam soil 85.9 26.2 47.8 5.7 Heavy loam soil 91.3 67.8 60.0 7.0 Heavy loam soil 89.8 43.7 58.8 4.0 Heavy loam soil 91.4 60.x 60.0 12.2 Sandy Soil 87.9 38.5 66.2 4.5 Sandy soil 87.8 49.3 33.5 3.5 Sandy soil 86.5 16.3 23.9 2.6 Sandy soil 86.0 62.2 43.6 6.0 Sandy soil 81.4 54.6 20.5 5.9 Sandy soil 84.6 32.4 53.5 7.2 Sandy soil 89.4 57.8 50.9 8.6 A glance at the table shows that among 11 soils, there are those rich in phosphoric acid and poor in phosphoric acid, rich in potash and poor in potash, but not a single one of the 11 soils has shown itself to be rich in nitrogen; all were es- sentially poor in nitrogen. If either the phosphoric acid or potash were omitted from the dressing, the yields fell regu- larly, and if nitrogen were omitted the yields fell in quite a striking manner. These experiments, also, show further to what a great extent a dressing of Nitrate of Soda increased the yield when the soil is hungry for nitrogen, and not the yield of straw alone, but in like proportion the grain also. It is false to say that nitrogen affects the yield of straw, and phosphoric acid the yield of grain. The experiments show in a very palpable manner that this view is incorrect. // nitrogen be deficient, phosphoric acid can produce neither straw nor grain. An Explanation of the High Nitrogen Require- ments of Soils. A question naturally asked would be, how it happens that 1 1 soils showed such an extraordinary poverty in nitro- gen? Was it accidental, or were the soils selected for the purpose exceptionally poor in nitrogen? The chemical anal- ysis of the four soils previously described shows them to contain, on the average: — Food for 0.13% phosphoric acid Plants 0.12% potash ,68 0.14% nitrogen or about the same quantity of each plant-food. The per- centage of nitrogen, therefore, is normal. Many soils are much poorer. The question then is, is the soil nitrogen difficult of assimilation, or is it difficultly soluble. The ex- periments will answer this point. These experiments were carried on not for one year, but for three successive years in the same pots, and by analysis of the crops harvested it was possible to show how much nitrogen the plants had removed from the store in the soil. The results of the mean of three years' work show that of every 100 parts of soil-nitrogen, 2.6% had been yielded to the plants, not quite 3%. Soil- nitrogen is, therefore, of difficult solubility. The soil bacteria which have to decompose the humus, work slowly. The humus offers them no very attractive food, and they consume it slowly. Green substance, blood, meal, and horn meal, work up much more rapidly. It is clear, therefore, that even when the chemical analysis of a soil shows relatively much nitrogen, the soil may remain poor in nitrogen, so far as the plants are con- cerned. The Results of Pot Experiments are Confirmed by Field Trials. A very pertinent question is : Do the relations obtained under pot experiments also hold true under the conditions of the open field? Circumstances in the field differ from those in pot culture, and it may be assumed that in deeply cultivated and well ventilated field soil, the humus is decom- posed more rapidly and abundantly than in the earth with which the pots are filled. The results of field experiments carried out in ten different districts in Hesse, for 2, 3, 6 or 8 successive years, show this point very clearly. In order to bring the results of the individual years to a common unit capable of comparison, the market values of the extra yields have been calculated and called "gross profit." Food for Plants | I Rough Land in Preparation for Grass Seeding Highland Experimental Farms, 1907. RESULTS OF FIELD EXPERIMENTS. Average groat profit per annum and per acre: With complete dressing No. of years With Complete Without of experiment. Dressing. Phosphoric Acid. 3 8 S 2 2 6 6 4 3 4 Average $14.86 27-33 18.19 14.19 24.57 18.85 20.48 15.05 17.90 14.48 $18,590 $10.10 12.95 12.57 9.62 16.95 4-95 16.29 12.95 18. 10 7.52 $12,200 Without Without Potash. Nitrogen. $10.86 $2.95 21.90 6.00 15.71 6.19 9.90 0.48 17.81 743 18.29 5-91 15.52 1.24 12.19 4.29 10.67 3.81 9.81 0.48 $14,266 5.878 A mere cursory glance at this table will show you that on each of the ten fields the highest gross profit has been obtained by the complete dressing. If phosphoric acid or potash was omitted, the gross profit fell, but it fell to the Food for greatest extent by far when the nitrogen was omitted from 1 the complete dressing. The mean of all of the experiments 170 for all of the years gives the following results: The complete dressing, consisting of phosphoric acid, potash and nitrogen has given a gross profit of $18.59 Per acre and per year. When the potash was omitted from the complete dressing, it has given a gross profit of $14.27, and if the phosphoric acid was omitted, the yields fell to $12.20 per acre and per annum, and if the nitrogen was omitted it fell to $3.88, The results obtained from pot experiments have been fully confirmed by the experiments in the open field ; it is the nitro- gen, without exception, that has been deficient, then phos- phoric acid, then potash. Maximum yields have only been obtainable when all necessary constituents of the complete dressing, including nitrogen, were present. If maximum yields are to be obtained the field must be fertilized with nitrogen, phosphate and potash. Manures can only do their work when a nitrogenous fertilizer is also applied in abund- ance. It is quite possible, however, that the fields which served for these experiments had had no dressing of barnyard manure for several years, had received no green manuring, and, perhaps in consequence of that, were becoming exceed- ingly poor in nitrogen. Hence, the question is : — How Far is Barnyard Manure Capable of Meeting the Nitrogen Requirements of Crops? Still, information on this point must be derived from experiments, in order to determine in-how-far the barnyard manure at the disposal of the farmer suffices to feed the crop, and what quantity and kind of chemical fertilizer must be added in order to secure maximum yields. In order to determine this question, a field is divided into plots, each plot to be similarly treated with barnyard manure, in a sufficient quantity, and besides the dressings of barnyard manure the plots receive in addition the following plant-food in the form of commercial fertilizers: Plot 1. A complete dressing, consisting of phosphoric acid, potash and nitrogen. Plot 2. The like complete dressing, but without phosphoric acid. I7i Plot 3. The like complete dressing, but without potash. Food for Plot 4. The like complete dressing, but without nitrogen. Plot 5. Is left without additional fertilizing; it received only barnyard manure, but no chemical fertilizers. For control purposes this group of experiments is carried out on four several parts of the field. Thus each fertilizing is represented on four parallel plots, in the same experiment, pursued on the same plots until a new dressing of fertilizer is given. Experiments of this sort have been carried out, and I am able to present the results of 10 such series of experi- ments, which having been brought to a conclusion, the dress- ings of barnyard manure amounted to 16 tons per acre in a four years' rotation, which is a normal dressing, and the question of whether the soil dressed with 16 tons of barnyard manure per acre remained hungry for nitrogen? Results of Field Experiments. Average gross profit per annum and per acre from fertilizing with : — Barnyard Manure, Barnyard Barnyard Manure, Potash Potash, Phosphoric Acid, Manure. and Phosphoric Acid. and Nitrate of Soda. $8.57 $13-90 $30.38 6.57 8.67 19.10 6.00 7.52 17.33 6.29 8.86 21.62 5.90 6.48 17-19 9.43 18.48 30.48 6.38 14.86 20.29 5.90 ii. 62 26.67 4.57 8.77 21.52 6.66 13.62 24.67 $6,627 $11,278 $22,925 It will be observed at once from an inspection of the table that nitrogen in the form of barnyard manure has not sufficed by a long way to meet the nitrogen requirements of the plants. In each of the ten fields, the net profit had fallen considerably when the Nitrate of Soda had been omitted from the supplementary dressing. On the mean of all the fields, and all the years of experiment, the gross profit per acre per annum has amounted to $6.63. When basic slag, Food for potash salts and nitrate were added to the dressing of barn- 1 yard manure, the gross profits amounted to $22.93. When 171 only basic slag and potash were added, and Nitrate of Soda omitted, the gross profits amounted to $11.28. Abundant evidence then is given that the land must be fertilized with barnyard manure, but also with potash salts and phosphoric acid, and in addition, and above all, with nitrogen. The Amount of Nitrogen Supplied by 16 Tons of Manure. This result is not surprising, when we consider the amount of nitrogen supplied in the barnyard manure. If we take the nitrogen content of barnyard manure at 0.5 per cent, which is the average, we give to the soil in 16 tons of dung, 1 60 pounds of nitrogen per acre, and if the field is to give heavy yields, it has to supply the plants in four years 320 pounds of nitrogen, or twice as much as the barnyard manure contains. In addition to this, it has to be borne in mind that the greater part of the nitrogen of the barnyard manure is contained in the straw and excrement, or in substances which decompose slowly in the soil, and in great part are converted into humus, which feeds the plants with nitrogen very slowly. The results thus far have been expressed in terms of gross profits. The important question is, however, whether the addition of chemical fertilizers, the phosphates, potash salts and Nitrate of Soda, has resulted in a net profit, and whether, because nitrogen has become more expensive, it is desirable to use Nitrate of Soda at the high prices now asked for it? Does It Pay to Use Nitrate of Soda at High Prices? In order to answer this question, we must refer to the series of experiments conducted for many years to determine how much nitrogen in the form of Nitrate of Soda, is re- quired to produce a given quantity of grain, roots and pota- toes. As an example, we have ascertained that we may expect from each one hundred pounds of Nitrate of Soda, an average production of 400 pounds of wheat, with the corre- Food for sponding straw, and it follows that to obtain 100 pounds of Plants wheat there will be required: — "73 25 lbs. Nitrate of Soda, costing 70c. 2 " phosphoric acid, " 9c. 3 " potash, costing 15c. with a total cost of 94 cents; 100 pounds of wheat or 1 2-3 bu. with the corresponding straw would, therefore, require an expenditure of 94 cents for fertilizers, or at 80 cents per bushel for wheat, a net profit of 28 per cent in addition to the increased yield of straw. Therefore, even at present rela- tively high prices of nitrogen, the use of Nitrate of Soda is still very profitable. Can We in Practice on the Farm Also Reckon That Each 100 Pounds of Nitrate of Soda Will Pro- duce 400 Pounds of Grain? It may be said, however, that what has been found in the Darmstadt experiments may not hold good in agricultural practice in the open field. Soils vary in their character; rain may carry the nitrogen away. It may be too dry or too wet, when the crop will produce nothing, whereas pot plants are regularly supplied with water. Proof has been found in the field. Everything that is found in scientific investigation must be tested as to its validity under the conditions of prac- tical farming, and we have ascertained by exact field experi- ments carried out upon the most varying conditions of soil, weather and farm management, what quantity of wheat is produced by each 100 pounds of Nitrate of Soda. In previous reports on the question of fertilizers, are contained the results of 18 groups of experiments that have been carried out with barley on various soils, and in the mean of these experiments it has been found that 100 pounds of Nitrate of Soda pro- duces 436 pounds of barley, and on 36 groups of experiments carried out with winter rye, under the same conditions, 100 pounds of Nitrate of Soda produced 373 pounds of rye. In 26 other groups of experiments with barley, oats, wheat, and rye; the average results obtained show that each 100 pounds of Nitrate of Soda has produced an additional yield of 377 pounds of wheat. These experiments, carried out in various districts, and under very dissimilar conditions of soil, climate, >74 Food for Weather and cultivation, agree exactly with those conducted Pltnts at the Experiment Station. Under the conditions of practical farming, therefore, ioo pounds of Nitrate of Soda have pro- duced an average increase of yield of 400 pounds of grain, with the corresponding straw. This even is not sufficient; we must know the net profit. What net profit has been ob- tained in the experiments carried out in the various districts ? In the production of crops both phosphoric acid and potash are necessary, in addition to nitrogen, but nitrogen we must Lime Distributor and Fertilizer Drill. have; if the land is very poor in this substance, the heavier the fertilizing with phosphoric acid and potash, the greater will be the reduction in the amount of net profit. This net profit has been calculated for the ten groups of experiments, of which gross profit has been shown. To obtain these results, the market value of the additional fertilizers has been deduc- ted and the remainder called net profit. The market value of the products, however, has been set relatively low. With Complete Dressing: Food for No. of of With Complete Without Phosphoric Without Without Plants Years '75 Experiment. Dressing. Acid. Potash. Nitrogen. 3 $6.86 $3-43 $4-57 $—0.38 8 17-33 5.24 12.86 2.95 8 8.38 4.67 7.05 3.05 2 8.10 4.18 4.11 —2.38 2 14.10 9-33 8.77 3.24 6 10.38 — a.57 9.62 3.24 6 "•33 9.24 7.62 — 2.19 4 5.48 5-71 3-33 2.19 3 5.52 7.81 0.29 — 0.19 4 4.00 — 1.14 0.76 —3.71 •15 $4-59 $5.90 $0.58 It is shown by this statement that satisfactory net profits were made, and that not merely on the average of 2 or 3 years, but on the mean of 6 or 8 years. You see, further, that in all cases by far the highest net profit was obtained by the complete dressing, that is to say by fertilizing with phos- phoric acid, potash and nitrogen. If potash was omitted from the complete fertilizer, the net profit fell, on the average still more, but if the nitrogen was omitted from the complete dressing, the net profit fell, and that without any exception, to the greatest extent by far. In the mean of all the experi- ments, and of all the years, the net profit obtained, calcula- ted per annum and per acre was : $9.15 when the complete dressing was given; 5.90 when the potash was omitted from the complete dressing; 4.59 when the phosphoric acid was omitted from the complete dressing; .58 when the nitrogen was omitted from the complete dressing. This shows that what has been already pointed out, is correct. All of the soils employed for our experiments (in- cluding those dressed with farmyard manure) have allowed the plants to hunger in the first degree for nitrogen, in the next for phosphoric acid and then potash. Without an addi- tional application of nitrogen, the potash and phosphoric acid fertilizers could not work effectively. Without a supplemen- tary application of Nitrate of Soda, no net profit, on the aver- age was obtained. That is, complete fertilizer brought an average net profit of $9.15 per acre; without nitrogen this was reduced to 58 cents. It may be taken as a rule, that Food for nitrogen must be applied to the soil, and that even at the Pl*nt* present price of Nitrate of Soda, high net profits will be ob- '?6 tained by fertilizing with nitrogen. This, however, is contin- gent upon the application of nitrogen in proper quantity and in a proper manner. It is impossible to tell exactly, however, how much nitrogen must be applied on wheat, turnips, or potatoes, in order to be sure of the highest possible net profit. Some soils are rich in nitrogen, others are poor in this element; rich soils have to receive a light dressing, poor soils a heavy dressing. The extent of fertilizing has to be adapted to the circumstances of the case. This seems to be a difficult matter, and the farmer must have some idea as to how to arrive at the amount that shall be applied under given conditions. They must know how to find the quantities of Nitrate of Soda that have to be applied under given circumstances in order to obtain the highest yield and the highest net profit. The fol- lowing examples are given from our practice : How to Arrive at the Dressing of Nitrate of Soda Which Should be Employed Under Given Conditions. Example I. In the first example, oats had to be dressed with Nitrate of Soda ; on the ground of previous experience there it is to be assumed that without a dressing of Nitrate of Soda not more than 2464 pounds of grain per acre would be obtained. On the other hand, it was assumed that by a sufficient dress- ing, a yield up to 3520 pounds of oats might very well be se- cured. The problem then was, to increase the yield by 1056 pounds of grain. How much Nitrate of Soda was required for the purpose? We could readily calculate that; in order to ob- tain an additional yield of 1056 pounds of grain, we had to employ 264 pounds of Nitrate of Soda. This was done. 132 pounds of Nitrate of Soda was given at the time of sow- ing, and 132 pounds applied four weeks later. The result is as follows: Without the dressing of Nitrate of Soda — 2376 lbs. of grain were obtained. With the dressing of Nitrate of Soda — 3344 lbs. of grain were obtained. Thus we had attained our object. The dressing of 264 Food for pounds of Nitrate of Soda had produced an additional yield &ntl of 968 pounds of grain, and therefore had worked satisfac- I77 torily. Example II. In the second example, the soil was poor. Under aver- age conditions, on the unfertilized soil, we could not reckon on more than 21 12 pounds of grain, and assumed 3168 pounds of barley as an attainable yield. We therefore planned to obtain an increase of yield of 1056 pounds of grain and we, therefore, fertilized, as in the other case, with 264 pounds of Nitrate of Soda, of which the half was applied at the time of sowing and the other half five weeks later. The yield was as follows : Without Nitrate of Soda — 1936 lbs. of grain were obtained. With Nitrate of Soda — 2816 lbs. of grain were obtained. Therefore, the 264 pounds of Nitrate of Soda had pro- duced 880 pounds of grain. The dressing of Nitrate of Soda had not been able to produce its full effect in consequence of great drought. Each 88 pounds of Nitrate of Soda had pro- duced only 293 pounds of grain. It would have been more advantageous in this case, if we had applied only 220 pounds of Nitrate of Soda. The yield, however, was completely sat- isfactory. Example III. In the third example, the soil for barley was rich. With- out a dressing of Nitrate of Soda, we could reckon on a yield of about 2640 pounds of grain, and we could assume as a maximum yield 3520 pounds of grain. We therefore aimed at an increase of yield of 880 pounds of grain, for which, according to our calculation 220 pounds of Nitrate of Soda were required. This dressing was applied, and the result was : — Without the dressing of nitrogen — 2640 lbs. of grain were obtained. With the dressing of Nitrate of Soda — 3696 lbs. of grain were obtained. The dressing of Nitrate of Soda had brought about an additional yield of 1056 lbs. of grain; that makes for 100 lbs. of Nitrate of Soda, 480 lbs. of grain, so that the action of the Nitrate has been extremely effective. i78 Pood for Example IV. Plants In the next example, a field of rye, which had produced in the previous year, without a dressing of Nitrate of Soda, 1760 lbs. of grain, but which, as the soil was favorably cir- cumstanced as respects moisture, could probably yield some 1232 lbs. more, was dressed with 308 lbs. of Nitrate of So- da with the object of obtaining that yield; 206 lbs. of Ni- trate of Soda were applied at the end of February, and 102 lbs. at the end of March. The yield obtained from this, was: — Without the dressing of nitrogen — 1496 lbs. of rye. With the dressing of nitrogen — 2640 lbs. of rye. By the dressing of nitrogen, an additional yield was obtained of 11 44 lbs. of rye; 100 lbs. of Nitrate of Soda had, therefore, produced 371 lbs. of grain. These examples suffice to show that it is not so very difficult to find the approximate quantity of Nitrate of Soda which should be employed in a given case. It is only neces- sary for one to have a little experience, and to know the soil of his farm. One must aim at a certain yield, and must not be too moderate in doing so. If soil conditions and cli- mate are favorable, the farmer should not be content with less than the yield that is possible to obtain when climatic and seasonal conditions are favorable. If the possible yields in his neighborhood are 75 bushels of oats per acre, 50 bush- els of wheat, 400 bushels of potatoes, 12 tons of tomatoes, 30 tons of fodder cabbage, or beets, or 4 tons of timothy hay, he must so dress his soil as to provide the necessary plant- food, for these high yields. If the land, notwith- standing favorable conditions of soil and weather, produces little, he must ask what had to be done to bring the yield to the figure aimed at. Fertilizing alone does not suffice; the fertilizing elements are but the raw materials, out of which the substance of the crop is to be produced; but the plant can only convert the greatest possible quantity of raw mate- rial into the greatest possible quantity of crop-substance, if it be of high capacity as respects yield. But its capacity in re- spect to yield can only be made fully effective if all exterior conditions, — soil, climate, weather, space, warmth, light, are the most favorable possible, while on the other hand, even plants of the highest capacity as respects yield can only pro- duce little, if no adequate material for the production of Food for yields is at their disposal. Therefore, the best cultivation nts of the soil, the best seed, the variety of plant capable of the x79 highest yields, the most suitable width of drill, the most suitable quantity of seed, and the utmost care in sowing and then do not allow the plants to hunger. Of phosphoric acid and potash especially, as much should be given as is necessary for the highest possible yield. There is no danger in using an excess of these elements, as there will not be a loss from the soil; it is only nitrogen that should not be given in excess, as there is danger of loss; be- sides it must be measured out according to the plant's re- quirements. The art of rational fertilizing is not so difficult as it is often believed to be; we render the matter difficult to ourselves by not having sufficiently clear ideas about it, and very often, by allowing ourselves to be led by false prepos- sessions and incorrect ways of looking at it. For example, it has been said, and we still read, even at the present day, in many publications, that the effect of fertilizing with Nitrate of Soda shows itself principally in the yield of straw, in the yield of leaves, and in the devel- opment of haulm, in the production of wood in the case of the grape-vine, and much less in the yield of grain, roots, potatoes, grapes, etc. This is an erroneous view. As experi- ments have shown that the yield of grain and fruit in all cases have been augmented by nitrogenous fertilizing in the same proportion as straw and leaves. It has, also, been alleged that it is not nitrogenous fertilizing in itself that favors the development of straw and leaves, more than the production of grain, roots and potatoes; that it is rather a special effect of Nitrate of Soda and that fertilizing with sulphate of ammonia has not this unfavorable result. This is false. In my comprehensive work, "Fertilizing with Sulphate of Ammonia in Comparison with Nitrate of Soda," I have adduced proof from the results of a large number of pot and field experiments, carried out at the Darmstadt Ex- periment Station, that the proportion between straw and grain, between leaves and roots, in the case of fertilizing with sulphate of ammonia is in no way different from that in the case of fertilizing with Nitrate of Soda. Our experiments have further shown that the nitrogen of sulphate of ammonia and the nitrogen of Nitrate of Soda increase the yields of Food for Plants iSo grain, roots, and potatoes In exactly the same proportion as the yields of straw. Straw and leaf production are especially favored neither by the nitrogen of sulphate of ammonia nor by that of Nitrate of Soda. On the contrary, a plant suffi- ciently fed (not over-fed) with nitrogen, produces a more favorable proportion of grain and roots to straw and leaves than does a plant which is hungering for nitrogen. In brief, Lime Distributor and Fertilizer Drill in operation. the average results of the experiments conducted to test this point are as follows : — i. Barley. For every ioo part* Straw there were harvested: Without nitrogenous fertilizing Fertilized with Nitrate of Soda Fertilized with Sulphate of Ammonia 2. Oats. For every ioo parts Straw there were harvested: Without nitrogenous fertilizing Fertilized with Nitrate of Soda Fertilized with Sulphate of Ammonia 76 parts Grain 77 " >» 78 » »» 57 Parts Grain 62 " " 62 ■ 11 Food for Grain Plants 46 parts 181 57 " » 58 ■ » 46 parts Grain SZ " >i 50 » n 3. Wheat. For every ioo parts Straw there were harvested: Without nitrogenous fertilizing Fertilized with Nitrate of Soda Fertilized with Sulphate of Ammonia 4. Rye. For every 100 parts Straw there were harvested: Without nitrogenous fertilizing Fertilized with Nitrate of Soda Fertilized with Sulphate of Ammonia On the average, therefore, with a dressing of Nitrate of Soda, there was produced for every 100 parts straw not only not less, but even somewhat more grain than without the dressing of Nitrate of Soda ; and in the case of no cereal crop has the sulphate of ammonia dressing had a more favorable action on the proportion of straw to grain than the dressing of Nitrate of Soda. There can be no question of a particular action of Nitrate of Soda on the development of the plants in straw and leaves unfavorable to the production of grain. Such action does not exist. If cases occur, in which the yield of grain, or the yield of roots has remained behind relatively to the development of straw and leaves, in all such cases the cause is to be sought in an excessive dressing or in unfavor- able weather; in too heavy seeding; in too close spacing of the plants ; or, in the fact that the nitrogen has been applied at the wrong time, but in no case is it to be found in any special influence on the leaf development inherent in the Ni- trate of Soda itself. In order that this may impress itself on you firmly and convincingly, I will show you yet another picture. The results of experiments that have been obtained in the growing of wheat, carrots, sugar beets and mangolds, have also shown it to be untrue that fertilizing with Nitrate of Soda itself encourages the development of straw and leaves more than it favors the development of grain and roots. If cases of this sort occur, then the cause is as al- ready pointed out, and not due to the Nitrate of Soda. The Importance of Fertilizing with Nitrogen. Of the importance of fertilizing with nitrogen there is no question, but do not misunderstand the question and think that everything depends upon fertilizing with nitrogen, and Food for that fertilizing with phosphoric acid and potash may be s neglected. Against such an error you are warned in the most ,8a emphatic manner. Plants can not live on nitrogen alone, — phosphoric acid, potash and lime are just as necessary to them as nitrogen, but fertilizing with nitrogen is often alto- gether neglected. Potash and phosphoric acid are much cheaper than Nitrate of Soda, — we are afraid of the cost of dressings of nitrogen. We fertilize with phosphates and kainit, and hope that the nitrogen of barnyard manure, the nitrogen from green manuring, leguminous crops, and the rain — and nitrogen-collecting soil-bacteria, will provide so much nitrogen that we need buy no Nitrate of Soda. This is a mistake; one sees with amazement how much land there is hungering for nitrogen, if one walks through the fields of grain at the beginning of June. The profit which is to be made by rational fertilizing has also been shown. By ra- tional fertilizing with nitrogen, that is: You are not to top- dress with too much nor with too little Nitrate of Soda, and you are not to apply the nitrogenous salt at the wrong time. You know how to proceed in order to ascertain what are the quantities of Nitrate which are to be employed under given circumstances. A careful observation of the suggestions here given, will result in more profitable returns. The Cost of Nitrate of Soda. Its Use more Profitable than ever. The steady upward movement in prices of Nitrate of Soda has been attracting widespread attention, and the unin- terrupted gradual rise in prices is warranted, based on solid facts which govern the industry. Labor troubles and the extra cost of production, together with the steady increase in the consumption, have been and are factors in the situation. The increase in the consumption in this country for several years has been striking. Labor troubles in the Nitrate re- gions following the great earthquake, as the laborers wended their way to Valparaiso and other sections of the country where better wages were paid them, caused considerable irregularity of shipments, and vessels experienced long de- Food 'or lays, owing to the scarcity of labor to move the goods. ants The tremendous demand for Agricultural Purposes, l83 however, has really caused the rise in price. The Consump- tion all over the World for Agricultural purposes has ex- panded at a very great rate lately, and perhaps more par- ticularly in this country in the Cotton Belt than anywhere else. This great demand has grown very rapidly, hence the effect on prices. Production is likely to expand so as to fully meet the fresh demand as rapidly as the supply of labor can be provided for on the West Coast of Chili. The earthquake was followed by a wave of rebuilding activity which made labor very scarce and high. Looking at the prices current, taking the prices for all Nitrogenous fertilizers, it will be noted that they have like- wise risen. Many observers of the (Nitrogen) Ammoniate Market in recent years have asserted that there are not enough Ammoniates annually produced to meet the Consumptive re- quirements, and the tendency on the part of Fertilizer Manu- facturers is to make lower grade goods ; a policy which seems to have invariably a disastrous effect on those who follow it. It is proper to observe also that all the Nitrogen in Nitrate of Soda is available. In the other Ammoniates gen- erally quoted the Nitrogen is, of course, not completely avail- able from an Agricultural Standpoint even though some may be soluble in water. Nitrate does not leave an acid residue in the soil, but, on the contrary, it leaves a sweet alkali residue, of great benefit to most soils. A further point of interest is the very satisfactory in- crease in the prices of agricultural commodities whereby farmers are getting a very handsome return on their produce. It would seem, therefore, that on the whole Nitrate of Soda is still the cheapest Ammoniate on the market, and it is to be expected that its intelligent use will yield more profit than ever. Nitrate always pays handsomely on hay, and one hun- dred pounds per acre alone is a very effective application. Even at the present prices for Nitrate, one hundred pounds without the use of any other fertilizer, will produce an in- creased yield of more than half a ton of barn-cured hay. The use of Nitrate on this crop promises to be very remunerative. Food for POINTS FOR CONSIDERATION AS TO PRICES OF FARM PRODUCTS 184 AND NITRATE PRICES. From the farmer's point of view, a reduction in cotton and produce prices is to be deplored, but the point to be con- sidered is whether abstention from the use of Nitrate is a wise way of meeting the situation. The utility of a fertilizer obviously depends upon its productivity, and as its productiv- ity is not affected by its price, an increase in the latter justifies abandonment of the tertilizer only when its productivity ceases to be profitable. The profit to be reasonably expected from the use of fertilizer, although somewhat less than when it was cheaper, is not so materially interfered with by any rise in price of Nitrate as to economically justify any substantial reduction in its consumption. SUMMARY OF INCREASED YIELDS. From an Application of 100 Pounds per Acre of Nitrate of Soda. It should be pointed out that in the recorded experiments with Nitrate of Soda on money crops heretofore published in Experiment Station Reports and Bulle- Rise in Price of t;ns> farm products were much lower in Farm Products. prjce The prjces of agricuiturai products have risen to a high water mark, and in certain cases the ad- vance has been to extreme figures, and all farm commodities are now higher than they have been for some years. Our statements heretofore published, showing the profit resulting from the crop increases due to the use of Margin ol Nitrate of Soda, if rearranged on a basis rront v_»reater. 0f present values for crops, would show more profit than before. It should also be remarked that the ~ , . prices of other Ammoniates have risen Other Ammo- f. , . XT. t c , , . . niates Higher higher than Nitrate or boda, and it is, as than Nitrate. heretofore, the cheapest of all Ammoniates Probable in the market. Stability of Economists of authority tell us that harm values. ^ cost Qf yxy\ng js to remain for a consid- erable time on the high basis now established, so that it is to be expected that the prices of agricultural products will re- Food ,or • m. u*~u i 1 Plants main at a high level. In this connection your attention is called to many ex- l8s periments with Fertilizers in which Nitrate of Soda is said to have been used in order ^ood R£sults to produce results to be exploited as due to Due t0 titrate, materials other than this Standard Money Crop Producer. Slight Added Further, one may add, that when Ni- Cost per Acre trate is used at the rate of ioo pounds per and per Ton acre, the actual cash increase in Fertilizer of Fertilizer, cost per acre is very small. The highest agricultural authorities ^flat titrate have established by careful experimenta- has done for tion that ioo pounds of Nitrate of Soda r;roDS applied to the crops quoted below has pro- j^se / prjce 0f duced increased yields as tabulated here- parm Products under : Increased Yield per Acre of Crops receiving Nitrate at the rate of ioo pounds to the Acre over those receiving none. Wheat 300 pounds of grain. Oats 400 pounds of grain. Corn 280 pounds of grain. Barley 400 pounds of grain. Potatoes 3>6oo pounds of tubers. Sweet Potatoes 3>900 pounds of tubers. Hay 1,000 pounds, barn-cured. Cotton 500 pounds seed-cotton. Sugar-Beets 4,000 pounds of tubers. Cabbages 6,100 pounds. Carrots 7,800 pounds. Onions 1,800 pounds. Turnips 37 per cent. Strawberries 200 quarts. Asparagus 100 bunches. Tomatoes 100 baskets. Celery 30 per cent. Rye 300 pounds of grain. Beets 4,000 pounds of tubers. Food for it should be remembered that plants take up most of their Nitrogen during the early period of their growth. 186 TV is now known that there is not as much danger of it being leached out of the soil by the rains during the growing season as has been generally believed, since the rains seldom reach lower than the bottom of the furrow, and the move- ment of the soil moisture is up instead of down. Besides, soil moisture is strongly held by good soils by capillary attraction. Nitrate of Soda looks somewhat like common dairy salt, and horses, cows and sheep, if they can get to it, may eat it to an injurious extent. The emptied bags, especially in damp weather, have more or less Nitrate adhering to them. After emptying, it is a good plan to soak in water, which will make an excellent liquid manure, say one empty bag to a barrel of water. // lumpy, the Nitrate should be broken up fine, which is easily done by pounding it on the barn floor with the back of a spade or shovel, or by a hand grinding machine made especially for home mixing, which is now in common use in Europe and is beginning to be used in America. Nitrate of Soda, unlike other Ammoniates and "com- plete fertilizers," can be mixed with lime or ashes without loss of Nitrogen. The fallow in modern agriculture, S. Rhodin (K. Landtbr. Akad. Handl. och Tidskr., 45 (iqo6), No. 1, pp. 57-72, fig. 1). — The evidence and views in regard to the value of bare fallow, especially in Swedish agriculture, are briefly discussed. While bare fallow of loose sandy soils is not to be recommended, because the losses of Nitrogenous substances occurring, generally speaking, exceed the gains through Ni- tration, this is not the case with other types of soils. Here an accumulation of Nitrates takes place through the fallow, which greatly benefits the following grain crop. Field experiments with cabbages in 1903 and with pota- toes in 1904 and 1905 were conducted for the purpose of determining whether inoculation of sandy soils with fallow soil would prove beneficial on account of the large bacterial content of the latter. The systems of fertilization followed are shown below, the different plats receiving as a basal fer- tilizer 37 per cent, potash salt and Thomas phosphate, at the rate of 225 and 400 lbs. per acre, respectively. The Nitrate Food for of Soda was applied at the rate of 300 lbs. per hectare (267 Plants lbs. per acre) and the inoculated soil at the rate of 6 cubic l8? meters per hectare. Yields per Acre and Percentage Increase of Crops on Inoc- ulated and Uninoculated Gravelly Soil. Cabbages, 1903. Potatoes, 1904. Potatoes, 1905. Pounds 8,906.88 24,582.99 24,939-^7 33,222.67 60,834.00 Per cent. 36 IOO 101 135 250 Pounds 6,791.49 17,368.42 20,819.84 23,046.56 30,172.06 Per cent. 39 IOO 120 132 173 Pounds 9,908.90 15,809.72 20,485.83 18,370.44 23,046.56 Per cent. 62 Potassium phosphate -|- soil Potassium phosphate -j- soil from fallow field Potassium phosphate -}- ni- IOO 130 116 Atmospheric Fertilizers. No task which chemists have set for themselves in the last few years has aimed to confer greater benefits on civilized man than that of producing a cheap fertilizer from the air. Nitrogen, which constitutes about four-fifths of the atmos- phere, is one of the essentials of plant life, but vegetation is singularly reluctant to draw directly on that magnificent store. Very few crops which the farmer raises — clover and alfalfa are among them — show much disposition to absorb free Nitrogen. Only in such compounds as Nitrate of Soda {salt- petre) and Nitrate of lime is the usefulness of the element usually manifested, and the productiveness of the soil is in a large measure determined by the quantity of these substances present in it. If this has been reduced by drawing repeatedly on the original supply, the land will yield less and less each year until it has been freshly enriched. Other materials may be employed as fertilizers, the choice being governed by the soil to which it is proposed to minister, and reference also being had to the crop which is next to be grown. Broadly speaking, however, Nitrates may be regarded as the most valuable of these agents and recent discoveries in Chili show the supplies of nitrate of soda now in sight are practically in- exhaustible. Food for Plants ill Table Showing Prices of Nitrate of Soda on the Nitrogen Basis. Figured on Basis of 313 Pounds Nitrogen in One Ton of Nitrate of Soda. Equivalent Equivalent Cost per Cost per Cost of Cost per Cost per Cost of Cwt. of ton of Nitrogen Cwt. of ton of Nitrogen Nitrate. Nitrate. per lb. Nitrate. Nitrate. per lb. $2.00 $40.00 $0,128 $2.75 $55.00 $0,174 2.05 41.00 0.131 2.80 56.00 0.177 2.10 42.00 0.134 2.85 57.00 0.180 2.15 43.00 0.137 2.90 58.00 0.183 2.20 44.00 0.140 2.95 59.00 0.186 2.25 45.00 0.144 3.00 60.00 0.189 2.30 46.00 0.147 3.05 61.00 0.192 2.35 47.00 0.150 3.10 62.00 0.195 2.40 2.45 2.50 48.00 49.00 50.00 0.153 0.156 0.159 3.15 3.20 3.25 3.30 63.00 64.00 65.00 66.00 0.198 0.201 0.204 0.207 2.55 51.00 0.162 3.35 67.00 0.210 2.60 52.00 0.165 3.40 68.00 0.213 2.65 53.00 0.168 3.45 69.00 0.216 2.70 54.00 0.171 3.50 70.00 0.219 This table enables one to compare commercial quota- tions with accuracy. The figures themselves are not quota- tions in any sense of the word, and all the figures of the table refer only to one grade of Nitrate of Soda, namely: that containing 15.65 per cent, of Nitrogen. FARMERS' BULLETIN No. 107. Prepared in the Office of Experiment Stations, Washington, D. C. • "Under existing conditions farmers are advised to pur- chase fertilizer materials and to make their own mixtures rather than to purchase mixed or complete special fertilizers. This course is believed to be advisable for two reasons: First, because the 'specials' are not properly compounded, and sec- Food 'or ond, because the needed plant food can be thus procured at 8 lower cost."* l89 The continuous use of muriate of potash may so far de- plete the soil of lime that an occasional application of this material may be required in case of such use. The sulphate of potash may be a safer material to use where a growth of clover is desired than the muriate, and therefore it may often be wise to use the sulphate. The high-grade sulphate should be selected. These materials should as a rule be mixed just before use, and applied broadcast (after plowing) and harrowed in just before planting the seed. Where Nitrate of Soda is to be used in quantities in excess of 150 pounds per acre, one-half the amount of this salt may be withheld until the crop is 3 or 4 inches high, when it may be evenly scattered near the plants. It is unnecessary to cover this, though it may prove more promptly effective in absence of rain if cultivated in. The quantities recommended are in most cases moderate. On soils of good physical character it will often prove profit- able to use about one and one-half times the amounts given. Terms Used in Discussing Fertilizers. Nitrogen may exist in three distinct forms, viz., as Nitrates, as Nitrogenous organic matter, as ammonia salts. Nitrates furnish the most readily available forms of Nitrogen. The most common is Nitrate of Soda. Nitration, or Nitrification, is the process by which soluble Nitrate is formed from the less available and less soluble Nitrogen of sulphate of ammonia, dried blood, cotton- seed meal, tankage, etc. It is due to the action of microscopic organisms, and all nitrogenous fertilizers must undergo this process of Nitration before plants can use them. Phosphoric Acid, one of the essential fertilizing ingre- dients, is derived from materials called phosphates. It does not exist alone, but in combination, most commonly as phos- phate of lime in the form of bones and Rock phosphate. Phosphoric acid occurs in fertilizers in two forms — available and insoluble phosphoric acid. *U. S. Department Agricultural, Farmers' Bulletin, 65 and 84 (Experiment Station Work, II, page 27; VII, page 5). Food for Superphosphate. — In natural phosphates the phos- phoric acid is insoluble in water and not available to plants, except in the form of a very fine powder. Superphosphate is prepared from these by grinding and treating with sulphuric acid, which makes the phosphoric acid more available. Super- phosphates are sometimes called acid-phosphates. Potash, as a constituent of fertilizers, exists in a num- ber of forms, but chiefly as sulphate and muriate. The chief sources of potash are the potash salts, muriate of potash, sul- phate of potash. Canada wood ashes and cotton-hull ashes are also sources of potash, as is also Nitrate of Potash. Ammoniates. Nitrogenous Fertilizers. Per Cent. Nitrogen, Nitrate of Soda 15-65 Dried blood 13.00 Tankage 12.00 Dry fish scrap 9.00 Cotton-seed meal 7.50 Barnyard manure 0.05 Phosphates. Per Cent Lbs. Phosphoric Phosphoric Acid. Acid Per Ton. Superphosphate 14 280 Ground bone 22 440 Bone tankage 12 240 Barnyard manure 0.32 6.40 Potashes. Per Cent Actual Lbs. Potash. Potash. Per Ton. Nitrate of Soda 1 to 3 20 to 60 Muriate of potash 50 1,000 Sulphate of potash 52 1,040 Canada wood ashes 6 120 Cotton-seed hull ashes 25 400 Waste from gunpowder works. 18 360 Corn cob ashes 23 460 Maryland marls 1.25 25 Castor pomace 1.5 30 Tobacco stems 6.5 130 Barnyard manure 0.43 K.6 Sodas. Pood for Per Cent Actual Lbs. Soda Plants Soda. Per Ton. Carbonate of Soda 50 1,000 Sulphate of Soda 43 860 Nitrate of Soda 35 700 191 Some Practical Hints Regarding Nitrate. It is the quickest acting plant food known. It is immediately available for the use of plants as soon as it goes into solution. It does most of its work in one season. More must not be expected of it, as it gives quick returns and large profits when properly applied. It tends to sweeten sour land. When applied broadcast it should be evenly distributed. In applying 100 pounds to an acre, one pound has to be evenly spread over 48 square yards, and this requires care and skill. It is well to mix it with sand, marl, ashes, land plaster or some other finely divided material of about the same weight in order to secure a more even distribution. Where plants are grown in hills or drills it should be applied near the growing plants and thoroughly mixed with the soil. It does not matter whether it is sown in dry or wet weather except that when applied broadcast to crops like cabbage, which have a large leaf surface, it should be done when the leaves are not wet from rain or dew. It does not blow away, and dews are almost sufficient to dissolve it. It is not necessary to wait for rain. It should be sown early in the spring for cereals, just as they are starting to make their first growth; for roots, after they are transplanted or set out. Autumn sowing is generally not advisable except as an extra top-dressing for Danish or winter cabbage just as they are starting to head, which is practised very profitably by large cabbage growers. It enables the plant to make use of the necessary mineral elements in the soil to the best advantage. Food for There are no unknown conditions that enter in, in refer- 8 ence to the solubility, and hence the availability of Nitrate of '9* Soda. General Points The points to be observed in the use of as to Method Nitrate of Soda are : Avoid an excess, and of Application. do not sprinkle wet foliage with dry Ni- trate, and in general Nitrate must not be allowed to come in contact with the stems or leaves of plants. Nitrate of Soda is a Nitrated Nitrogen and is immediately available as plant food. Applications of Nitrate of Soda may be made at the rate of ioo pounds to the acre. There is no Nitrogenous Fertilizer in the market at the present time, which sells as low as for the Nitrogen contained in it. In looking at quotations Nitrogen in Dried Blood, Tankages and Mixed Fertilizers costs any- where from sixteen to twenty cents per pound. Nitrate is, therefore, the cheapest fertilizer in the market. It should be borne in mind that prices for all agricultural crops have risen proportionately much higher than Nitrogenous Fertilizers. Manures. Dr. Voelcker, F.R.S., made analyses of fresh and rotted farmyard manures. These analyses show a larger percent- age of soluble organic matter in rotted than in fresh manure. The fresh manure contains more carbon and more water, while in the rotted manure the Nitrogen is in more available form for root-absorption. If the process of fermentation has been well managed, both fresh and rotted manures contain the same amounts of Nitrogen, phosphoric acid and potash. There should be a sufficient amount of Litter. litter to absorb and retain the urine and also the ammonia formed in the decomposition of the manure. Leaves, straw, sawdust, moss, etc., to which is added some peat, muck, or fine, dry, loamy earth, mixed with gypsum (land plaster), may be used for litter. The relative value of the manure is diminished by the use of too much litter, but on the contrary, if insufficient absorbent material is used, too much moisture prevents fermentation and the consequent chemical changes in the nitrogenous constituents of the ma- nure. The best method for the management M - Food for of farmyard manure is to make and keep it n Yd ants under cover, in sheds, or better still, in M x93 covered pits from which there can be no loss by drainage. It should also be kept sufficiently moist, and by the addition of charcoal, peat, or vegetable refuse and gypsum the volatilization of ammonia may be reduced to a minimum. Manure so made is worth 50 per cent, more than that thrown into a heap in the barnyard to be leached by the storms of months before being spread upon the land. Where pits cannot be provided the manure pile should rest upon a hard, clay bottom, or on a thick layer of peat or vegetable refuse, which acts as an absorbent and prevents the loss of much liquid manure. The time-honored custom of hauling manure upon the land and of dumping it in small heaps from two to three feet in height, is a wasteful and clumsy practice that should be abandoned by every farmer. A simple and effectual way of dispos- Farm Sewage ing of the night-soil on a farm is to so con- Disposal, struct the closet that the urine will at once drain to a lower level, and there be mixed with an equal quan- tity of quicklime. The solid excrement should be covered daily with a small quantity of quicklime mixed with a little fine charcoal or peat. Such a receptacle can be made by any farmer at comparatively little cost, and will more than com- pensate for the care it entails by doing away with ill-smelling odors and the disagreeable and often dangerous task of cleaning vaults, besides furnishing a very rich manurial product for admixture with farmyard manure or compost. Such receptacle should be made in the form of a shallow drawer or box with an inclined bottom, arid should rest upon stout runners like a stone boat or drag, so that, at frequent intervals, it can be drawn by a horse to the manure pile or compost heap. On the bottom of the drawer should be kept a thin layer of quick-lime mixed with peat, wood-pile dirt, or loam. As an alkali, soda has no advantage over potash, since the decomposing action of the soda is rarely due to its alkalinity. Potash, if used in the form of wood-ashes, the lime carbonate of the ashes, will neutralize the acid properties Food for 0f tne peat, and the growth of the Nitrate ferment will thus 1 be greatly promoted. f94 Soda is, in rare instances, needful as a plant food; if needed it would be better economy to use soda ash. In these composts the writer invariably substitutes kainit, or other products of the German mines, for common salt. Sawdust, leaves, cornstalks, tan bark, and How to bave ajj I^inds of coarse vegetable materials Humus. are more rapidly decomposed by the aid of caustic alkalies than by any other means. Coarse materials, like cornstalks, trimmings from fruit trees, hedges, grape vines, etc., are rich in plant food, and instead of being burned should be composted with potash and lime in separate heaps. More time must be allowed for the decomposition of coarse materials, and they should always be composted in large heaps and kept moist. # The process of nitration in the niter-bed, [Nitration or ^ compost-heap, or in the soil is pre- Nitrification. dsely the same The format}on 0f Nitrates is due to the continuous life and development of a micro-or- ganism known as the nitric ferment or nitric bacteria, which lives upon the nitrogenous organic matters, ammonium com- pounds, and other things present in the soil. The nitric fer- ment is a microscopic plant somewhat like the yeast used for leavening bread, and for fermenting malt liquors ; and under favorable conditions of temperature and moisture, and in the presence of oxygen is propagated with marvelous rapidity in the soil. One of the results of the life of this minute plant is the formation of Nitrates. Nitration is extremely feeble in winter and at tempera- tures below 400 F. almost entirely ceases. It is most active at about 98°F. to 99°F., and is more rapid in the dark than in bright sunlight. At temperatures above ioo°F. the formation of Nitrates rapidly decreases and at i3i°F. en- tirely ceases. As we have just stated, it has been noticed that the nitric ferment thrives best in the dark, and, hence, one good reason for making compost beds under sheds or in shel- tered situations. When so made the conditions for nitrifica- tion are more favorable and the beds are protected from the leaching action of storms. To ensure rapid nitrification all the food elements re- quired by the nitric ferment must be present. The ash in- gredients of plants, phosphates, ammonia, carbonaceous mat- Food for ter, and an excess of oxygen must be present. ants Peat containing much copperas, coal-tar, gas-lime con- f95 taining sulphites and sulphides, kill the ferment. The Ni- trate ferment is developed during the slow decay of organic matter in all soils. How to Make Commercial Valuations. First, of unmixed chemicals. Multiply the guaranteed per cent, of Nitrate of Soda by 16.47, which gives the Nitrate of Soda- per cent, of Nitrogen ; multiply the per cent, of Nitrogen thus obtained by the trade value of Nitrogen in the form of Ni- trates (15 cents per pound), then multiply the last result by 20, which gives the value per ton. Example. — A Nitrate of Soda is guaranteed to be 95 per cent, pure; that is, the total impurities in it amount to 5 per cent.: 95 X1 6.47= 15.64 per cent, of Nitrogen; 15.64 V 15=42.34, value of Nitrogen in 100 pounds; $2.34X20 =$46.80, value per ton. Multiply the guaranteed per cent, of sulphate of potash by .54; multiply the re- Sulphate of suit by the trade value for potash in high- "otasn* grade sulphate (5 cents) and multiply the last result by 20. Example. — A high-grade sulphate of potash is guaran- teed by the manufacturer to contain 45 per cent, of sulphate of potash: 45 -[-.54=24.30 per cent, of actual potash; 24.30x5=122 cents, or $1.22, the value of actual potash in 100 pounds of sulphate; $1.22 X2o=$24.40, value per ton. Multiply the guaranteed per cent, of muriate (chloride) by .63; then multiply Muriate of Potash the result by the trade value for potash in (Chloride), the form of muriate (45^ cents per pound for 1892), and multiply the last result by 20. Example. — A muriate of potash is guaranteed to contain 80 per cent, of muriate (chloride) : 80 X- 63=50.40 per cent, of actual potash; 50.40 X4//2centS;=227 cents, or $2.27, the value of actual potash in 100 pounds of sulphate; $2.27X20=$45.40, value per ton. Second. How to make a commercial valuation of a fer- tilizer from a guarantee-analysis as given by manufacturers. Food for The statements of guarantee-analysis as used by manu- *nt* facturers differ considerably in form, and the amount of f96 each constituent is usually stated as being between two more or less widely varying limits. Thus, we are offered a fer- tilizer which in the guaranteed analysis is stated to contain: Ammonia, from 2 to 3 per cent.; available phosphoric acid, 8 to 10 per cent; insoluble phosphoric acid, 2 to 3 per cent.; and potash, equal to 3 to 5 per cent. In estimating the valua- tion from such form of statement of analysis the lower numbers should be always used, for the manufacturer is held legally only to the lower figures given in the guarantee. The per cent, of Nitrogen in the guarantee-analysis is most usually given in the form of ammonia, and the per cent, of potash may be given in the form of sulphate or muriate (chloride) of potash. When the per cent, of organic Nitrogen is given multiply the per cent, of Nitrogen by the trade value adopted for organic Nitrogen in mixed fertilizers. But if the Nitro- gen is stated in the form of ammonia, multiply the guaranteed per cent, of ammonia by .8235, which will give the per cent. of actual Nitrogen ; then multiply the result by the trade value for organic Nitrogen in mixed fertilizers, which will give the value of the Nitrogen in 100 pounds of fertilizer. Thus, in the fertilizer given above the per cent, of ammonia in the guaranteed analysis is from 2 to 3 per cent. As directed, we take the lower number, 2 per cent. : 2X-8235=i.65 per cent, of Nitrogen; i.65XI5/^ cents=25.58 cents. The per cent, of available phosphoric acid is guaranteed to be from 8 to 10 per cent.: 8X4/^ cents=36 cents. Insoluble phosphoric acid: 2X2 cents=4 cents. The guaranteed per cent, of potash is 3 to 5 per cent. But the statement of analysis does not tell the form in which the potash is present. All we know is that there is from 3 to 5 per cent, of actual potash contained in the fertilizer, so we will give ourselves the benefit of the doubt and assume the potash to be in the form of muriate (chloride) : 3X4/^ cents=i3^ cents. We now have the value in cents of the Nitrogen, avail- able and insoluble phosphoric acid, and potash. Add these together and the sum is the value in cents of the total fertiliz- ing constituents in 100 pounds of fertilizer. This sum mul- tiplied by 20 gives the value in cents of one ton. Plants 197 Example: *?odfor Nitrogen i.65Xi5^=25-5 ctnt%. Available phosphoric acid 8X 7^=36.0 " Insoluble phosphoric acid 2X 2 — 4-° " Potash 3X 4/^=13-5 " Total value of 100 pounds 79.0 cents. 79X20=1580 cents, or $15.80 value per ton. If the potash is given in the form of sulphate we find the equivalent of actual potash by multiplying the per cent, of sul- phate by .54 and the result by the trade value, $y2 cents. If the potash is given in the form of muriate (chloride), multiply the per cent, of muriate (chloride) by .63 and the result by the trade value, 45^ cents. Example 1. — A manufacturer's guarantee-analysis is 8 to 10 per cent, of potash as sulphate: 8x«54=4-32 Per cent, of actual potash; 4.32 x 5^2 cents=23.7 cents, the trade value of actual potash as sulphate in 100 pounds of fertilizer. Example 2. — A manufacturer's guarantee-analysis is 6 to 8 per cent, of potash as muriate (chloride) 6 X -63=3.78 per cent, of actual potash; 3.78 X 4 ^2 = 17.0 cents, trade value of actual potash as muriate in 100 pounds of fertilizer. Summary of the methods heretofore used in converting one chemical compound into an equivalent of another chemi- cal compound. (a) To change Nitrogen into an equivalent amount of ammonia, multiply the given amount of Nitrogen by 1.2 14. (b)To convert ammonia into an equivalent amount of Nitrogen, multiply the given amount of ammonia by .8235. (c) To convert a guaranteed per cent, of Nitrate of Soda to an equivalent of Nitrogen multiply the per cent, of Nitrate of Soda by 16.47. (d) To convert a guaranteed per cent, of sulphate of potash to an equivalent of actual potash multiply the per cent, of sulphate by .54. (e) To convert muriate (chloride) of potash to an equivalent amount of actual potash, multiply the per cent, of muriate (chloride) by .63. (/) To convert actual potash to an equivalent per cent, of sulphate of potash, multiply the per cent, of actual potash by 1.85. Food for (^) To convert potash to an equivalent per cent, of mu- Pl*nts riate (chloride) of potash, multiply the per cent, of actual *9* potash by 1.585. We now have the data for estimating the commercial values of fertilizers from the guarantee-analyses as usually published by manufacturers. We may in a few moments cal- culate the comparative commercial values of different trade- brands, and be governed in buying by their actual commer- cial values and by the requirements of our soil and the crops to be grown. Or, if we have an eye to saving from twenty to thirty per cent, by mixing our own fertilizers during the idle winter months, when we can usually buy agricultural chemicals cheaper than at any other season of the year, we can now proceed intelligently and prepare chemical manures containing just such percentages of Nitrogen, phosphoric acid5 and potash, as soil and crop requirements demand. We ascertain the cheapest source of raw materials, esti- mate our wants and buy for cash on guaranteed analyses. Or, better still, by cooperating with several other farmers we pur- chase, at wholesale, sufficient raw materials for our combined use. With a few hoes and shovels, a good-sized ash sieve, and an even barn floor we are ready for work. We proceed to spread the weighed raw Mixing Raw materials in thin layers on the barn floor, Materials. building them layer upon layer to a height convenient for easy manipulation; then intimately mix with hoes by working the piles over from the outward edge inward, pass the mixed materials through the sieve, and having secured an even admixture, store the finished materials away in bags or barrels until needed for use. Examples. — We want a complete high-grade fertilizer for general use, and decide it shall contain from 4 to 5 per cent, of Nitrogen, 8 to 9 per cent, of phosphoric acid, and from 6 to 7 per cent, of potash. In making an approximate estimate of our wants we will take the higher numbers given. Then for one ton we want — Nitrogen 5 per cent, (or 5 pounds in each 100 pounds of fertilizer) y.20=100 pounds, phosphoric acid (available) 9 per cent. X20=i 80 pounds, and potash 7 per cent.X2°=I4° pounds. Trustworthy tables of analyses have, of course, been care- fully consulted before purchasing and our raw materials have been bought upon guaranteed analyses, are of good merchantable quality and are up to the standard of guarantee. We conclude to get our three essential components from a variety of materials and proceed thus: Mater- ial, Nitro- gen, Lbs. Phosphoric Acid, Lbs. Potash, Lbs. Lbs. Avail- able. Insolu- ble. Total. 200 250 IOO Nitrate of Soda Sulphate of ammonia . . Dried blood 3". 5° 51.25 10. 52 9 . 10 47-35 133.60 I. 9I 14.24 2 .40 1.91 61.59 I36.OO 350 800 200 Dissolved bone meal . . . Dissolved bone-black . . Muriate of potash (chlo- ride) . , IO4.92 38.60 IOO Sulphate of potash (high 2,000 Total quantities in 1 ton Per cent, in 1 ton ... . 102.37 5. 11 180.95 9.O4 18.55 .92 199 50 9-97 143 52 7.17 Now let us suppose that out of these same materials we wish to make a fertilizer containing from 1 to 2 per cent, of Nitrogen, 6 to 8 per cent, of phosphoric acid, and from 2 to 3 per cent, of potash. We have four ingredients that supply Nitrogen, namely, Nitrate of Soda, sulphate of ammonia, dried blood, and dissolved bone meal, and they supply it in the three forms of nitric acid, ammonia, and organic Nitro- gen. We want from 20 to 40 pounds of Nitrogen, 120 to 160 pounds of phosphoric acid, and from 40 to 60 pounds of potash. In compounding our formula we will take the higher number for Nitrogen (40 pounds), and will take the Ni- trogen in about equal proportions; that is, 10 pounds of Ni- trogen from each of the four nitrogenous constituents. We begin with Nitrate of Soda, containing 15.65 pounds of Ni- trogen in each 100 pounds of the Nitrate. Now, how many pounds of Nitrate of Soda must we have to get 10 pounds of Nitrogen? It is a very simple calculation; since in 100 pounds there are 15.65 pounds of Nitrogen there must be in 1 pound of Nitrate of Soda the one-hundredth part of 15.65 pounds, or .1565 pounds of Nitrogen. Hence, we must have about 64 pounds of Nitrate of Soda.* * 10,000-^.1565=63.89-1- pounds. Food for Plants 199 Food for Plants We make a similar calculation for sulphate of ammonia, as follows: ioo pounds of sulphate of ammonia contain 20.50 per cent, of Nitrogen. Therefore, 1 pound of sulphate of ammonia contains the one-hundredth part of 20.50, or .2050, and we have 1 0,000 -H. 20 5 0=48. 7 pounds, or we simply take 50 pounds of sulphate of ammonia, which contain 10.25 pounds of Nitrogen. Like calculations for all the raw mate- rials are made, and, after estimating the required quantities for all the constituents, we have : Mater- ial, Nitro- gen. Lbs. Phosphoric Acid, Lbs. Potash, Lbs. Lbs. Avail- able. Insolu- ble Total. 63* 5° IOO 400 515 IOO 45 Nitrate of Soda . . Sulphate of ammonia . . Dried blood Dissolved bone meal . . . Dissolved bone-black Sulphate of potash (high grade) Muriate (chloride) .... IO.OO IO.25 IO.52 IO.4O 54.12 86.OO 16.28 1 -54 1.91 70.40 87.54 38.60 23.60 »»273* Total quantities in 1 ton Per cent, in 1 ton .... 41.17 2.05 I 40 . 12 7 .00 17.82 0.89 159.85 7-99 62 . 20 3. II We have the required percentages of Nitrogen, available phosphoric acid, and potash, but instead of 1 ton of 2,000 pounds we have only 1,273^ pounds of materials. We may add 721^ pounds of land plaster, peat, coal ashes, or loam to make up the ton. This formula illustrates the question often raised by farmers: "Why does the sum of the fertilizing constituents in the analysis of a fertilizer amount to so much less than the total weight of the fertilizer, and what is used by the manu- facturer to make up the difference?" We find that when the percentages of Nitrogen, total phosphoric acid, and potash are added together, the sum of their weights range between 16 and 30 per cent, of the total weight, and that in each ton of fertilizer there is from 70 to 84 per cent, of something Food for else. This great difference is not due to dishonesty on the an s part of manufacturers or dealers in agricultural chemicals. The essential elements are always combined with other sub- stances which often are of no use whatever to growing crops. Thus, in 100 pounds of Nitrate of Soda we have only 15.75 pounds of Nitrogen and 84.25 pounds of sodium, oxygen, and moisture, and so it is with all other constituents of fer- tilizers— the greater part of the weight is made up of moist- ure, dirt, etc. In many States of the Union there is much greater protection against fraud in buying commercial fer- tilizers than in the purchase of food or clothing. But commercial fertilizers or raw materials, for mixing, should never be bought except upon guaranteed analyses, and with strict regard to soil requirements and the character of the crop to be fed. In the above formula we might slightly change the per- centages of fertilizing constituents, and probably get a better crop effect by the change. We might drop out the muriate of potash and reduce the sulphate of potash to 50 pounds, and then substitute 821^ pounds of unleached wood ashes for the sulphate and muriate of potash left out. In the wood ashes there will be 45.21 pounds of potash and 15.20 pounds of phosphoric acid. Our formula would then stand: Mater- Nitro- gen, Lbs. Phosphoric Acid, Lbs. Potash, Lbs. Avail- able. Insolu- ble. Total. Lbs. 63^ 5° IOO 400 515 50 Sulphate of ammonia. . . . Dissolved bone meal .... Dissolved bone-black . . . Sulphate of potash (high IO. CO IO.25 IO. 52 IO.4O 54.12 86.OO 16.28 1.54 I. 91 68.40 87.54 19.30 45.21 821^ Wood-ashes (unleached) 15.20 2,000 Total quantities in I ton . Per cent, in 1 ton ..... 41.17 2.05 I40. I 2 7.00 17.82 0.89 !73.°5 8.65 64.51 3.22 Fo°ffor The Unit System. Plants ' 202 In the wholesale fertilizer trade some raw materials are bought and sold on the "unit system." The unit is 1 per cent., or 20 pounds per ton. Thus a lot of dried blood, containing 10.50 per cent, of Nitrogen, equivalent to 12.75 Per cent- °f ammonia, is said to contain 12 24 units of ammonia, and, quoted at $2.50 per unit, a ton will cost: i2 24x$2-5°=$3I-87//2- A quotation of $1.50 per unit of available phosphoric acid means $1.50 for each 20 pounds contained in the mate- rial quoted. Illustration. — A manufacturer offers dissolved bone black guaranteed to contain 16 units of available phosphoric acid, at $0.70 per unit: i6x$0-70=$i 1.20 per ton. Materials Used in Making Commercial or Chemical Manures. KT. - c . Nitrate of Soda or Chili saltpetre occurs in Nitrate of Soda . . . . ..*;.. , pu-i: vast deposits in the rainless districts on the Sal West coast of South America, chiefly in Chili, from whence it is imported to this country for use in chemical manufacture and in agriculture. As imported into the United States, Nitrate of Soda usually contains from fifteen to sixteen per cent, of Nitrogen. Ni- trate of Soda resembles common salt, with which and sodium sulphate it is often adulterated. This salt is at once available as a direct fertilizer, and being very soluble in water is there- fore liable to be washed from soils. Whenever practicable it should be applied as a top-dressing to growing crops, and if possible the dressings should be given in two or three succes- sive rations. Nitrate of Soda is usually applied at the rate of from 100 to 200 pounds per acre on land previously dressed with farm-yard manure. To secure an even distribution, the Ni- trate should be previously well mixed with from three to five parts of fine loam or sand. Much has been said and written about Nitrate of Soda exhausting the soil. This is all a mistake and is the outcome of incorrect reasoning. Nitrate of Soda does not exhaust soils. It does promote the development of the leafy parts of plants, and its effects are at once noticeable in the deep, rich Food iot green, and vigorous growth of crops. The growth of plants Plants is greatly energized by its use, for the Nitrate in supplying ao3 an abundance of nitrogenous food to plants, imparts to them a thrift and vigor which enables their roots to gather in the shortest time the largest amount of other needed foods from a greater surface of surrounding soil. The thirty-seven to forty per cent, of Soda which Nitrate contains is practically of no use to agricultural plants. In the increased crop obtained by its use there must necessarily be more potash and phosphoric acid than would have been contained in a smaller crop on which the Nitrate of Soda had not been used. The increased consumption of phosphoric acid and potash is due to the in- crease in the weight of the crop. The office of the Nitrate is to convert the raw materials of the soil into a crop ; for we obtain by its use, as Dr. Griffiths has tersely said, "the fullest crop with the greatest amount of profit, with the least damage to the land." On cereals Nitrate of Soda should be used alone or mixed with dry superphos- "ow Used, phate and applied as a top-dressing. On grass lands it may be applied as a top-dressing at the rate of 150 to 200 pounds per acre. Some of our most successful onion growers use Nitrate of Soda at the rate of from 500 to 700 pounds per acre, applying the Nitrate in three successive top-dressings, the last ration being given when the crop is about half grown. From what is known of the fertilizing action of Nitrate of Soda, the following conclusions may be safely drawn, viz. : First. The Nitrate of Soda is, in most cases, a reliable manure for cereals, roots and grasses, increasing the yield over other nitrogenous manures. Second. Many crops grown with Nitrate of Soda ma- ture from one to two weeks earlier than when grown with other nitrogenized manures. Third. The best results are obtained by applying the Nitrate to crops in fractional top-dressings during the active stages of growth. Fourth. Crops grown with Nitrate of Soda generally have a higher feeding value than those grown with other forms of Nitrogen. Food for Fifth. Crops grown with Nitrate of Soda seem to resist P1>ntg the attacks of parasitic organisms better than those grown ao* without its aid. Sixth. Nitrate of Soda does not exhaust the land. Economy in the Purchase of Fertilizers. Home Mixtures. Economy in the purchase of fertilizing materials or of agricultural chemicals depends not only on the price paid per pound or per ton, but also on the relation existing be- tween the price paid and the amounts and forms of the Nitrogen, phosphoric acid, and potash furnished. To illus- trate, we will assume that two fertilizers, both made from the best class of materials, are offered by a manufacturer at thirty dollars and thirty-five dollars per ton. The first is guaranteed to contain three per cent, of Nitrogen, seven per cent, of available phosphoric acid, and three per cent, of potash. The second is guaranteed to contain five per cent, of Nitrogen, ten per cent, of available phosphoric acid, and seven per cent, of potash. We have but to calculate the commercial values of these fertilizers to ascertain their true relation to the prices asked by the manufacturer. By simply multiplying the actual content of Nitrogen, phosphoric acid, and potash by the trade values for these constituents in mixed fertilizers, we find that there is an actual difference of nearly $14 in their com- mercial values, whereas the difference in price made by the manufacturer is only $5. The fertilizer materials in the higher priced fertilizers are about thirty-three per cent, cheaper than those in the lower priced article. As a general rule the more concentrated the form of fer- tilizing materials in commercial fertilizers, or the higher the grade of unmixed raw materials purchased by the farmer for home mixing, the greater will be the saving in actual cost. The higher the grade of materials the less will be the expense for freight, mixing, and spreading upon the land. There are these decided advantages about the mixing of materials at home, viz., each raw material can be sepa- rately examined, and if there is any cause for suspecting in- ferior forms of Nitrogen, phosphoric acid, or potash, samples may be sent to the State Experiment Station for analysis. Food 'or The detection of error or fraud is more certain and much Plants easier in unmixed raw materials than in mixed fertilizers. ao5 Another important advantage of home-mixing is the opportu- nity afforded the intelligent farmer to adapt the composition of a fertilizer to the special soil requirements of his land and to the wants of the crop to be grown. And, lastly, home mix- tures have, as a rule, proved to be much cheaper than ready- made fertilizers. However, the economy of home-mixing should in every instance be determined by actual calculation. Nitrogen, phosphoric acid, and potash, as we have al- ready seen, are necessary for the complete development of farm crops, and are the constituents most likely to be deficient in cultivated soils ;, different crops have different capacities for consuming these plant foods, so that when no increase in crop production follows a rational application of one, two, or all three of these constituents the soil evidently con- tains them in sufficient stores to develop crops to limitations fixed by season and existing climatic conditions. By a care- ful study of the capacities of different crops for using Nitro- gen, phosphoric acid, and potash, we may, within reasonable limits, approximate the quantities, which, under average conditions of crop, soil, and season, should be restored to the land to balance the consumption of growing crops. In using fertilizers, or in special crop feeding, it should be borne in mind that lands in a high state of cultivation generally respond to heavy fertilization with much greater immediate profit than those of ordinary fertility. Home-Mixing. The following formulas, together with the analyses and valuations, are taken from the Twelfth Annual Report of the New Jersey State Agricultural Experiment Stations. They prove most conclusively that farmers can make even mixtures of raw materials which in mechanical condi- tion compare favorably with the best manufactured brands of complete fertilizers, and that the cost of mixing by the manufacturers may be saved without increasing the cost of farm labor. The results also show that in this particular instance there was a total difference of thirty-one per cent, in cost in favor of home-made mixtures. Food for "In making these mixtures two important points were Plants taken into consideration. First, that the value of a complete *°6 fertilizer depends upon the kind and quality of the essential ingredients, Nitrogen, phosphoric acid, and potash contained in it; and second, that the higher the grade of the materials used in making the mixture the less will be the expenses of freight and handling per pound of essential ingredients. "High grade materials were used in the preparation of all of these mixtures, and the different combinations were, as a rule, adopted after a careful study of the plant-food re- quirements of the soil for different crops. "Chemical analyses were made of all the materials used in the mixtures : Formulas. For General Crops: Nitrate of Soda 200 lbs. Dried blood 200 " Ground bone 400 " Superphosphate 1,000 " Sulphate of potash 200 " 2,000 lbs. For Potatoes: I. Nitrate of Soda 100 lbs. Dried blood 200 " Ground fish .... 2co " Ground bone 400 " Superphosphate 800 " High-grade sulphate of potash 300 " 2,000 lbs. II. Nitrate of Soda 250 lbs. Tankage 500 " Bone-black superphosphate 800 " High-grade sulphate of potash 450 " 2,000 lbs. III. Nitrate of Soda 250 lbs. Sulphate of ammonia 400 " Bone-black superphosphate 800 " Double sulphate of potash and magnesia 675 " Land plaster 500 " 2,625 lbs. For Peach Trees: Nitrate of Soda 300 lbs. Dissolved bone 400 " South Carolina rock superphosphate 700 " Muriate of potash 600 " Food for Plants 207 2,000 lbs. "The mechanical condition of these mixtures was all that could be desired; they were fine, dry, and in every respect equal to the best brands of mixed fertilizers on the market in the State." What Was Shown by the Analyses. "The main objects of the analyses were to determine, first, whether farmers using the ordinary tools and labor of the farm could make even mixtures of the materials used, and, second, whether in the cost of actual plant food home mixing presented any advantages over the usual method of buying manufactured fertilizers. "In the following table the actual composition of the different mixtures is compared with the calculated composi- tion of a perfect mixture in each case, the analyses of the raw materials and the weights used in the formulas serving as a basis for the calculation. The estimated commercial value of the mixture is also compared with the estimated value of an even mixture of the materials used. Table of Analyses and Guarantees. Total Total Phosphoric Valuation M M Nitrogen. Acid. Potash. at Station's n Price. -a u -a* -0 z 0 h < h CO 0 c 2 « O -0 3 3 O c u 1 s B c 2 W 3 O -0 c 3 O 0 I 3 6 c 9 B a 3 O 1 3 O u c u 1 3 3 3960 4.01 4.01 13-34 13.69 + °-35 5-43 5.40 — 0.03 #35-7° ^36.34 4002 4-43 4.21 — 0.22 IO.69 11.45 + 0.76 7.65 6.96 — 0.69 33-9^ 37.10 3986 5.12 4.92 — 0.20 7.00 7.20 4-0.20 11. 16 II.29 4-0.13 40.03 40.16 3978 5-55 3.87 + O.32 9-5° 9-57 4-0.07 11.25 II.79 + Q-54 39.19 36.18 4246 459 4.52 O.O7 4-73 5.04 + 0.31 6.86 7.22 4-0.36 32.49 30.92 Food for "The plus, -{-, and minus, — , signs in the difference ^H!5 column, indicate the percentage more or less found by an- 108 alyses than was guaranteed. "There is a very close agreement between the calculated and actual composition of these mixtures; the widest varia- tion is 0.32 per cent, for Nitrogen, 0.76 per cent, for phos- phoric acid, and 0.69 per cent, for potash. In home-made mixtures the value of exactness in composition depends very largely upon the value of the relative proportions of the plant food applied to the soil for the different crops. A pound per acre, more or less, of either Nitrogen, phosphoric acid, or potash would probably not be observed in the results secured from their use. Taking the widest variation in the above mixture it would require 313 pounds to make a difference of one pound in the Nitrogen, 133 pounds in the phosphoric acid, and 145 pounds in the potash. The mixtures do con- tain practically the amount and proportion of plant food that they were intended to furnish, and, therefore, show that farmers are able to make even mixtures of such raw materials as the market affords. "A comparison of the commercial value per ton of the materials used with that of an actual mixture also confirms the results of analyses, the average difference between the two values being but thirteen cents per ton. This is a severe test, since in three cases out of the five the three forms of the ex- pensive element Nitrogen were used, each of which has a dif- ferent commercial value, and also because in three mixtures ground bone or tankage was used, materials which in them- selves are valued in a different manner than when they are used in a mixed fertilizer. Valuation. "In Nos. 3960 and 4002 the cost of raw materials in- cluded freight charges to point of consumption; in the others the average cost of freight was $1.00 per ton. The cost of mixing was variously estimated, ranging from 50 cents to $1.50 per ton. In the table showing cost and value of the mixtures $1.00 per ton has been assumed as the average cost of mixing. Station Number. 396o Cost per ton '$29 . 06 Freight and mixing .... 1 .00 Total cost per ton 30.06 Station's value 35-7° Value exceeds cost .... 5-64 [30.60 1 .00 31.60 33-92 2.32 3986 $36.76 2.00 38.76 40.03 1 .27 3978 $33 -°° 2 .00 35.00 39-IQ 4.19 4246 !z7-74 2.00 29.74 3z-49 2.75 4207 $30.10 2.00 32 . 10 3345 i-35 "The average value per ton of these mixtures is $2.92, or 8.9 per cent, greater than their cost at point of consumption. This sum, while worthy of careful consideration by the farmers, by no means represents the actual saving in the cost of plant food that this method of buying offers over the usual haphazard method of buying on credit from small dealers and without regard to the source of materials used or reliability of the manufacturer. The following results shown by study of the analyses of complete fertilizers, made in 1890, clearly illustrate this point, viz., that the value per ton of the average of over 200 brands of com- plete fertilizers was $28.37 and the average selling price $34.64, a difference of $6.27 per ton, or a cost of 22.1 per cent, greater than the value; this added to the 8.9 per cent, would make a total difference in favor of home mixtures of 3 1 per cent. ; in other words, an amount of plant food in a mixture that would cost on the average $100 when bought in the form of raw materials and mixed at home would, on the average, cost $131 when bought in the usual manner in the form of manufactured brands. "The best forms of fertilizing materials are used in the preparation of these formulas, as they will probably be found to be the cheapest in the majority of cases. These are, as a rule, in good mechanical condition, and can be bought direct from the leading dealers or manufacturers, and should in all cases be accompanied by a guaranteed composition. It is important that the materials should be evenly mixed. This can be easily done by forming on the barn floor or other dry and level place, a series of layers of the different materials, and working the heap over from the edge outward, breaking all the lumps in the process; a few turnings will suffice to 20 9 Food for answer the purpose. Screening is also advisable if suitable P1*nt> apparatus is at hand. It is not claimed that the buying of 2,0 raw materials and mixing at home is the best and cheapest method of getting fertilizers under all conditions; however, the important point in favor of the system will bear repeat- ing, viz. : "1. That a definite knowledge of the quality of the ma- terials is secured ; and "2. That where farmers know what they want, and unite in purchasing car lots, there is a decided saving in the cost of plant food." The elaborate investigations of the New Jersey Experi- ment Station plainly indicate that there is a decided saving in the cost of plant food by buying the unmixed raw materials and mixing them at home. Farmers and farmers' clubs should give the method a practical trial. They will have the ready co-operation of their State experiment stations in so far as it may be neces- sary to test by analyses the materials to be used. A matter of paramount importance in purchasing raw materials for home mixture is to take advantage of market fluctuations in laying in a season's supply. Marked varia- tions in cost occur, and a saving of from 10 to 20 per cent, is often the result of buying early in the year before the spring work has fully begun, and there is no better time for mixing than during the idle winter months. Two Good Home Mixtures. I. Mixture for General Use. (Connecticut Experiment Station.) Dissolved bone-black 834 lbs. Tankage 666 ■ Sulphate of ammonia 208 " Muriate of potash 292 " 2,000 lbs. II. Mixture for General Use. (Connecticut Experiment Station.) Tankage 450 lbs. Sulphate of ammonia 170 " Dissolved bone-black 1,000 " Muriate of potash 280 *' Bone (meal) 100 " 2,000 lbs. "The actual cost in many, if not all, of these cases has Food for • . Plants been very considerably reduced by special rates which are given where a number of farmers give a cash order for a car lot or more. "The average cost of materials in these home-mixed fertilizers has been thirty-four dollars and twenty-three cents per ton delivered at the purchaser's freight station. Two dollars will fully cover the cost of screening and mixing. (From a dollar to a dollar and a half is the estimate of those who have done the work.) The average valuation has been thirty-four dollars and eighty-five cents per ton. On the basis of these figures the average difference between cost and valua- tion has been less than six per cent. In factory-mixed goods it has averaged in round numbers eighteen per cent. "There is no longer any question as to the expediency of home-mixing in many cases. From such raw materials as are in our markets, without the aid of milling machinery, mixtures can be and are annually made on the farm which are uniform in quality, fine and dry, and equal in all respects to the best ready made fertilizers." Amounts of Manure Produced by Farm Animals. From Bulletin 27, Cornell University Agricultural Experiment Station. In the experiment with cows, eighteen r Jersey and Holstein grades in milk were kept in their places during the whole twenty-four hours, and the manure carefully collected as it was excreted, and a sufficient quantity of bedding and absorbents of known com- position and weight were used to make the collection com- plete. The cows consumed 114 pounds of hay, 893 pounds of ensilage, 186 pounds of beets, and 154 pounds of a mixture of 12 parts wheat bran, 9 parts cotton-seed meal, 3 parts corn meal, and 1 part malt sprouts. The other details of the experiment are shown in the table : Food for Plants Weight of cows, pounds . Food consumed, pounds. . Water drunk, pounds. . . . Total excretion, pounds . . Nitrogen, pounds Phosphoric acid, pounds . Potash, pounds Value of Nitrogen Value of phosphoric acid , Value of potash , Total value Eighteen Average Cows for Per Cow One Day. Per Day. 20,380 1,132 i>347 75 876 49 1,452.5 81 7-35 .41 5.01 .28 7.40 .41 $1.10 $0.06 •35 .02 •33 .02 1.78 .10 Composition of the mixed excrement : Nitrogen 51 per rent. Phosphoric acid 35 " Potash 5« " Value per ton $2.46 A few days later a second trial was made with four of the same cows and the solid and liquid excrement carefully collected and analyzed separately. The conditions of food, water, etc., were almost identical. First Trial. Second Trial. Average weight, lbs 1.132 M7& Average food eaten, " 75 76 Average water drunk, " 49 40 Average total excrement voided, " 81 82 The four animals yielded in twenty-four hours 255 pounds of solid and 72.25 pounds of liquid excrement, which had the following composition: Solid, Liquid, Mixed, Per Cent. Per Cent Per Cent. Nitrogen 26 1.32 .49 Phosphoric acid 28 .... .22 Potash 20 1.00 .38 Value per ton $2.08 The average of the two trials shows that well-fed cows, yielding milk heavily, may be counted upon to return nearly ten cents' worth of valuable fertilizing materials per day, and the last trial shows that the liquid excrement is of equal value Food for with the solid. Plants The determination of the amount of 2I3 excrement was made by carefully collecting Horses, the manure made by the ten horses in the University barn dur- ing the time they were in the stable, for a period of eleven days, including one Sunday. During this time the bedding used was also weighed and separately analyzed. The horses were mostly grade draft horses of about 1,400 pounds weight, doing heavy work and liberally fed on oats and hay. Dur- ing the eleven days of the experiment 3,461 pounds of clear excrement of the following percentage composition was voided: Nitrogen 47 per cent. Phosphoric acid 39 " Potash 94 " Value per ton $2.79 The amount and value of the fertilizing materials would, therefore, be: 10 Horses Average per for ii Days. Horse per Day. Nitrogen, pounds 16.27 -'5 Phosphoric acid, pounds *3-5o .12 Potash, pounds 32.53 .30 Nitrogen, value $2.44 $0.02 Phosphoric acid, value 81 , .01 Potash, value 146 .01 Total $4.71 .043 The horses, therefore, returned in the manure during the time that they were in the stable rather more than four cents each per day, in about thirty-two pounds of excrement. For this trial, tight galvanized iron pans, covering the whole surface of the pen, aneep. were used; the sheep were kept continuously upon them, and enough weighed straw bedding of known composition was used to keep them dry and clean. The sheep were grade Shropshires, of medium size, and were fed on grain, beets, and hay. The experiment lasted for thirty-three and two- thirds days with three sheep, during which time 923 pounds Food for 0f clear excrement of the following percentage composition Plants were obtained: ai4 Nitrogen i.oo per cent. Phosphoric acid 08 " Potash 1.21 " Value per ton $4-19 The other details of the experiment were as follows : 3 Sheep for Average per 33 2-3 Days. Sheep per Day. Weight of sheep 426 142 Food consumed 536 5.3 Water drunk 765 7.5 Total excrement 723 7.2 Nitrogen, pounds 7.21 .071 Phosphoric acid, pounds .60 .005 Potash, pounds 8.74 .086 Nitrogen, value $1.08 $0.01 Phosphoric acid, value .04 .0004 Potash .39 .004 Total value $1.51 $0,015 The most striking thing in regard to the sheep manure is the extremely low percentage of phosphoric acid. It will be noted that we obtained, in valuable fertilizing materials, about one and one-half cents' worth per sheep per day. The determinations of the amount of manure produced by swine were made in the same general way as the sheep, i.e., by keeping the swine continuously upon tight gal- vanized iron pans and weighing and analyzing the bedding separately. Two determinations were made with two lots of swine fed on different rations; one lot, known as the carbonaceous lot, was fed nothing but corn meal; the other lot, known as the nitrogenous lot, was fed a ration of two parts corn meal and one part flesh meal. It will be noted that the excrement differed very materially both in amount and quality, as is shown by the following analysis: Nitrogenous, Carbonaceous, Average, Per Cent Per Cent Per Cent. Nitrogen 92 .74 .83 Phosphoric acid 06 .01 .04 Potash 64 .58 .61 Value per ton $3.41 $2.94 $3.18 Other Details of the Experiment. Weight of swine Food consumed Total excrement Nitrogen Phosphoric acid, pounds. . Potash, pounds Nitrogen, value Phosphoric acid, value Potash, value Total value NlTROCEN- OUS. Four Pigs in Seven Days. 600. 122. I46. 1-3+ .09 •93 $0.20 .006 .04 •25 Carbona- ceous. Four Pigs in Seven Days. 426. 78- 48. •36 .007 .28 #0.05 .005 .OI .07 Average. Four Pigs in Seven Days. 5«3 100 97 85 05 61 *3 005 °3 16 Per Pig Per Day. 128. 36 3-5 °3 .002 .02 $0,005 .001 .006 Food for Plants 215 Summary. Horse* Horsef Cows. . Sheep. Swine. Value Per Ton. 52.79 2.27 4.19 3.18 Value Per Animal Per Day. $0,044 •073 •093 .015 .006 Value Per Thousand Pounds Live Weight Per Day. So. 031 .052 .082 .106 .047 Value Per Thousand Pounds Live Weight Per Year. 5". 47 19.12 29.82 38.55 17. II Analyses of Commercial Fertilizing Materials. Name of Substance. 3 B "0 c p O G s O Phosphoric Acid. Avail- able. Insolu- ble. Total. /. Pbospbatic Manures* Apatite 16.70 0.30 36.08 35-8.9 28.28 Bone ash 7.00 4.60 Bone-black Bone-black (dissolved) 17.00 * Manure voided while at work not included. t Total excrement calculated on the basis that three-fifths was collected in the stable. Food for Plants 2l6 Analyses of Commercial Fertilizing Materials. Continued. Name of Substance. /. Phosphatic Manures. — Continued. Bone meal Bone meal (free from fat) . . . Bone meal (from glue factory) Bone meal (dissolved) S. Carolina rock (ground) . . . S. Carolina rock (floats) S. Carolina rock (dissolved) . . 77. Potash Manures. Carnallite Cotton-seed hull ashes Kainit Krugite Muriate of potash Nitrate of potash Spent tan-bark ashes Sulph. potash (high grade) . . . Sulph. potash and magnesia . . Sylvinite Waste from gunpowder works Wood-ashes (unleached) Wood-ashes (leached) 7-47 5o ///. Nitrogenous Manures. Castor pomace Cotton-seed meal. . . Dried blood Dried fish , Horn and hoof waste Lobster shells Meat scrap 20 82 00 93 3' 4-75 7.25 2-75 I 2. OO 9.98 6.80 12. 50 12.75 IO. 17 7.27 I2.09 4.12 6.20 1 .70 2 .60 13 09 2-43 56 66 10. 52 725 13.25 4.50 10.44 1 13.68 23 .80 '3-54 8.42 52.46 4S»9 2 .04 38 60 2350 16.65 18.00 5.50 1 . 10 12 62 45 PHosmotic Acid. Avail- able. 8.28 "3 53 0.60 1 1 .60 05 Insolu- ble. 15 60 Total. 23.50 20. IO 29.90 17.60 28.03 27.20 15.20 5° 6l 85 40 2. l6 ••45 1. 91 8.25 1.83 3 52 2 .07 Analyses of Commercial Fertilizing Materials. Continued. Food for Plants 217 Name of Substance. ///. Nitrogenous Manures. Continued. Malt sprouts Nitrate of Soda Nitre-cake Oleomargarine refuse Sulphate of ammonia. . ." Tankage Tobacco stems Wool waste IV. Miscellaneous Materials. Ashes (anthracite coal) Ashes (bituminous coal). . . . Ashes (corn-cob) Ashes (lime-kiln) Ashes (peat and bog) Gas lime Marls (Maryland) Marls (Massachusetts) Marls (North Carolina). . . . Marls (Virginia) Muck (fresh) Muck (air-dry) Mud (fresh water) Mud (from sea-meadows). . . Peat Pine straw (dead leaves or pine needles) Shells (mollusks) Shells (crustacea) Shell lime (oyster shell) Soot Spent tan Spent sumach Sugar-house scum Turf. 7.40 1.25 6.00 8-54 1. 00 13.20 10.61 9.27 15-45 5.20 4.40 i-73 18.18 1.50 15.98 76.20 21.40 40.37 53-5° 61.50 7.80 19.50 5-54 14.00 30.80 50.20 19.29 4.04 15.65 2.30 12.12 20.50 6.82 2.29 5.64 0.30 0.30 1.30 i-37 0.20 0-75 0.30 0.10 6.20 0.20 1. 00 2.10 1.94 20 40 o. 10 0.40 •3-20 0.86 0.70 1.25 0.04 0.49 0.22 0.20 0.10 0.04 0.20 0.04 1.83 0.10 0.30 Phosphoric Acid. Avail- able. 02 Insolu- ble. 23 Total. I 70 25 60 29 O.IO 0.40 i'.il 0.50 0.38 1.05 0.56 0.09 0.26 0.10 0.20 0.03 2.30 0.20 O.O4 O.IO Food for Plants Ml Analyses of Farm Manures. Taken Chiefly from Reports of the New York, Massachusetts and Connecticut Experiment Stations. Name of Substance. Cattle (solid fresh excrement) Cattle (fresh urine) Hen manure (fresh) Horse (solid fresh excrement). Horse (fresh urine) Human excrement (solid) Human urine Poudrette (night soil) Sheep (solid fresh excrement). Sheep (fresh urine) Stable manure (mixed) Swine (solid fresh excrement). Swine (fresh urine) Moisture. Nitrogen. Potash. 0.29 O.IO 0.58 0.49 I.63 0.85 O.44 0 35 i-55 1.50 77.20 1 .00 0.25 95.90 0.60 0.20 0.80 0.30 o-55 0.15 1.95 2.26 73 -27 0.50 0.60 0.60 0.13 0.43 0.83 Phosphoric Acid. O.17 1-54 0.17 1 .09 0.17 1.40 O.31 0.01 0.30 0.41 0.07 Analyses of Fertilizing Materials in Farm Products. Analyses of Hay and Dry Coarse Fodders. Name of Substance. //. Hay and Dry Coarse Fodders. Blue melilot Buttercups Carrot tops (dry) Clover (alsike) Clover (Bokhara) Clover (mammoth red) Clover (medium red) Clover (white) Corn fodder Corn stover Cow-pea vines Daisy (white) Daisy (ox-eye).- Hungarian grass Italian rye-grass June grass Lucern (alfalfa) Moisture. 8.22 9.70 9-93 6.36 11. 41 10.72 28.24 9.00 9.65 7'5 8.29 6.26 Nitrogen. 1 .92 1 .02 3l3 2-33 "77 2.23 2.09 2-75 1.80 1. 12 1 .64 0.28 0.80 1. 16 1. 15 1.05 2.07 Potash. 2.8o O.81 4.88 2.01 I.67 1.22 2.20 I. 8l O.76 32 91 25 23 28 99 1.46 1.46 Phosphoric Acid. O.54 O.41 O.61 O.70 0.44 0.55 0.44 0.52 0.51 0.30 o-53 0.44 0.27 °-35 o-55 o-37 o-53 Analyses of Fertilizing Materials in Farm Products. Continued. Name of Substance. II. Hay and Dry Coarse Fodders — Continued Meadow fescue Meadow foxtail Mixed grasses Orchard grass Perennial rye-grass Red-top Rowen Salt hay Serradella Soja bean Tall meadow oat Timothy hay Vetch and oats Yellow trefoil 7/7. Green Fodders. Buckwheat Clover (red) Clover (white) Corn fodder Corn fodder (ensilage) Cow-pea vines Horse bean Lucern (alfalfa) Meadow grass (in flower) Millet Oats (green) Peas Prickly comfrev Rye grass Serradella Sorghum ; Spanish moss Vetch and oats White lupine Young grass IV. Straw, Chaff, Leaves, etc. Barley chaff Barely straw Bean shells Moisture. 9-79 11.26 8.84 9.13 7.71 12.48 536 7-39 6.30 7-52 11.98 82.60 80.00 81.00 72.64 71 .60 78.81 74-7i 75-3° 70.00 62. 58 8336 81.50 70.00 82.59 60.80 86.11 85-35 80.00 13.08 1325 18.50 Nitrogen, O.94 i-54 i-37 l-3l 1.23 1. 15 i-75 1. 18 2.70 2.32 1. 16 1.26 i-37 2.14 0.51 o-53 56 56 36 27 68 72 44 61 49 o o o o o o o o o 0.50 0.42 o-57 0.41 0.40 0.28 0.24 0.44 0.50 1 .01 0.72 1:48 Potash. 2.01 2.19 1-54 1.88 1 -'55 1 .02 1.97 0.72 0.65 1.08 1.72 i-53 0.90 0.98 o-43 0.46 0.24 0.62 o-33 0.31 "•37 0.45 0.60 0.41 0.38 o o o o o o o I I 56 75 53 42 32 26 79 73 16 0.99 1. 16 1.38 Food for Plants 219 Phosphoric Acid. o.34 0.44 °-35 0.41 0.56 0.36 0.46 0.25 0.78 0.67 0.32 0.46 o-53 o-43 o.ir 0.13 0.20 0.28 0.14 0.98 o.33 0.15 0.15 o. 19 0.13 0.18 O. II 0.17 o. 14 0.08 0.30 0.09 o-35 0.22 0.27 0.15 o-55 Food for Plants Analyses of Fertilizing Materials in Farm Products. Continued. Name of Substance. IV. Straw, Chaff, Leaves, etc. Continued. Beech leaves (autumn) Buckwheat straw Cabbage leaves (air-dried) Cabbage stalks (air-dried) Carrots (stalks and leaves) Corn cobs Corn hulls Hops Oak leaves Oat chaff Oat straw Pea shells Pea straw (cut in bloom) Pea straw (ripe) Potato stalks and leaves Rye straw Sugar-beet stalks and leaves Turnip stalks and leaves Wheat chaff (spring) Wheat chaff (winter) Wheat straw (spring) Wheat straw (winter) V . Roots, Tubers, etc. Beets (red) Beets (sugar) Beets (yellow fodder) Carrots Mangolds Potatoes Ruta bagas Turnips VI. Grains and Seeds. Barley Beans Buckwheat Corn kernels Corn kernels and cobs (cob meal) Hemp seed Linseed Lupines Moisture. 15.00 16.00 14.60 16.80 80.80 12.09 11.50 II.07 15.00 H-3° 28.70 16.65 77.00 15.40 02.65 89.80 14.80 10.56 15.00 10.36 87 73 84.65 90.60 90.02 87.29 79-75 87.82 87.20 15.42 14.10 10.88 10.00 12.20 11.80 13.80 Nitrogen 0.80 I.30 0.24 0.18 O.51 0.50 0.23 2-53 0.80 0.64 0.29 1.36 2.29 1 .04 0.49 0.24 o-35 o 30 0.91 1. 01 0.54 o 82 0.24 0.25 0.19 0.14 0.19 0.21 0.21 0.22 2.06 4.10 1-44 1.82 1.46 2.62 3.20 5-52 Potash. O.30 2.41 I 71 3-49 o-37 0.60 0.24 '-99 0.15 1.04 0.88 1-38 2.32 1. 01 0.07 0.76 o. 16 0.24 0.42 0.14 0.44 0.32 0.44 0.29 0.46 0.54 0.38 0.29 0.50 0.41 o-73 1 .20 0.21 0.40 0.44 0.97 1.04 1. 14 Analyses of Fertilizing Materials in Farm Products. Food f<>r Continued. Plants Name of Substance. VI. Grains and Seeds. — Continued. Millet Oats Peas Rye Soi'a beans Sorghum Wheat (spring) Wheat (winter) VII. Flour and Meal. Corn meal Ground barley Hominy feed Pea meal Rye flour Wheat flour VIII. By-products and Refuse. . Apple pomace Cotton hulls ". Cotton-seed meal Glucose refuse Gluten meal Hop refuse Linseed cake (new process). . . . Linseed cake (old process) Malt sprouts Oat bran Rye middlings Spent brewer's grains (dry). . . . Spent brewer's grains (wet). . . . Wheat bran Wheat middlings IX. Dairy Products. Milk Cream Skim-milk Butter Butter-milk Cheese (from unskimmed milk). Cheese(from half-skimmed milk) Cheese (from skimmed milk).. . Moisture 13.00 20.80 19.10 14.90 18.83 14.00 H-75 15-40 .52 •43 •93 •85 .20 ■83 80.50 10.63 8.10 8-53 8.98 6.12 7-79 10.28 8.19 12.54 6.98 75-oi 11. 01 9.18 87.20 68.80 90.20 13.60 90.10 38.00 39.80 46.00 Nitrogen. 2.40 i-75 26 76 30 48 2.36 2.83 2.05 1 55 1.63 3.08 1.68 2.21 0.23 0.75 6.52 2.62 5-43 0.98 5-40 6.02 2.25 1.84 305 0.89 2.88 2.63 0.58 058 0.58 0.12 0.64 4.05 4-75 5-45 Potash. O.47 O.41 I.23 0.54 I.99 0.42 0.61 O.50 0.44 0-34 O.49 O.99 O.65 0-54 13 08 89 *5 05 11 16 16 60 0.66 0.81 i-55 0.05 1 .62 0.63 o. 17 0.09 0.19 0.09 0.29 0.29 0.20 Phosphoric Acid. 0.91 0.48 I.26 O.82 I.87 0.81 0.89 0.68 0.71 0.66 0.98 0.82 0.85 o-57 02 18 78 29 43 20 42 65 40 11 26 26 3i 87 95 0.30 0.15 0-34 0.15 0.80 0.80 0.80 Food for Hants Analyses of Fertilizing Materials in Farm Products. Continued. Name of Substance. X. Flesh of Farm Animals. Beef Calf (whole animal) Ox Pig Sheep XI. Gardtn Products. Asparagus Cabbage Cucumbers Lettuce Onions Moisture. Nitrogen. Potash. 77.OO 3.60 O.52 66.20 2.50 0.24 59.70 2.66 O.17 52.80 2.00 0.90 59.10 2.24 015 O.32 O.I2 O.3O 0-43 0.l6 O.24 0.20 0.25 0.27 O.25 Phosphoric Acid. 0.43 I.38 1.86 0.44 1.23 0.09 0.11 0.12 0.11 0.13 Table Showing the Number of Pounds of Nitrogen, Phos- phoric Acid, and Potash Withdrawn Per Acre by an Average Crop. (From New York, New Jersey and Connecticut Experiment Stations' Reports.) Name of Crop. Barley Buckwheat : Cabbage (white) Cauliflower Cattle turnips Carrots Clover, green (trifolium pratense). . . . Clover (trifolium pratense) Clover, scarlet (trifolium incarnatum). Clover (trifolium repens) Cow pea Corn Corn fodder (green) Cotton Cucumbers Esparsette Hops Hemp Lettuce Lucern • Lupine, green (for fodder) Lupine, yellow (lupinus luteus) Meadow hay Nitrogen. 78 63 213 202 187 166 171 37 95 89 254 146 122 no 142 239 200 41 289 219 80 166 Phosphoric Acid. 35 40 125 76 74 65 46 18 17 29 64 69 66 32 94 36 54 34 17 65 46 37 53 Potash. 62 17 5H 265 426 190 154 29 57 58 169 174 236 35 »93 I03 127 54 72 181 63 155 201 -Table Showing the Number of Pounds of Nitrogen, Phos- Food for phoric Acid, and Potash Withdrawn Per Acre Plants by an Average Crop. "3 Continued. Name of Crop. Oats Onions Peas (pisuni sativum) PoPP}' Potatoes Rape Rice Rye Seradella Soja bean Sugar cane Sorghum (sorghum saccharatum) Sugar beet (beet-root) Tobacco Vetch (visia sativa). Wheat Nitrosen. 89 96 153 87 119 154 39 87 128 297 518 446 95 127 149 in Phosphoric Acid. 35 49 39 3° 55 79 24 44 57 62 37 90 44 32 35 45 Potash. 96 96 69 87 192 124 45 76 196 87 107 561 200 148 "3 58 Fertilizer Experiments on Meadow Land. (Kentucky Agricultural Experiment Station Bulletin, No. 23, February, 1890.) On low and decidedly wet land: English Blue Grass. Fertilizers Used Per Acre. Sulphate of potash Muriate of potash. . . . Nitrate of Soda Sulphate of ammonia. . No fertilizer Stable manure Tobacco stems Amount Per Acre in Pounds. 160 160 160 !3° 20 loads. 4,000 Yield of Hay in Pounds Per Acre. 3,000 2,950 3,100 3,600 2,850 2,970 4,700 Food for Plants Fertilizer Experiments on Meadow Land. — Continued. Timothy. Kind of Fertilizer Used. Sulphate of potash. . . Muriate of potash. . . Nitrate of Soda Sulphate of ammonia No fertilizer Stable manure Tobacco stems Amount Per Acre in Pounds. 160 160 160 130 20 loads. 4,000 Yield of Hay in Pounds Per Acre. 1,900 2,320 2,670 2,520 1,620 2,200 3.35° Time Required for the Complete Exhaustion of Available Fertilizing Materials and the Amounts of Each Remain- ing in the Soil During a Period of Seven Years. (From Scottish Estimates.) ON UNCULTIVATED CLAY LOAM. Kind of Fertilizer. Exhausted Per cent, remaining in the soil unex- (in years), hausted at the end of each year. 1 2 3 4 5 & 7 Lime 12 80 65 55 45 35 25 20 Bone meal 5 60 30 20 10 00 00 00 Phosphatic guanos 5 50 30 20 10 00 00 00 Dissolved bones and plain superphos- phates 4 20 10 5 00 00 00 00 High grade ammoniated fertilizers, guano, etc 3 30 20 00 00 00 00 00 Cotton-seed meal 5 40 30 20 10 00 00 00 Barn-yard manure 5 60 30 20 10 00 00 00 ON UNCULTIVATED LIGHT OR MEDIUM SOILS. Lime 10 75 60 40 30 20 15 Bone meal 4 60 30 10 00 00 00 Phosphatic guanos 4 50 20 10 00 00 00 Dissolved bones and plain super-phos- phates 3 20 10 5 00 00 00 00 High grade ammoniates, guanos 3 30 20 00 00 00 00 00 Cotton-seed meal 4 40 30 20 10 00 00 00 Barn-yard manure 4 60 30 10 00 00 00 00 ON UNCULTIVATED PASTURE LAND. Lime 15 80 70 60 50 45 40 35 Bone meal 7 60 50 40 30 20 10 00 Phosphatic guano 6 50 40 30 20 10 00 80 Dissolved bone, etc 4 30 20 10 00 00 00 00 High grade ammoniated guanos 4 30 20 10 00 00 00 00 Cotton-seed meal 5 40 30 20 10 00 00 00 Barn-yard manure 7 60 50 40 30 20 10 00 The figures given above are always used in fixing the Food 'or price for new tenants. In this country no such careful esti- Plants mates have been made, but the proportions probably vary 22s but little from those in other countries. Amounts of Nitrogen, Phosphoric Acid, and Potash Found Profitable for Different Crops Under Average Conditions Per Acre. (Taken Chiefly from New Jersey Experiment Station's Reports.) Phosphoric Nitrogen, Acid, Potash, Pounds. Pounds. Pounds. Wheat, rye, oats, corn 16 40 30 Potatoes and root crops 20 25 40 Clover, beans, peas and other leguminous crops . . 40 60 Fruit trees and small fruits 25 40 75 General garden produce 30 40 60 Rotation on Crops. In the changed conditions of agriculture elaborate sys- tems of crop rotation are no longer necessary. With the help of chemical manures and the judicious use of renovating crops farmers are no longer subject to rigid rule, but may adapt rotations to the varying demands of local market condi- tions. Some American Rotations. 1. Potatoes. 2. Wheat. 3. Clover. 4. Clover. 5. Wheat, oats or rye. 1. Roots. 2. Wheat. 3. Clover. 4. Clover. 5. Corn, oats or rye. 1. Potatoes. 2. Wheat. 3. Grass, timothy and clover. 4. Grass, timothy and clover. 5. Corn. 1. Roots. 2. Wheat. 3. Clover. 4. Clover. 5. Wheat. 6. Oats. 226 Food for RESULTS IN NEW YORK. Plants The general practice among farmers is to buy complete medium or low-grade fertilizers in preference to high-grade fertilizers. In high-grade goods, the cost of plant-food is considerably less than in fertilizers of lower grade. Available phosphoric acid is cheapest in the form of dissolved rock (acid phosphate). Bone-meal furnishes a cheap source of phosphoric acid in less available form. Ni- trate of Soda is one of the cheapest sources of Nitrogen, while bone is another. Nitrogen in the form of dried blood is rather high. Potash in the form of muriate is the cheapest source of potash. In mixtures of fertilizing mate- rials, whether complete or incomplete, the plant-food usually costs more than in unmixed materials. When purchasing mixed fertilizers, farmers are advised to purchase only high-grade goods, and then to make a com- mercial valuation to compare with the selling price. Even in high-grade goods, the selling price should not exceed the com- mercial valuation by more than $$. For greatest economy, farmers are advised to purchase unmixed materials and do their own mixing; or, in the cast of clubs, several farmers can purchase their unmixed materials and hire a fertilizer manufacturer to do the mixing for them. The following data, taken from the last U. S. Census Report, are of interest in this connection as indicating in what portions of the State the largest amount of money is expended for commercial fertilizers : Long Island (Counties of Nassau, Queens and Suffolk) . . . .$1,241,280 Monroe County 214,000 Erie County 186,370 Cayuga County 131,260 Oneida County 112,630 Onondaga, Ontario, Wayne, Ulster, Chautauqua, each from $102,000 to 110,000 These twelve counties use about one-half of the com- mercial fertilizers used in the entire State. Composition of Fertilizers in Different Classes. If we compare our four different classes of complete fertilizers in respect to the average amounts of Nitrogen, available phosphoric acid and potash contained in them, we Food toT have the following table : PUnts Composition of Different Grades of Fertilizers. 227 Class of Fertilizers. Low-grade Medium-grade . . . Medium high-grade High-grade In 100 Pounds of Fertilizer. Pounds of Nitrogen. 1.22 1.70 2.47 4.00 Pounds of Available Phosphoric Acid. 8.18 9. 10 8.82 8.36 Pound* of Potash. 2.60 3.48 6.02 7.22 Pounds of Total Plant-food. 12.00 14.28 17-37 19.60 In the fourth column, under the heading "pounds of total plant-food," we give the sum of the Nitrogen, available phosphoric acid and potash. We notice the following points in connection with this table : 1. The percentage of phosphoric acid does not vary greatly in the different classes of fertilizers. 2. The percentage of Nitrogen and of potash increases in the higher grades. 3. The total amount of plant-food in 100 pounds of fer- tilizer increases in the higher grades, this increase being due to increase of Nitrogen and potash. 4. Representing the amount of Nitrogen in each grade of fertilizer as 1, we have the following proportions of avail- able phosphoric acid and potash in the different grades : Composition of Different Grades of Fertilizers. Low-grade Medium-grade. Medium high-grade High-grade , Available Nitrogen. Phosphoric Acid. 1 7 1 5-5 1 3-5 1 2 Potash. 2 2 2-5 1.8 Food for Plants 228 Cost of One Pound of Plant-Food in Different Grades of Fertilizers. Cost of one pound of Nitrogen. Lowest , Highest Average , Cost of one pound of Available Phosphoric Acid. Lowest Highest , Average , Cost of one pound of Potash. Lowest Highest Average Low Grade. Medium Grade. Medium High- Grade. Cents. 20 36.8 26.3 6.1 1 1.1 8.0 5-2 9-5 6.8 Cents. 17.9 28.3 23.2 5-4 8.6 7.0 4.6 7-3 6.0 Cents. 17 26 21 5' 8.1 6.4 4.4 6.9 5-4 High Grade Cents. "3-3 26.0 19.6 4.25 7-9 6.0 3-4 6.7 5.0 From these data, we readily see the truth of the follow- ing statements: 1. The cost of one pound of plant-food, whether Nitro- gen, phosphoric acid or potash, is greatest in low-grade and least in high-grade, fertilizers. One purchaser of low-grade goods paid 36.8 cents a pound for Nitrogen, while the highest price paid in high-grade goods was 26 cents, which is less than the average paid for Nitrogen in low-grade goods. The least amount paid for one pound of Nitrogen in low-grade goods was 20 cents, in high-grade goods 13.3 cents. Similar relations hold good in respect to the other elements of plant- food. 2. In general, the higher the grade of goods, the lower the cost of each pound of plant-food. Tabulated General Summary. In the table following, we give a general summary of the data that have been presented, showing the cost of one pound of plant-food in different forms to consumers: Cost of One Pound of Plant-Food to Consumers. Nitrogen in Low-grade complete fertilizers Medium-grade complete fertilizers Medium high-grade complete fertilizers . . . High-grade complete fertilizers Dried blood Bone-meal Nitrate of Soda Phosphoric Acid in Low-grade complete fertilizers Medium-grade complete fertilizers Medium high-grade complete fertilizers . . . High-grade complete fertilizers Phosphoric acid and potash mixtures Acid phosphate or dissolved rock Bone (total) Potash in Low-grade complete fertilizers Medium-grade complete fertilizers Medium high-grade complete fertilizers . . . High-grade complete fertilizers Phosphoric acid and potash mixtures Muriate of potash Lowest. Cents. 20 17.9 17 »3-3 14.8 II. 5 l3 5.2 4.6 4.4 3-4 3-7 4.4 Highest. Cents. 36.8 28.3 26 26 22.9 32 15 1 1.1 8.6 8.1 7-9 19.5 1 1.0 8.6 9-5 7-3 6.9 6.7 16.5 4.9 Average. Food for Plants 229 Cents. 26.3 23.2 21 19.6 18.5 14.9 13-9 8.0 7.0 6.4 6.0 6.6 5-1 3-96 6.8 6.0 5-4 5.0 5.6 4.6 Plants can take up Nitrogen only in the form of Nitrates — that is, in combination with alkaline base, such as lime or sodium. The Nitrogen contained in all fertilizers, with the ex- ception of Nitrate of Soda, must first be nitrified — that is, con- verted into Nitrate — before the plant can take it up. This nitrification is always attended with greater or less loss of Ni- trogen. A sufficiency of lime in the soil hastens nitrification, while a scarcity of lime retards it. Nitrate of Soda is the only nitrogenous fertilizer that will do its work perfectly without lime, because it already contains Nitrogen in a form that is capable of absorption by plants. Leguminous plants assimilate free Nitrogen from the air through the medium of the micro-organisms inhabiting the 230 Food for nodules found in their roots. Leguminous plants, in the early 8 stages of their growth, avail themselves of the Nitrates in the soil. Nitrate of Soda has been very profitably used in the cultivation of Lucern, or "Alfalfa," etc. Crops that have suffered from wintering, from insects, etc., can, in most cases, be considerably improved by top- dressing with Nitrate of Soda. When the soil is very poor in potash, the soda contained in Nitrate of Soda will, to a certain extent, serve as a substi- tute for potash. It is not, however, a perfect substitute. Poverty in potash can be fully made good only by applying a sufficient quantity of a potash fertilizer. Nitrate of Soda is easily soluble, and it distributes itself immediately through the soil. Distribution of Nitrogen in the Grain and Straw of the Principal Cereals. Nitrogen per Two and One-Half Acres. GRAIN. Oats, Barley, Wheat, Rye, 82.42 lbs. 86.61 lbs. 81.10 lbs. 67.44 lbs. Rape Seed, Peas, Vetches, Broad Beans, 176.32 lbs. 1 17.03 lbs. 143.92 lbs. 181. 16 lbs. STRAW. Oats, Barley, Wheat, Rye, 26.4 lbs. 26.4 lbs. 33.06 lbs. 29>3I lbs. Rape Seed, Peas, Vetches, Broad Beans, 29.75 lbs. 118.35 lbs. 1 12.40 lbs. 79.34 lbs. Distribution of Nitrogen in the Principal Root Crops. Nitrogen per Two and One-Half Acres. ROOTS. Swedes, 165.30 lbs. Sugarbeet, Beetroot, 105.79 lbs. 138.85 lbs Carrots, Potatoes, 45.46 lbs. 1 1 2.40 lbs. Tubers. Sugarbeet, Beetroot, 52.89 lbs. 80.66 lbs. LEAF. Swedes, 55. 1 lbs. Carrots, Potatoes, 168.60 lbs. 1 5. 1 1 lbs. Shaws. The figures in this table show how many pounds of Ni- trogen are withdrawn from two and one-half acres of ground by an average harvest. The table shows clearly that the Food for principal quantity of Nitrogen is always in that portion of Plant8 the crop that is sold, only a small quantity of Nitrogen being 23x found in the straw and leaves, the portion that is retained for use upon the land; consequently, unless a sufficient quantity of Nitrogenous fertilizers be applied, the soil will very soon suffer from impoverishment of Nitrogen. GENERAL DIRECTIONS FOR THE USE OF NITRATE OF SODA ON STAPLE CROPS. The use of Nitrate of Soda alone is never recom- mended, except at the rate of not more than one hundred pounds to the acre. // may be thus safely and profitably used without other fertilizers. It may be applied at this rate as a Top-Dressing in the Spring of the year, as soon as vegeta- tion begins to turn green; or, in other words, as soon as the crops begin new growth. At this rate very satisfactory results are usually obtained without the use of any other fertilizer, and the Soda residual, after the Nitrogenous Ammoniate Food of this chemical is used up by the plant, has a perceptible effect in sweetening sour land. In most of our Grass experiments where Nitrate was used alone at the rate of but One Hundred Pounds per acre, not only was the Aftermath, or Rowen, much improved, but in the subsequent seasons, with nothing applied to the plots, a decidedly marked effect was noticed, even on old meadows. This speaks very well indeed for Nitrate of Soda not leaching out of the soil. The readily soluble elements are the readily available elements. The natural capillarity of soils doubtless is, in most instances, a powerful factor in retaining all readily soluble elements of fertility. If this were not so, all the fertility of the world in our humid regions would, in a season or two, run into the ocean, and be permanently lost. This is mentioned on account of certain critics having taken the trouble to object to the use of Nitrate on the grounds that it would leach away. A case is yet to be seen where the after-effect of Nitrate is not distinguishable, and, Food for m certain cases, such effects have been most marked. pl*nts When it is desired to use a larger amount than one a3* hundred pounds per acre of Nitrate of Soda as a Top- Dressing, or in any other way, there should be present some form of Phosphatic and Potassic Plant Food, and we recom- mend not less than two hundred and fifty pounds of either Acid Phosphate or fine ground Raw Rock, and two hundred and fifty pounds of some high-grade Potash Salt, preferably the Sulphate, or wood ashes in twice this quantity. A much larger amount than one hundred pounds of Nitrate per acre, zvhen used alone on staple crops, is generally sure to give an unprofitable and unbalanced food ration to the plant. For Market Gardening Crops, Hops or Sugar-Beets, however, somewhat more may be used alone. When the above amounts of Phosphatic and Potassic Fertilizers are used, as much as three hundred pounds of Nitrate of Soda may be applied with profit. In applying Nitrate in any ration it is desirable to mix it with an equal quantity of land plaster or fine, dry loam or sand. If you have any reason to suspect adulteration of the Nitrate you may buy, send several pounds of it to your Experiment Station for analysis, giving date of purchase, full name and address of agent, and of the Company which the seller represents. Generally on the Pacific Coast Nitrate may be applied a? a Top-Dressing after the heavy Spring rains are over, but before crops attain much of a start. FERTILIZERS. After the original chart arranged by Director J. L. Hills, of the Vermont Experiment Station, for the U. S. Government Fertilizer Exhibit at the St. Louis Exposition. Average cost of a pound of plant food in "low," "medium" and "high" grade "complete fertilizers" (Vermont, 1903). Food for Plants 233 The Nitrogen Cost per lb. = $102 a Ton for Nitrate of Soda. = $80 a Ton for Nitrate of Soda. $71 a Ton for Nitrate of Soda. The Nitrogen in Nitrate of Soda, in 1903, cost 15 cents per ib. The Available Phosphoric Acid Cost per lb. in low grade, in medium grade. in high grade. The Phosphoric Acid in Acid Phosphate, in 1903, cost kxA cents per Ib. The Actual Potash Cost per lb. in low grade, in medium grade. The Actual Potash in Sulphate of Potash, in 1903, cost 5 cents per Ib. Food for Thus in the low grade "complete fertilizers" the con- p"nt8 sumer pays more for his Nitrogen than he pays for it in *34 Nitrate of Soda at One Hundred Dollars ($100.00) per ton ! ! ! In the medium grade "complete fertilizers" he pays more than he would pay for it in Nitrate of Soda at Eighty Dollars ($80.00) per ton ! ! In the high grade "complete fertilizers" he pays as much for it as he would pay for it in Nitrate of Soda at Seventy-One Dollars ($71.00) per ton! Besides which, since one must buy nearly Twenty Tons of low grade fertilizer to get a ton of Nitrate of Soda, or anything like its equivalent, there is a material saving in freight which may amount to 95 percent, of the cost. Instead of transporting twenty tons of more or less inert material you need only to pay the freight charges on one ton of concentrated plant food — that is: substance instead of shadow. Since Nitrate of Soda is the one immediately available Nitrogenous plant food, and costs less per pound for the available Nitrogen it contains, than any other Nitrogenous fertilizer, its rational use is most profitable at present, and has been so since the very beginning of its use in agriculture. Index. PAGE Abbasi White Cotton, Lower Egypt (Illus.) 71 Abstracts of U. S. Experiment Station Record 2.y Adaptability of the Onion to All Soils 124 Alkaline Soil Necessary for Grass 82 Ammoniates, Nitrogenous Fertilizers 190 Amount of Barbed Wire Required for Fences 149 Amounts of Manure Produced by Farm Animals. From Bulletin 27, Cornell University, Agricultural Experimental Station 211 Amounts of Nitrogen, Phosphoric Acid and Potash Found Profitable for Different Crops Under Average Conditions per Acre (Taken Chiefly from New Jersey Experiment Station's Reports) 225 Amount of Oil in Seeds 163 Amount of Ration of Plant Food for One Tree 137 Analyses of Commercial Fertilizing Materials 215, 216, 217 Analyses of Farm Manures (Taken Chiefly from Reports of the New York, Massachusetts and Connecticut Experiment Stations .... 218 Analyses of Fertilizing Materials in Farm Products ; Analyses of Hay and Dry, Coarse Fodders 218, 219, 220, 221, 222 Apples, Nitrate of Soda on 136 Application of Fertilizer to Corn 104 Application of Fertilizer to Cotton 72 Apply and Mix Nitrate of Soda and Other Fertilizers, How to 23 Are the Farmers of Little Europe More Intelligent than Those of America ? 17 Asparagus 50, 108, 1 18 Atmospheric Fertilizers 187 Availability of Nitrogen in Various Forms 21 Average Annual Rainfall in the United States 148 Barley 96, 98 Barley and Oats 99 Beets (Table) Grown on Nitrate, Ready for Market Sixteen Days Earlier 109 Beets, Onions and Carrots 19 Best Returns from Use of Nitrogen are Obtained when Applied to Good Soils Well Prepared for Crops, The 44 Best Use of Nitrogen Requires an Abundance of Phosphoric Acid and Potash in the Soil, The 43 Better Quality Resulted as Well as Saving in Time and Increase in Crop 109 Brown Cotton (Illus.) 71 Buckwheat 101 Bulletin of North Carolina Dept. of Agriculture 70 Business Laws in Brief 153 Cabbage, Early no PACE Cabbages, Corn and Cauliflower tig Cantaloupes 120 Capacity of Cisterns for Each Ten Inches in Depth 162 Carrying Capacity of a Freight Car (This Table is for Ten-Ton Cars) 152 Catch-Crops 29 Cauliflower, Cabbages and Corn 1 19 Celery 57, in, 120 Certain Crops are Especially Benefited by Nitrate Nitrogen 46 Character of Plant-Food Required by the Onion 127 Chemical Manures, Nature of 28 Chili Saltpetre 202 Chile's Supply of Nitrate 22 Chloride (Muriate of Potash) 195 Clark's Grass Cultivation, Nitrate of Soda as Used in 86 Common Salt, Use of 129 Comparative Availability of Nitrogen in Various Forms 21 Comparison of Nitrate of Soda and Sulphate of Ammonia, Both With and Without Lime 97 "Complete Fertilizers" and "Phosphates" the Most Expensive Plant Food 15 Composition of Different Classes of Fertilizers 226 Composition of Fertilizers in Different Grades 227 Corn 102 Corn Experiments (Illus.) 20 Corn, Sweet 112 Corn, Cabbages and Cauliflower 119 Cost of Nitrogen in Nitrate of Soda 229 Cost of One Pound of Plant Food in Different Grades of Fertilizers 228 Cost of One Pound of Plant Food to Consumers 229 Cost of Transportation of Fertilizers 25 Cost of Transportation per Ton of Material 25 Cotton 69 Cotton Fertilizing 72 Cotton and Fibre Plants 69 Cotton-Seed Meal and Nitrate Compared on Wheat 94 Cows 211 Crops Especially Benefited by Nitrate Nitrogen 46 Crop Was Saved From Total Failure, How a no Cubic Contents of Different Measures 162 Cucumbers 56, ill Cucumbers, Squashes and Melons 124 Culture of Corn 102 Currants, Gooseberries, Raspberries 139 Defects and Losses in the Use of Ordinary Nitrogens 34 Distribution of Nitrogen in the Grain and Straw of the Principal Cereals, Nitrogen per Two and One-half Acres 230 Distribution of Nitrogen in the Principal Root Crops, Nitrogen per Two and One-half Acres 230 PAGE Dollar Spent in Nitrate Returned $21.00 in Increased Crop 110 Early Cabbage 52, no Early Growth of Plants 36 Early Lettuce 113 Early Peas 115 Early Potatoes 58, 115 Early Table Beets 48 Early Table Turnips 53 Early Tomatoes 51, 116 Economy in the Purchase of Fertilizers, Home Mixtures 204 Economical and Profitable Practice 84 Edible Value of Plant, Special Influence of Nitrate on 35 Effect of Nitrate on Quality of Hay 81 Egg Plant 112 Eminent Scientists Well Acquainted with Value of Nitrate 11 Equivalent Quantity of Nitrate Food 38 Estimating Measures 157 Excess of Value of Hay Over Cost of Fertilizers 84 Experiments in England, Wheat 94 Experiments on Tobacco at the Kentucky Experiment Station.. 76 Experiments, Other Details of 215 Experiments, Summary of, on Farm Animals 215 Experiments with Fertilizers on Cotton 73 Experiments with Fertilizers on Sweet Potatoes 132 Experiments with Fertilizers on Tomatoes 134 Experiments with Forage Crops 66 Experiments with Nitrate on Cotton, South Carolina, 1904 74 Experiment with Nitrogen 98 Experiments with Oats on Different Soils 164 Explanation of the High Nitrogen Requirements of Soils 167 Extraordinary Returns on Celery in Facts for Builders 159 Facts for the Weatherwise 155 Farm Sewage Disposal 193 Farmers' Bulletin, No. 107. Prepared in the Office of Experiment Stations 188 Farmers' Barometer 156 Farmyard Manure Compared with Nitrate 29 Farmyard Manure, Management of 193 Farmyard Manure and Other Products are Valuable, Why 33 Fertilizer Experiments on Meadow Land (Kentucky Agricultural Experiment Station Bulletin, No. 23, February, 1890) 223 Fertilizers per Vine, Omitting Nitrate Nitrogen (Illus.) 106 Fertilizers per Vine, with Nitrate Nitrogen (Illus.) 107 Fertilizers (Diagram) : 233 Fertilizers for Corn 103 Fertilizers for Fruits (Bulletin 66, Hatch Experiment Station) 135 Fertilizers for Vegetables and Small Fruits 19 PAGE Fertilizers in Use for Garden Crops, What 19 Fertilizers to Buy, What 70 Fertilizing Cotton : 72 Fertilizing Hay Crops in California 87 Figs 141 Financial Profit from Use of Nitrate 83 Flax 74 Food Necessary for Plants 5 Food, Plant, Amount of Ration of, for One Tree 137 Food, Plant, Character of, Required by the Onion 127 Forage Crops, Experiments with 66 For Crops of Low Commercial Value 60 For Melons, Cucumbers, and Squashes 123 Formula for Oats 100 Formulas 206 Formulas and Directions for Mangolds 123 Forty Bushels of Wheat to the Acre a Possible Average 94 Free Use of the Harrow and Pulverizer 128 From New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station, Bulletin 172. The Use of Fertilizers ; A Review of the Results of Experiments with Nitrate of Soda. Professor Edward B. Voorhees. The Use of Fertilizers 40 Fruits 135 Fruit Formula, General, per Acre 136 Fruits Generally, Nitrate of Soda for 136 Fruits, Nitrate on 36 Functions of Nitrate, Unusual 34 Gains from Use of Nitrate of Soda 64 Gain in Time Remarkable, Two Weeks in Advance 112 Garden Crops, Market 48, 119 General Directions for Staple Crops 231 General Fruit Formula per Acre 136 General Points as to Methods of Application 192 Good Results Due to Nitrate 185 Gooseberries, Currants, Raspberries 139 Grain and Hay 60 Grains, Grasses, Root Crops, Pastures, Soiling Crops, Nitrate as a Top-Dressing for 28 Grapes 141 Grass Growing for Profit 77 Grasses, Grains, Root Crops, Pastures, Soiling Crops, Nitrate as a Top-Dressing for 28 Greenhouse Plant Food 121 Harrow and Pulverizer, Free Use of the 128 Hay 61 Hay and Grain 60 Hay, How Nitrate Improves the Quality of the 81 Hemp 74 High Nitrogen Requirements of Soils 167 PAGE Highland Experimental Farms (Illus.) ioo Highland Experimental Farms, Report of Experiments 91 Hints for Right Use of Nitrate 23 Home-Mixing 205 Hops. A Record of Four Years' Experiments with Hops 105 Horses 213 How a Crop was Saved from Total Failure no How All Nitrogen is, of Necessity, Nitrated, and Slowness of Process 37 How All Crops Grow 28 How and Where to Buy Fertilizing Materials 23 How Careful Cultivation May Aid in the Profitable Use of Nitrate. . 78 How Deep in the Ground to Plant Corn 149 How Grain Will Shrink 150 How It Pays 83 How Money Crops Feed 32 How Much Shall be Applied 62 How Nitrate Benefits the Farmer 7 How Nitrate Increases Wheat Crops 28 How Nitrate Improves the Quality of the Hay 81 How Nitrate Neutralizes Soil Acids and Sweetens the Soil 82 How Nitrate Saves Time, Money and the Crop 36 How to Apply Nitrate 52 How to Apply Nitrate of Soda to Wheat 93 How to Apply Phosphatic Fertilizers 23 How to Make Commercial Valuations 195 How to Measure Corn in Crib, Hay in Mow, Etc 152 How to Mix and Apply Nitrate of Soda and Other Fertilizers 23 How to Preserve Eggs 157 How to Rent a Farm 155 How to Save Humus 194 How to Save Money on Fertilizers 16 How to See the Wind 156 How to Top-Dress 37 How to Treat Sunstroke 153 How to Use Chemical Fertilizers to Advantage 28 Importance of Fertilizing with Nitrogen 181 Increase in Crop, Better Quality and Saving in Time 109 Increase of Crops from Same Quantity of Nitrogen from Different Sources 21 Increased Yield on Turnips and Swedes 135 Indiana Agricultural Experiment Station, Bulletin No. 84. Growing Lettuce with Chemical Fertilizers. By Prof. William Stuart.... 123 Indispensable, Why Nitrate is 5 Intrinsic Values of Nitrogens 34 Kale 113 Kind of Crop an Important Factor in Determining the Agricultural Value of Nitrogen, The 45 PAGE Late Carrots (Illus.) 117 Late Potatoes 1 16 Late Spinach (Illus.) 118 Lawns and Golf Links 121 Length of Navigation of the Mississippi River 150 Lettuce 122 Litter 192 Losses and Defects in the Use of Ordinary Nitrogens 34 Making Two Blades of Grass Grow Where One Blade Grew Before 79 Management of Farmyard Manure 193 Margin of Profit Greater 184 Mangolds 123 Manures 192 Market Garden Crops 48, 119 Market Gardening with Nitrate 108 Maryland Agricultural Experiment Station. Bulletin No. 91. Nitrate of Soda vs. No Nitrate of Soda, Applied on Wheat ; Wheat Unfertilized in Fall 97 Materials Used in Making Commercial or Chemical Manures 202 Melons 123 Melons, Cucumbers and Squashes 123 Methods of Application S3, 54, 57, 62 Methods of Practice 51, 55, 56, 59 Methods of Using Nitrate 49, 50 Mix and Apply Nitrate of Soda and Other Fertilizers, How to ... . 23 Mixing, Home 205 Mixing Raw Materials 198 Modern Agriculture, Position of Nitrate in 9 Moisture in Soil, Necessity of 127 Money Crops, Results of Nitrate on 37 Muriate of Potash (Chloride) 195 Muskmelons 55 Nature of Chemical Manures 28 Natural Plant Food, Sources of 35 Nearly Always Deficient, Nitrate 5 Necessity of Moisture in Soil 127 Neutralizes Soil Acids and Sweetens the Soil, How Nitrate 82 Nitrate 6 Nitrate, Its Use is Increasing 15 Nitrate on Fruits 36 Nitrate Nearly Always Deficient 5 Nitrate Pre-digested Nitrogen 33 Nitrate Compared with Farm- Yard Manure 29 Nitrate Test at Kentucky Experiment Station 101 Nitrate of Soda as Used in Clark's Grass Cultivation 86 Nitrate and Cotton-Seed Meal Compared on Wheat 96 Nitrate as a Top-Dressing for Grains, Grasses, Root Crops, Pastures, Soiling Crops 28 PAGE Nitrate of Soda 5, 195 Nitrate of Soda, Amount to Apply 65 Nitrate of Soda, How Used 203 Nitrate of Soda on Apples 136 Nitrate of Soda or Chili Saltpetre 202 Nitrate of Soda for Fruits Generally 136 Nitrate of Soda Niter in Fertilizing. (Bulletin 24, California State Mining Bureau.) By Dr. Gilbert E. Bailey 29 Nitration or Nitrification 194 Nitrogen Requirements of Soils, High 167 Nitrogen Should Receive Special Attention 40 Nitrogenous Fertilizing and Net Profit 164 Number of Nails and Tacks per Pound 158 Number of Years Seeds Retain Their Vitality 149 Number Bricks Required to Construct any Building (Reckoning Seven Bricks to Each Superficial Foot) 159 Nursery Stock 145 Oats 99 Oats, Formula 100 Of General Interest 148 Onions 114 Onion, Adaptability of the, to All Soils 124 On Uncultivated Clay Loam 224 On Uncultivated Light or Medium Soils 224 On Uncultivated Pasture Land 224 On What Crops Nitrate Should Be Used 19 Orange Groves 145 Other Ammoniates Higher Than Nitrate 184 Pastures, Soiling Crops, Root Crops, Grains, Grasses, Nitrate as a Top-Dressing for 28 Peaches 136 Peppers 58 Philosophical Facts 156 Phosphates 190 "Phosphates" and "Complete Fertilizers" the Most Expensive Plant Food 15 Phosphoric Acid 6 Phosphoric Acid and Potash Differ from Nitrogen 42 Pioneer Farmers' Wasteful Methods 1 1 Plant Food Needs of Crops 38 Points as to Prices of Farm Products and Nitrate Prices 184 Position of Nitrate in Modern Agriculture 9 Potashes 6, 190 Potash and Phosphoric Acid Differ From Nitrogen 42 Potatoes 115 Potatoes, Late 116, 130 Potatoes, Sweet 132 Potatoes, Applying Fertilizers for 131 PAGE Practical Conclusions 84 Practical Suggestions as a Result of Experiments 48 Pre-digested Nitrogen, Nitrate a 33 Price of Farm Products, Rise in 184 Principal Elements, Nitrate, Phosphoric Acid, Potash 33 Probable Stability of Farm Values 184 Profit, Margin of 184 Profits from Use of Fertilizers 47 Profitable and Economical Practice 84 Profitable Fertilization of Grapes. Summary of Experiments of Prof. Paul Wagner, Director of Darmstadt Agricultural Experiment Station, Darmstadt, Germany 142 Profitable Onion Cultivation 124 Profitable Use of Nitrates, How Careful Cultivation May Aid in the 86 Pulverizer and Harrow, The Use of the 128 Quantity (Equivalent) of Nitrate Food 38 Quantities Required and Time to Apply 138 Raspberries, Currants, Gooseberries 139 Raw Materials, Mixing 198 Ready for Market Sixteen Days Earlier, Table Beets Grown on Nitrate 109 Relative Value of Different Foods for Stock 161 Report of Experiments, Highland Experimental Farms 91 Results (Good) Due to Nitrate 185 Results in New York 226 Results of Field Experiments 171 Results of Nitrate on Money Crops 37 Results of Pot Experiments Confirmed by Field Trials 168 Results of Saving Small Amounts of Money 163 Results on Cotton Grown in Lower Egypt 71 Result, Slight Added Cost per Acre and per Ton of Fertilizer 185 Results in an Unfavorable Season with Low Prices for Products 108 Returns on Celery Extraordinary ill Rise in Price of Farm Products 184 Root Crops, Pastures, Soiling Crops, Grains, Grasses, Nitrate as a Top-Dressing for 28 Rotation on Crops 225 Rules for Business Farmers 152 Rye 65, 101 Save Humus, How to 194 Save Money on Fertilizers, How to 16 Savings Bank Compound Interest Table, Showing the Amount of $1, From One Year to Fifteen Years, With Compound Interest Added Semi-Annually, at Different Rates 163 Saving in Time, Increase in Crop, and Better Quality 109 Sewage (Farm) Disposal 193 Sheep 213 page Slight Added Cost Per Acre and Per Ton of Fertilizer, Result 185 Small Fruits 138 Small Fruits and Vegetables, Fertilizers for 19 Snap Beans 109 Sodas ^91 Soiling Crops 31 Soiling Crops, Root Crops, Pastures, Grasses, Grains, Nitrate as a Top Dressing for 28 Some American Rotations 225 Some Practical Hints Regarding Nitrate 191 Sources of Natural Plant Food 35 South Carolina Agricultural Experiment Station. Bulletin No. 56. . 98 Special Functions of Plant Food 34 Special Influence of Nitrate on Edible Value of Plant 35 Spinach 118 Squashes, Cucumbers and Melons 123 Stable Manure and Artificial Fertilizer Upon Fruit Trees 136 Stability (Probable) of Farm Values 184 Strawberries 139 Strength of Ice of Different Thickness 162 Suggestions for Top-Dressing Crops 39 Sulphate of Potash 195 Summary of Increased Yields. From Application of One Hundred Pounds Per Acre of Nitrate of Soda 184 Supply of Nitrate, Chile's 22 Surveyor's Measure 162 Sweet Corn 54, 112 Sweet Potatoes • • -59, 132 Sweetens the Soil and Neutralizes Soil Acids, How Nitrate 82 Swine 214 Table Beets Grown on Nitrate Ready for Market 16 Days Earlier. . 109 Table of Analyses and Guarantees 207 Table, Showing the Number of Pounds of Nitrogen, Phosphoric Acid and Potash Withdrawn Per Acre by an Average Crop. (From New York, New Jersey and Connecticut Experiment Stations' Reports) 222 Table Showing Prices of Nitrate of Soda on the Nitrogen Basis. Figured on Basis of 313 Pounds Nitrogen in One Ton of Nitrate of Soda 188 Tabulated General Summary 228 Terms Used in Discussing Fertilizers 189 The Amount to Apply 65 The Alfalfa, Cow-Pea and Clover Question 92 The Best Use of Nitrogen Requires an Abundance of Phosphoric Acid and Potash in the Soil 43 The Great Canals of the World 151 The Kind of Crop an Important Factor in Determining the Agricul- tural Value of the Nitrogen 45 The Longest and Greatest Rivers in the World 151 PAGE The Most Expensive Plant Food, "Phosphates" and "Complete Fer- tilizers" 15 The Quality of Manure and Fertilizers 33 The Unit System 202 Time at Which Money Doubles at Interest 164 Time to Apply and Quantities Required 138 Time Required for Digesting Food 154 Time Required for the Complete Exhaustion of Available Fertilizing Materials and the Amounts of Each Remaining in the Soil Dur- ing a Period of Seven Years. (From Scottish Estimates.) 224 Tobacco 75 Tomatoes 133 Top-Dress, How To 37 Top-Dressings 13, 36 Top-Dressing Experiments 37 Top-Dressing Grass Lands 84 Top-Dressings of Nitrate of Soda 46 Top-Dressing for Grains, Grasses, Root Crops, Pastures, Soiling Crops, Nitrate as a 28 Turnips and Swedes 135 Two Good Home Mixtures 210 U. S. Experiment Station Record, Abstracts 27 University of Arizona Agricultural Experiment Station. Timely Hints for Farmers, No. 31. Prof. W. W. Skinner 147 Unusual Functions of Nitrate 34 Use of Common Salt 129 Use of Legumes 92 Use of Nitrate Increasing 15 Valuation 208 Value of Nitrate, Eminent Scientists Well Acquainted With It ... . 11 Vegetables and Small Fruits, Fertilizers for 19 Wasteful Methods Pioneer Farmers 11 Weight of a Cubic Foot of Earth, Stone, Metal, Etc 160 Weights and Measures for Cooks, Etc 161 What a Deed to a Farm in Many States Includes 160 What Crops Take Out of Soils 38 What Fertilizers to Buy 16 What Plant Food Is 32 What Fertilizers to Use for Garden Crops 19 What Machinery Accomplishes 148 What Nitrate Has Done for Crops 185 What Nitrate is in Agriculture 7 What Nitrate Looks Like ; Its Chemical Properties 7 What Percentage of Water Does Hay Lose During Storage? 89 What Was Shown by the Analyses 207 Wheat 64, 92 PAGE Wheat and Oats, Rye and Barley. (Bulletin 44, Georgia Agricultural Experiment Station.) 96 Wheat Crops, How Nitrate Increases 28 Wheat, Cotton-Seed Meal and Nitrate Compared on 4. 94 Wheat Experiments in England 94 Wheat, How to Apply Nitrate of Soda to 93 Wheat on Ohio Farms 94 When to Apply Nitrate 129 Where Nitrate is Found 7 Where and How to Buy Fertilizing Materials 24 Why Farmyard Manure and Other Products are Valuable 33 Why Nitrate is Indispensable 5 Yield of Cured Hay Under Different Rates of Nitrogenous Fer- tilization 79 Yield of Vine Fertilized Omitting Nitrate Nitrogen, 1.13 lbs. of Grapes (Illus.) 143 Yield of Vine Fertilized with Nitrate Ration, 5.45 lbs. of Grapes (Illus.) 144 Yield of Forage Crops Per Acre 67 THE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY This book is DUE on the last date stamped below JAN 2 8 1942 BBL FEB 241975 Form L-» !Om-12,'3S<33Sa> rarnRsnr of cauforhu AT LOS ANGELES A 001 123 824 3