LIBRARY

OF THE

University of California.

■ \ LIBRARY

Class

'

if

:'ii*U*J»»/

jfoob tor
iDlants

HARRIS AND MYERS

I i.iiiiiiii

NEW EDITION WITH
SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES

m

EDITED AND PUBLISHED BY

William S. Myers, f. c. s., Director

Nitrate of Soda Propaganda

LAte of New Jersey State Agricultural CoUearc

12-16 JOHN street, NEW YORK

FOOD FOR PLANTS

HARRIS AND MYER^

Nevv Edition
With Supplementary Notes

19 0 5

X

EDITED AND PUBLISHED BY

William S. Myers, f. c. s., Director

Nitrate of Soda Propaganda

Late of New Jersey State Agricultural College

12-16 JOHN STREET

NEW YORK

. u

'J

AGR!C>
UBRARY

|oW,ER5

^Aress

y^\ BRA ?^
e OF THE

( l/NIVERS

FOOD FOR PLANTS.

In part from the writings of Joseph Harris, M. Sc.

Nitrate is a powerful plant tonic 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 (lOo) pounds
to the acre, when it may be -used without other fertilizers.
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 as
soon as vegetation begins to sprout. 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
animals, must have all the food they can -c a -k

I 111 i"^ P OOG iiCCCSS3.iy

eat in order to properly develop and grow f , pi *

fat. This is equally true of plants. Plants

will 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 Nitrates, phosphates, lime and potash. A suffi-
cient quantity of all these necessary elements, except Nitrates,
phosphates and potash, exists in nearly all soils. Nitratrs
are nearly always deficient, phosphates usually, and potash
often. In some soils there may be enough of all the elements
of plant food except one. This may be assumed to be
Nitrate. In this case the growth and yield .^ ^^

of the crop will be limited only by the . t j-

rj.j- ■ 1 'i-i IS Indispensable

quantity of JS itrate it can assimilate. 1 here

might be an abundant supply of all the other elements.

Food for }ynf plants can never use other kinds of food without Nitrate.

^" ^ Plants must have them all to develop in perfection.

4 Nitrate Nitrate (Nitrogen) is the kind that is nearly

Nearly Always ^^^^^.^ t/^^^"^', ^^^ question that pre-

Deficient sents itself to the farmer, gardener and fruit

growler is, How can I supply my plants with
Nitrogen, phosphoric acid and potash, in the best forms and
at the least expense F We v^^ill try to throw some light upon
this question in the following pages. We will take first,

Phosphoric Acid. '^^^^.^ ^'^ ^^'^^ principal sources of phos-
phoric acid, namely, bones and rock
phosphate and Thomas Slag Phosphate. Of these, the
rock phosphate is the cheapest source. A prevailing im-
pression exists that superphosphate made from rock phos-
phate is not as good as that made from bones. It has been
shown by many experiments that this idea is entirely with-
out foundation. What the plants want is available phos-
phoric acid, and it makes little or no difference 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
excrements 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 dis-
coveries 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 contains
14 per cent, of soluble phosphoric acid.

The cheapest sources of potash are muriate
of potash and unleached wood ashes, which
contain from 3 to 5 per cent, of potash in the form of car-
bonate. They also contain from i to 2-2- per cent, of phos-
phoric acid. They are worth, usually, as plant food, from
^7.00 to $11.00 per ton.

Nitrate is the most important and effective
element of plant food, and at the same time,
as stated, is the one that is generally deficient in the soil.

There are a ereat many sources of Nitrop;en, such as ^0°^ ^or

' ■ O ' PI an to

dried fish, cotton-seed meal, dried blood, and tankage. But

none of these furnish Nitrogen in the Nitrate form in which 5
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 Nitrozen 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 w^e mean 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.

Nitrate of Soda is found in vast quantities

ar T"u u J rx^"^ ^ ^i r^ y u '^ Nitrate of Soda,

nil. 1 he beds or Nitrate, or Caliche,

as it is called in Chili 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. Under this is found the " Caliche,"
or crude Nitrate. The layer of "Caliche" is sometimes eight
or ten feet thick, but averages about three feet. This
"Caliche "contains on the average about 50 per cent, of pure
Nitrate of Soda.

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 com-
mon salt. The Nitrate is then placed in bags of about two
hundred pounds each and shipped to all parts of the world.
Nitrate of Soda, as exported, contains about 15.65 per cent,
of Nitrogen, equivalent to 19.00 per cent, of ammonia.
How these beds of Nitrate were formed has been the sub-
ject of much speculation. The generally accepted theory
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 same wise Providence that stored up the coal in the
mountains of Pennsylvania to furnish fuel for the people of
the United States when their supply of wood has become
exhausted, preserved this vast quantity of Nitrate of Soda

Food for jj^ f}^g rainless region of Chili, to be used by the people to
^°^^ furnish their crops with the necessary Nitrate when the
^ natural supph" in the soil has become deficient.

By "complete fertilizers," we mean fertiliz-
omp e e ^^^ containing Nitrogen, phosphoric acid

^S!'^'Tl" »"! and potash. These fertilizers are called

"Phosphates" the 4. i ^ u ,, j 11 <- n

,- , T- . phosphates, and people have lallen into

Most Expensive ,^ , T- r n- ^ r

T,, ■ T- J the habit or calling any commercial terti -

Plant Food. u 1 . ^^ -^u ,

izer a phosphate, whether it contains

phosphate or not. Many so-called "complete fertilizers"
are merely low grade acid phosphates with insignificant
amounts of the other essential plant foods. Thev are un-
profitable and ill balanced rations for all crops.

Bearing in mind that all that is of any value in these
"phosphates," no matter how high sounding their names, is
usually mostly phosphoric acid and potash, let us see what they
are really worth — that is, what the same amount of plant
food can be bought for in just as good, if not better, forms.

The New jersey Experiment Station analyzed 195 dif-
ferent samples of brands of "Complete Fertilizers," and
published the results in a Bulletin. It was found that, in
some instances, complete fertilizers that sold for $34.00 to
536.00 per ton only contained plant food worth $15.00 to
$17.00. But they were not all as bad as this. The average
of all brands analyzed was as follows: They contained 2.74
per cent. Nitrogen, 7.70 per cent, available phosphoric acid,
and 4.50 per cent, potash. The selling price was $34.23 per
ton and the actual agricultural value $25.66 per ton. By
this is meant that the same amount of actual plant food that
is contained in the "complete fertilizers," costing $34.23,
could be purchased in the open market, in just as good forms,
for $25.66. As a matter of fact, it could be purchased for
much less than this in quantities often tons or more. In one
ton of the above "average fertilizer," selling for $34. 23, there is
154 pounds available phosphoric acid, which can be bought for
5i cents per pound in superphosphate or "acid phosphate,"
as it is called by the trade. This 154 pounds of phosphoric
acid is therefore worth $8.09. There is 54! pounds Nitro-
gen, which can be bought in Nitrate of Soda for 15 cents
per pound, making it worth $8.22; 90 pounds potash, worth
4^ cents per pound, equals $4.05, making in all $20.36 for
the plant food contained in a ton costing $34.23.

VIEWS OF CHILEAN NITRATE WORKS.

Food for
Plants

Opening up Trench After Blasting, Showing Extraction of Caliclie

by Piece Work.

I

►':7*;— ;r» Hwm II '-w.^ "•• _f'ii -i '_,.J

<y--^' ;^

.^^

L.

Loading Caliche into Railway I rucks.

Food for But this does not tell the whole story. The Nitrogen

^^^^ contained in these "complete fertilizers" is often in a form

8 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 tem-
perature of the soil and the kind and condition of the
material used. In calculating the value of complete fertil-
izers, Nitrogen in the form of sulphate of ammonia, which
has to be converted into Nitrate before it is available, is
reckoned at two cents per pound higher than it can be
bought in the form of Nitrate of Soda. This is not because
the Nitrogen in sulphate of ammonia is any better than in
Nitrate of Soda, but because it costs more in the market.
This makes the fertilizers appear to be worth more than they
really are. But taking the figures as they are given, it is
readily seen that the consumer of these "complete fertilizers"
pays on the average 1^8.57 per ton more than would buy the
same amount of food in as good, and, in the case of Nitrogen,
the most expensive form of plant foods, better in unmixed
chemicals.

Statistics gathered by the Station show that over one
and a half million dollars is spent annually in the State of
New Jersey alone, for "complete fertilizers." Considering
that the average "complete fertilizer" costs 25 per cent, more
than it is worth, it is evident that the farmers of New Jersey
alone paid ^375,000 more for their fertilizers than they got
value in return. And this state of things is not confined
to New Jersey. It is the same all over the country. The
farmers of this country are paying out millions of dollars
annually to the manufacturers of "complete fertilizers,"
which they could very easily save by the exercise of a little
care and foresight.

Would you not think a man very unwise

. How to Save ^^^ ^^^^^^ ^^^ somebody's "Complete

Money on Prepared Food," at a high price, when he

er 1 izers. 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.

VIEWS OF CHILEAN NITRATE WORKS.

Food for
Plants

Top of Caliche Hopper: Carts Tipping Caliche.

I' \ :itMr^ trom Crushers to Boilinjr-Tanks.

Food for ]'qii should buy your plant food itj the brst and cheapest forms ^
^" ^ and feed it to the plants as they require it. You can buy avail-
''^ able Nitrogen in Nitrate of Soda for about 15 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 cheapest and
best form in which to buy Available JSf itrogen.

One would not think of buying raw, unground phosphate
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.

You can buy available phosphoric acid in superphos-
phate of lime, made from rock phosphate or bone-black, for
about 5 to 6 cents per pound (the superphosphate costing
from ^15.00 to $17.00 per ton, retail). Peruvian guano and
Thomas slag also are excellent sources of phosphoric acid.

Potash can be bought, in muriate of potash, for about
42 cents per pound.

Let us see what a ''High Grade Complete Fertilizer"
made from these three sources of plant food w^ould cost.

600 pounds Nitrate of Soda, containing 93 pounds Nitrogen, costs. .^14. 88
1,100 pounds superphosphate, containing 150 pounds phosphoric

acid, costs 7-25

300 pounds sulphate of potash, containing 150 pounds potash, costs. . 6.75

2,000 pounds, or one ton, costs ^28.88

This fertilizer would contain Nitrogen, 5 percent, (equal
to over 6 per cent, of ammonia), phosphoric acid, yf per
cent., and potash, 7I per cent.

A "complete fertilizer," containing as high a percentage
of Nitrogen, phosphoric acid and potash as the above mix-
ture, would cost at least ^35.00, and nine manufacturers
out of ten would charge $45.00 for it; and even then the
Nitrogen would probably not be in a form in which it would
be of much use as plant food until after the harvest.

If a fertilizer is wanted that has as much unavailable
Nitrogen as the majority of the so-called "complete fertiliz-
ers" sold for $29.00 per ton, it could be made for about
$22.00 per ton. // only unavailable Nitrogen is all that is
required by all means plow under a copier crop, and buy only
a straight acid phosphate as such.

VIEWS OF CHILEAN NITRATE WORKS

Food for
Plants

II

Automatic Push-plate Conveyor for Conveying Caiiciie from Top of
Elevators to Deposit over Boiling-Tank.

Crystallizing Pans — Full, Filling, and Empty.

Food for j^Q U^e Farmers of Little Europe More Intelligent
— Than Those of America ?

12

It certainly seems so. The English and European
farmers instead of buying their Nitrogen in complete fertilizers
and paying over 20 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 thousand American
farmers are using it.

American farmers, gardeners and fruit growers are sup-
posed to be ready to "catch on" to a good thing. And
as soon as our Agricultural Papers 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 fertil-
izers" pay the agricultural papers large sums of money every
year for advertisings 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 for Nitrate
of Soda in this country. As soon as the farmers demand it,
the importers and dealers in fertilizers will be glad to keep
the Nitrate for sale, and sooner or later will advertise it.
In the meantime, if your agricultural paper does not tell you
about Nitrate of Soda and how to use it, take a paper that
keeps up with the science and practice of the age.

^, ^ „ Some interesting experiments were con-

Tne Best Form j ^ j ^ ^u tf j tt • -^ a • 1

ducted at the rurdue University Agricul-

^ ^ ^ tural Experimental Station, at Lafayette,

Indiana, to determine the best form of

Nitrogen for wheat. We quote the results of the experiments

from Bulletin No. 36:

"The forms of Nitrogen selected were Nitrate of Soda, azotine or dried
blood, and sulphate of ammonia. The main object was a comparison of
Nitrate of Soda with dried blood, and the sulphate of ammonia was intro-
duced into the series for comparative purposes. The forms of Nitrogen used
in nearly all commercial fertilizers are dried blood and the Nitrogen of organic
compounds like bone meal or cotton-seed meal.

"It is well established that Nitrate of Soda is superior to sulphate of
ammonia for wheat, but comparatively little seems to be known of the relative

VIEWS OF CHILEAN NITRATE WORKS.

Food for
Plants

13

Crystallizing Pans After Running oti Mothtr-Iiquor, Showing
Deposit of Nitrate Crystals.

Drying-Floors and Bagging of Nitrate.

Food for nierits of Nitrate of Soda and organic Nitrogen. The present price of
^^^lants ammonia salts is such that they are not generally used in compounding ferti-
14 lizers, and it so happens that the Nitrogen of organic compounds is used

in the so-called 'ammoniated' fertilizers.

"Nitrate of Soda gave by far the best results, the gain being nearly
double that for the organic Nitrogen, and about one-half more than that
for the ammonia com pounds.

"Nitrate of Soda seems to be the controlling factor, so far as the
appearance ot the plants indicated. The plants on the plots that had re-
ceived Nitrate were about six inches taller than on those receiving no Nitrate,
and this continued until the grain was ripe.

"l. The experiment confirms the superiority of Nitrate of Soda over
ammonia salts for wheat, and indicates that its superiority over organic
Nitrogen is even greater than that over ammonia salts.

"2. A given sum of money will buy more Nitrogen in the form of Nitrate
■of Soda than in any other form except cotton-seed, yet the gain from Nitrate
of Soda is nearly double that from the use of organic Nitrogen."

Professor Atwater, in writing of some experiments made
by Professor McBride, at the South CaroHna Agricultural
Experiment Station, on Oats and Wheat, says:

"A comparison of four of the tests conducted on both farms indicates
that the inorganic Nitrogen (Nitrate of Soda) gave nearly 100 per cent, more
increase of yield than the organic {cotton-seed meal, dried blood, etc.), and
nearly 50 per cent, more than both forms used together."

TT i. A 1 Drill in with the wheat in the fall a mixture

How to Apply 1 r I I I

Nitrate of Soda °^ ^5° POunds ot phosphate and 50

^, pounds INitrate ot Soda per acre. If your

land is sandy, add 50 pounds of sulphate
of potash to the above. Early in the spring, sow broad-
cast 100 pounds Nitrate of Soda per acre.

Land sown to Wheat in the fall and seeded down with
timothy and clover giving a heavy crop, followed by a heavy
hay crop the following year, proved the beneficial aftereffect
of the Nitrate; that the Nitrate had not leached away as so
many critics claim, and also, 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, Va. 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."

Plants
<5

Two hundred pounds ot" ammonia salts contain as ^^^'^ ^^^
much Nitrogen as the 275 pounds Nitrate of Soda, but the
Nitate produces nearly four bushels more barley per acre.
It is evident that barley must have Nitrate and that it is
more effective than any Sulphate of Ammonia, dried blood or
cottonseed meal.

We would recommend drilling in with the Barley or
Oats a mixture of" 250 pounds Peruvian Barlev

o-uano and 100 pounds Nitrate of Soda j /^ *

«= 1 •,- 1 1 1 • J and Uats.

per acre, and if the land is very sandy

add TOO pounds sulphate of potash to the mixture.

NITRATE TEST

At Kentucky Kxperiment Station.

BULLETIN 99.

The Oats in this experiment were sown in April and
harvested in fuly. Plot No. i was one acre in area; the
others were one-half acre each.

No fertilizer, yield, 27.5 bushels.
160 Nitrate of Soda, yield, 37.1 bushels.
A Private Experimenter obtained results as below:

t. 400 pounds superphosphate and 300 pounds sul-
phate of potash 245 bushels per acre.

2. Same as plot i 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 sup-
plied by the ordinary so-called "Complete Potato Manure."

The New Jersey P^xperiment Station made some exper-
iments in Gloucester County, and the following table shows
the results:

Food for Experiments with Fertilizers on Sweet Potatoes.

Plants
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 $T -"JO 205 36 241

3. 200 lbs. Nitrate of Soda, 320 lbs.

bone-black, 160 lbs. muriate of

potash 12.34 270 58 32S

4. 20 tons stable manure 30.00 263 61 324

It will be seen that the addition of Nitrate of Soda to
the bone-black and potash gave an increase of 65 bushels
per acre, and that the Nitrate, bone-black and potash,,
together 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 sinooth of skin,
while at least one-third of those grown with barn-yard manure were rough
and partially covered with scurf."

At the Kentucky Experiment Station, experiments were
made with fertilizers on Burley Tobacco. The land was
^ , "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 or

Yield of tobacco — pounds. tobacco

Fertilizer per acre. Bright. Red. Lugs. Tips. Trash.Total. per acre.

1. No manure

2. 160 lbs. Nitrate of Soda. . .

3. 160 lbs. sulp. of potash; 160

lbs. Nitrate of Soda

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;.

200 360

60

540

1 1 60

$b-J .20'

230 450 310

90

530

1610

138.40

190 755 605

120

140

1810

190.45

Nitrate of Soda

arising

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!

We recommend for tobacco a mixture of
200 pounds Nitrate of Soda, 300 pounds super-
phosphate and 200 pounds sulphate of potash
per acre. This mixture would cost about
^28.00 per ton and would contain over 6
per cent, of Nitrogen (equal to nearly 8 per
cent, of ammonia). This is nearly twice as
much Nitrogen as would be obtained in a
"complete fertilizer" or "special tobacco
manure," costing $35.00 per ton.

Milkmen, who sell milk in our cities, , ^
,1 • 11 for Forage Crops,

know the great inconvenience and loss ^ ^

from a failure of green fodder from drouth.

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 s6ur 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
absolutely necessary for the growth of his early plants ? He

Food for
Plants

17

Food for tYi^y gg(- i(-^ as before stated, from an excessive and continuous

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 lOO 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.

It has been found by experiments made at
oma oes. ^j^^ New Jersey Experiment Station for

a period of three years, that Nitrate of Soda, applied when
the plants are set out, greatly increased 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
ICind of fertilizer used and quantity per Cost of acre in Value of

acre. fertilizer. bushels. crop.

«. No manure 613 gaoS.bi

\Z. 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
•<ioes 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."

Professor W. W. Massey, of the North Carolina Experi- ^^^d f&r-
ment Station, writes as follows:

"In the spring of 1888 I top-dressed an old strawberry bed, in its fifth
year of bearing, with 300 pounds of Nitrate of Soda per acre. I had intended
to plow it up the previous summer, but other matters prevented, and the becS
was in an exhausted condition and rather foul with white clover and sorrel.
The effect was amazing, for this bed of an acre and a quarter, from which
I expected hardly anything, gave me 7,000 quarts of berries : Variety
Crescent with fertilizing rows of Wilson, Sharpless and others. I he crop
was nearly as large as the best plot had made."

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 2^
pounds. The prices range, according to earliness anJ
quality, from 10 cents to 25 cents per bunch at wholesale^
or from $80 to $200 per ton.

Bv leaving out all these considerations and assuming

that the non-Nitrated asparagus yields three tons per acre

and sells for $100 per ton, and that the Nitrated asparagus

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 $ 100 per acre.

With Nitrate of Soda 1,000 per acre.

The first thing to do is to prepare the gow to Mix and
fertilizers, and if they are all to be used at Ar,r,iv Nitrate of
the same time mix them together. Soda and Other

Nitrate of Soda comes from South pgrtilizers
America in 224-pound bags, and is usually '
thus sold. The Nitrate looks much like coarse salt. The
lumps should be broken, 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.

Plants

19

Food for
Plants

20

Potash Salts come trom Germany in bags weighing 224
pounds each. When lumpy they should be broken as above
directed. If the 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 fertilizers
are to be used, as the mixture may attract moisture and get
hard if left too long after mixing. In Europe small hand

One Hundred Bushels of Ears of Corn per Acre.
Before Harvesting.

machines are used by farmers for grinding and mixing, and
cost about twenty-five dollars. It is also in use in America.
Potatoes ^^ ^" rows marked only one way, scatter

How to Apply. ^ mixture of, say, 200 pounds Nitrate,

350 pounds superphosphate and 100 pounds
sulphate of potash along the rows, a handful to every step.
If in thus walking you step three feet, this will put on about
600 pounds per 'acre; if only two feet, 900 pounds per acre.
Run a fine tooth cultivator along the rows to mix the fertil-

zers with the soil. It will, of course, be necessary to mark
out the rows again before planting the potatoes. If planted

n hills marked both ways, drop a handful on each hill and
mix well with a hoe.

Apply the same mixture as recommended for potatoes

Food for
Plants

21

30 Bushels 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 200 Pounds Nitrate, 200
Pounds Sulphate of Potash, 1,000
Pounds Thomas Phosphate
Powder.

Food for jjp(^i jj^ the same way. it usually will not pay to use more
Plants f}^3p (jj^g ounce, or about one-half handful to a hill.

22 n uu ^ For growing cabbages and cauliflower

Corn, Cabbages 111

, r. ffl sow broadcast the same mixture as recom-

and Caulinower. 1 1 r • n 1 ir 1

mended tor potatoes, using a small handiul

to each square yard of ground, and rake or harrow it in
before sowing the seed.

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
heavily manured for a number of years Nitrate of Soda alone
may do as much good as the mixture. In this case, the
Nitrate may be used after the plants are set out— a tea-
spoonful to a plant.

For late cabbage, set 2^ to 3 feet apart each way. It
is a good plan to apply the fertilizers after the plants are
set out. To do this, scatter a small handful of the mixture
recommended for potatoes near, but not on, each plant.
Cultivate this in with a small tooth cultivator. It is best
to go twice on each row, dropping the fertilizer on both
sides of the plants, using half the quantity on each side.

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 Nitrate of Soda per
acre, or a small handful to each square yard. If heavy rains
occur, it is well to give the plants another application of
Nitrate. This need not be as heavy as the first application-
Market For* garden crops such as beets, carrots,.
Garden Crops. parsnips, onions, spinach, lettuce, etc., sow
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 ofi such land often has a
wonderful effect.

In setting out a new bed, scatter along the

£raw ernes. ^^^^ ^^^ cultivate in, before the plants are

set out, the same mixture as for potatoes. It is well to

scatter the fertilizers for a foot on

side of the rows so that the runners

have something to feed upon. In

spring sow Nitrate of Soda on the

broadcast at the rate of

about 200 pounds per -,

acre. On old beds sow^'^

the mixture broadcast

in the jail and an ad- "^

ditional 200 pounds of

Nitrate per acre in the spring.

Food for
Plants

23

Raspberries,

Currants,

Gooseberries.

Sow broadcast, in the fall, a mixture of,
sa\', ^50 pounds of superphosphate and 100
pounds muriate of potash per acre. This
can be done, if the rows are six feet apart,
by sowing 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, bur
if you do not want to put on so much, use smaller handfuls.
If the superphosphate 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.

Since Nitrate of Soda and muriate of pot-
ash are brought to this country bv sea, and
phosphate is usually transported from the
mmes in vessels, «// these materials, as a rule,
<aii he purchased at the seaports cheaper
than in the interior. New York is the largest market for
these materials, but Philadelphia, Baltimore, Charleston,
Mobile, New Orleans and San Francisco are also porrs
of entry.

Lower prices can be obtained by buving fertilizing
materials in car-load lots. A car-load is not less than ten
tons. // vou cannot use a car-load yourself, get your neighbors
to join with you. From ;$2.oo to $4.00 per ton can often be
saved in this way.

In buying Phosphates always consider the percentage
of available phosphoric acid. You should not pay more than
5 cents per pound for the phosphoric acid. I hat is, if the

How and
Where to Buy
Fertilizing
Materials.

Food for superphosphate analyzes 14 per cent, of available phosphoric
^^^°*^ acid, a ton would contain 280 pounds, and should not cost
24 more than $14.00 per ton. Thomas Phosphate Powder is
also an important Phosphatic Plant Food.

The various "brands" of fertilizers are composed, for
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
"complete fertilizers."

Special Crops.

The land is first marked and a furrower

PP yiiig j-^j^ along the rows, making a furrow about

Fertilizers for ^^^^^ -^^^^^^ ^^^^ j^ ^j^-^ ^^^^.^^^ ^^^ f^^^j|_

Potatoes. -^gj. jg applied, either by hand, or with 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 furrows after the fertilizer is applied.
On What Crops Theoretically, a given quantity of Nitrate

TVT-i. i. 01- ij Will produce a given amount ot plant
Nitrate Should , ^ i=> r

, TTT J substance. A ton of Wheat, btraw and

be Used. . , . , ,

gram together contain about 1,500 pounds

of dry matter, 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 4!
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 usq
fertilizers than on vegetables and small fruits, provided they

are used rightly. Many failures with chemical fertilizers are ^^^d for

caused by lack of knowledge. Stable manure, when used in __^1

sufficient quantities, almost invariably pro- Fertilizers for ^^

duces good results, while the unintelligent Vegetables and
use of chemical fertilizers does not do as Small Fruits,
well. In this way many gardeners are
persuaded that there is nothing equal to stable manure,
which they continue to use in large quantities, paying in
many cases fully twice as much for it as the plant food it
contains is worth. There is no doubt but that stable
manure is valuable as a fertilizer, and in many cases is indis-
pensable, but at the same time the 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 cabbao;e and beets, that „„ ^ _ ^.,.
. . , . Ti r -J .V What Fertilizers

It IS desirable to force to rapid maturity, ^ tt f p

the kind of the plant food, especially of ^ ^

^x. ■ • r 1 • . den Crops.

Nitrogen, is ot the greatest importance. ^

Many fertilizers sold for this purpose have all the Nitrogen
they contain in insoluble and unavailable form, so that it
requires a considerable time for the plants to get it. Another
fault is that they do not contain nearly enough Nitrogen.
Stable manure contains on the average in one ton, lo
pounds Nitrogen, lo 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 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
ammoniate immediately available as plant food.

The best fertilizer is a mixture of 200 ^ ^ .

jrivT- roj J- J Beets, Onions

pounds of Nitrate of Soda and 350 pounds ^^^ '

phosphate. A small quantity of sulphate Carrots

of potash should be added when the land

is sandy.

In applying fertilizers it should be remem-

bered that any form of phosphoric acid, PP y

such as acid phosphate, dissolved bone- .|!

bUck, bone meal or Thomas Phosphate

Powder is only partially soluble, and will not circulate in

S"ood for fjie sQJl These fertilizers should theretore be evenly dis-

^° ^ tributed over the soil and well mixed with it. This is

26 usually best done by applying broadcast before sowing the
seed and before the ground is thoroughly 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 either be
applied with the phosphate before sowing the seed or scat-
tered on the surface of the ground as soon as the plants
are up. This latter method,Top-Dressing, is usually the best.

The best way is to scatter the fertilizer for

^ , ' two feet around the hills and rake it into

Cucumbers and u 1 • u i 1 1 -ru-

the sou with a steel garden rake. 1 his

" ■ not only mixes the fertilizer with the

^oil, but It loosens the ground and kills all small weeds
'that are coming up.

Comparative ^°"^^ interesting and valuable experi-

Availabilitv of ments were made at the Connecticut Ex-

ivTji^^ : periment Station, to ascertain how much

JNitrogen in r 1 at- • 1 • 1 • 1

^ro,:^, -c" ~ or the JNitroeen contained in such materials
Various Forms. j • 1 i i ^j 1 ^ c u a

as dried blood, tankage, dry hsh, and cotton-
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 ot Nitrogen. Crop Increase.

ISIitrate of Soda 100

Dried Blood 73

Cotton-seed Meal 72

Dry Fish 70

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
3ess available, only a little over half being used by the crop.

I VNn

These experiments were made with corn, which grows for ^^^'^^ ^^^

a long period when the ground is warm and the conditions ^°*^

most favorable to render the Nitrogen in organic substances ^7
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 less per pound than in
almost any other form, the advantage and economy of pur-
chasing and using this form is very apparent.

It is always more economical to buy the

,-n- r ■^■ • ^ • 1 J " i^u What Fertilizers

difterent fertilizing materials and mix them

at home than to purchase "complete" ferti- ^'

lizers as they are often called. Some do not wish to take pains
to get good materials and mix them, and prefer to purchase
the "complete" fertilizers. If this be done, j-/5ff/<7/ attention
should be given to ascertaming in zvhat form the Nitrogen
or '■'■ammonia' exists. Many of the manufacturers do not
tell this, but the Experiment Stations analyze all the fertiliz-
ers sold in their respective States and publish the results in
Inilletins, which are sent free to any one asking for them.
Ihese analyses should show in what form the Nitrogen is.
The ^^ complete fertilizers" that contain the most Nitroge??
or ^'ammonia'' in the form of Nitrate are the ones to use, and
tl.>e ones which do not contain Nitrate or which do not give
information of this vital point should not he purchased. If
yon have on hand a "complete fertilizer" containing a small
percentage of Nitrogen or ammonia, and only in organic
form, such as cotton-seed, "tankage," etc., it will be of great
advantage to use lOO pounds per acre of Nitrate of Soda in
addition to this fertilizer. This is often an economical and
convenient method of buying fertilizers.

The Alabama Agricultural Experiment Fertilizing

Station at Auburn, Alabama, has made Cotton,

some interesting experiments in fertilizing
C\)tton. Experiments were conducted in many different
parts of the State and on various kinds of soil.

It was noticed that in nearly every case 96 pounds
Nitrate of Soda, w^hen 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.

28

Food for except on sandy land. While the "no fertilizer" acre
^^^"^^ aave 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 Nitro-
gen, but it tends to make the soil sour, stale and mouldy. Its
use should never exclude the use of Nitrate Nitrogen, /. e..
Nitrate of Soda, at the rate of lOO pounds to the acre.

Make two hales of cotton on the same land with the same
labor which now makes one. Nitrate of Soda fed to grow-
ing crops at the right time repays its cost many times over.

Experiments with Fertilizers on Cotton.

NITRATE.

NITRATE

Locality and Character of Soil.

Barbour Co., Sandy Loam . . . .

Elmore Co., Gray Sand

Elowah Co., Red Loam

Grfiene 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

Yield

per Acre.

Lbs.

624
469
240
104

347
312

288

200
648

J3

Yield,

per Acre,

Lbs.

672

736
616

480
480
600
928
448

384
640
816

CO -S

:< 5.

CO o

0> M

Yield,

per Acre,

Lbs.

I216
1088
1000

960

800

640

864

1080

800

752

744
936

u<;

o o

Yield

per Acre.

Lbs.

768
960
720
1056
704
624

688
1096
544
544
760

784

-g ii

1- T3 »- ^

CO

Yield

per Acre

Lbs.

1020
1088

952
1256
848
816
904
I 120
800

544
800
968

At least a half of the Nitrogen applied should be in the
form of Nitrate of Soda. The reason for this is that all the
Nitrogen in the cotton-seed meal is not immediately avail-
able. It only becomes so after undergoing the process of
soil Nitration. 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, in its most critical stage, is held back and
checked in its growth, jrom which it never fully recovers.

On the other hand, if a small quantity of Nitrate is used, the ^^o^ ^o^

plant can take it up at once and get a good strong start by the ^^^1

time the cotton-seed meal is converted into the Nitrate form, 29
the only form that can be used by the plant.

Experiments with Nitrate on Cotton.
South Carolina, 1904.

POUNDS OF THE FOI,I,OWING MATERIAI, TO THE ACRE.

Plot.

Peru

Acid

Kainit.

c. s.

Nit.

Nitrate

Mur.

Manufactured
Fertilizer.

! Pounds
Seed-Cot-

Guano

Phos.

Meal.

Soda.

Potash.

Pot.

ton to the

4-S-4.

2^-8-2

Acre.

0000

100

200

200

300

200

1
1740 lbs.

000

100

200

200

300

ICO

1

IIIO '

00

200

400

400

600

1140 '

0

TOO

200

200

300

IOC

! 960 '

I

450 '

2

200

450 '

3

200

450 '

4

200

540 '

5

ICO

600 '

6

100

750 '

7

300 '

«

100

390 '

9

200

540 '

10

•

200

540 '

II

200

540 '

12

200

200

300

1 r° :

13

200

300

100

810 '

14

330 '

15

200

200

100

960 '

16

200

200

300

100

IIIO '

17

200

2CO

300

50

870 •

18

200

300

100

66

1050 '

39

300

300

100

100

II40 •

20

300

200

ro2o '

21

450 '

22

350

200

200

t290 '

23

350

300

i50

1350 '

24

100

200

200

300

780 '

25

200

200

200

300

960 '

26

400

930 '

27

300

300

100

1170 '

2S

540 '

29

500

840 '

30 !

100

200

200

300

900 '

31

100

20a

200

300

810 '

32

100

200

200

3CO

'

930 '

33

100

200

200

300

780 '

34

Goo

960 '

35

350

200

250

1230 '

36

480 '•

Bal-

,

ance of
Harm

100

200

200

300

80

1250 '

1

Food for J he above is a copy of a series of experiments conducted

Plants ^^^. £ g gj^^i^j^^ £g^^ ^f Centenery, S. C. Mr. Smith

30 explains the low average production of the 36 experimental
plots, 777 lbs., as compared with 1250 lbs. average for the
balance of the farm, first by the fact that in many instances
no fertilizer or much less than the regular formula for the
balance of the farm was used, and also savs: "The low
average production of the experimental plots as compared
with the rest of the farm may also be accounted for by the
differences in time of preparation and planting, and the
coming up of the crop, which was slow on account of the
drought, after planting." In experiment No. ^o Peterkin
seed was used, in No. 31 Black seed, in No. 32 Cook's
Improved, and in No. 33 Mr. Smith used his own cotton-seed.

.1 ; .f. .->•,■ ■»

..^

The Cotton Bolls on the Nitrate Plot were better developed and larger, ami

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; ^ood for
on heavy bottom lands the growth may be heavy, but the ^^J —
proportion of lint to the whole plant very much reduced. i^

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.

The plant-food needs of cotton are shown by the plant
food actually contained in the whole crop, as follows:

T>int . .
Seed . .
Bolls . .
Leaves
Stems. .
Roots. .

Ammonia

(Nitrogen).

Phos. Acid.

Potash.

Pounds.

Pounds.

Pounds.

Pounds.

300

•87

.18

2.22

654

24 . 30

6.66

7-63

404

5-45

1. 14

12.20

575

16.76

2.57

(^■57

658

6.26

1 .22

7-74

250

1 .96

■38

2.75

2,841 55.60 12.15 39. IJ

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;,
but, with this crop especially, cheap ammoniates are very
dear. The cotton plant should have stored up all the food
it needs by the 1st or 15th of August; frotn this time on
grotuth should be checked that the plant may develop the
forynation 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 (rrade ammoniates, such as cotton-seed meal, green
manuring, tankage, and dried blood, continue to supply
ai.'ailable Nitrogen until checked by cold weather, hence
these forms of ammoniates are not desirable for the most
economical 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

Food for seeding. As soon as the plants are well above ground, top
^^ ^ dress along the rows with lOO pounds of Nitrate of Soda
32 per acre, and work well in with the cultivator. This fur-
nishes the cotton plant with precisely the Best Form of
Ammoniate, viz., Nitrated Ammonia, for rapid growth, and
does not continue to push the plant long after new growth
should have ceased.

A good formula for a Cotton fertilizer', per acre, is:

Cotton-seed meal loo lbs.

Phosphate (14 per cent.) 500

Muriate of Potash 100 "

One hundred pounds more of Nitrate of Soda should
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 ot 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.

For Hemp, 1 00 pounds 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. Apply, also,
about 250 pounds of muriate of potash at the time ot plant-
ing in both cases, with 250 pounds superphosphate. The
above ingredients may be mixed and put on in one
application.

Fruits.

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
practically 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. It is evident ^°°^ ^°^
that a few crops of plums or apricots will materially reduce ^° ^
the amount of Nitrogen in the soil, which is usually deficient 33
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 groiun, and cultivate in to get
the Nitrate mixed with the moist soil."

Unless it is known that there is sufficient ^ ....

, , . . , . 1 • 1 -1 Quantities

phosphoric acid and potash in the sous, -r. • j j

^ ^ r -, ,^ , ^ -r Required and

superphosphate or bone meal, and it q,. + a 1

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 potash 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.

After investigating the requirements of Figs.

the fig, Professor George E. Colby, of the

University of California Experiment 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
material. It will probably be best to use in addition to the
Nitrate an equal quantity of bone meal phosphate, say two
pounds of each per tree, applied as recommended for plums
and apricots.

Profitable Onion Cultivation.

There is no crop that can be grown so Adaptability of
successfully on a large scale, on such a the Onion to
variety of soil and climate, and that will all Soils,
respond more profitably to intelligent cultivation and fer-

Food for tilizine, than the onion. The American farmer has usually
been willing to leave the growing of this savory vegetable
34 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 profit.

We shall consider here the growing of onions only as a
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
supply 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 ver)^ 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 ingre-
dient 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

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Food for fertilizers, it should have a liberal supply of that element

^^^°^^ Character of '" ^'^^ ^^^^ possible form, viz.: Nitrate of

^^ Plant Food Re- S^^'^" ^^ ^"°^ ^^^^ '^ ^ yo""g P'g ^^

quired bv the ^^^^ *^°^^ "°^ ^^^^^ ^" abundance of the

Q • right kind of food when it is young it

becomes stunted in growth and never re-
covers 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 temperature.

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, harrowing,
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 belief,
does not require any special kind of soil, such as murk,
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 inter-
fere 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 wdiich should be
about twenty feet apart, as the stones would make it impossi-
ble to do good work with the weeder and wheel hoe.

„ . , In selecting your field for onions it is, of

Necessity of j • ui u i •

. -^ . course, advisable to choose one that is

likely to be affected as little as possible in

the event of a severe drought, and it is for

this reason that onions, cabbage and those crops that espe-

cially require large quantities of moisture during their ^^^^ ^^^
growth are usually grown upon bottom lands. Plants

Ploughing for the onion crop should ^ ,,. .. 37

preferably be done in 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 furrows 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
permit in the spring it should be worked ^^^ ^^ ° ^
over with the harrow or pulverizer as arrow an
deeply as the ground will allow and rolled " verizer.
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 w^eek until it is time to sow the seed,
which is in this latitude wiien 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-
ably be necessary to weed them once by hand. This will
not prove to be a tedious job if the weeder and wheel hoe
have been used with good judgment.

Food for Nitrate should be applied as follows: One hundred

. ^^ Fertilizing pounds scattered broadcast over the Held

38 within a week after the seed is sown and

before the plants break through the ground, and two more
applications broadcast consisting of 100 pounds each at
intervals 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
if a drought occurs in July, and the onions
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.
Use 01 v^oin- i-i 1 !•

„ . like asparagus, seems to have a peculiar

mon Salt. r j r 1 t-l 1 r

tondness tor salt. 1 he results of experi-
ments 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 in 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 potash are used the time of making the application
should be the same. Most vegetables will give greatly
increased returns from the use of chemicals ^f lime is
emplo\ed in conjunction with them.

An application of 75 bushels per acre of ground quick-
lime has also proved preventive of onion smut.
Use of Thomas ^" regard to the best source from which
Sla? and of ^^ obtain the phosphoric acid for our onions

T- it is plain that we must be guided by the

character of the soil. For instance, if it is

a strong, deep soil, rich in humus, with an excessive quantity ^^^'^ 'o*"
of organic matter and acid, it is deficient in lime. On muck ^^^°^
and acid soils basic slag if very finely ground seems to give 39
better results with most crops than acid phosphate. This
is due to the fact that the basic slag contains from 40 to 50
per cent, of lime, which is necessary to neutralize the excess
of acids present which are detrimental to plant growth.

If the soil is a medium heavy clay upland and not acid
it is best to use the acid phosphate which contains, besides
the phosphoric acid, about 50 per cent, of calcium sulphate
(gypsum). This unlocks the natural potash in the soil.

7 he 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.

Ions per acre, average 8.90 14.02

Market vfl/u^.^^r /on, average 5 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.

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 and Dr. Steglich, Dresden, the wood, foliage and
fruit of apple, pear, cherry and bush fruits consume yearly
per square yard of surface shaded by the tree or bush, 219
grains of Nitrogen, 65 grains of phosphoric acid, and 284

Food for grains of actual potash; equivalent to fertilizer chemicals
.I"^ as follows:

4° Nitrate of Soda, per square yard 3.5 ounces

Acid Phosphate, per square yard 1.5

Muriate Potash, per square yard 1.5 "

■ Amount of Ra- Except on high-priced land, garden crops
tion of Plant should not be grown in orchards, but

Food for One where this custom is followed the quantity

J of plant food should be increased to suit

the needs of the additional crop to be
grown. 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
ammonia 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
Osterode, Germany.

The rational fertilization of fruit trees depends somewhat
upon their period of growth; young trees need ample sup-
plies 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 accordingly.

Apples. Cherries. Plums.

Unfertilized 100 lbs. 100 lbs. 100 lbs.

Fertilized 3,420 lbs. 218 lbs. 329 lbs.

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 ^°o^ *°^
clean and mellow. Stable manure is very objectionable on ^° ^
account of its weed seeds. It is only by a quick, even 4i
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.

Market Gardening with Nitrate.

The following is the result of a practical
study of conditions on a large truck farm, Results in an
near New York.- In every case the opera- Unfavorable
tions of the farm were carried out on a Growing Sea-
strictly business basis. The soil is a '°^ ^^*^ ^°^
heavy clay with a rather intractable clay Prices for
subsoil, decidedly not a soil naturally suited Products,
to growing garden crops. The weather was unfavorable,
including the most severe drought in thirty years; from
March 22d 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
applied to the three test plots April loth, 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 i April 24th; and, on the 29th, a third applica-
tion of equal amount.

The experiment comprised three plots, two fertilized
with Nitrate of Soda, and one without Nitrate, plot 3.
Plots I and 2, treated with the Nitrate, produced marketable
stalks ten days in advance of plot 3, a very material advan-

42

Food for tage jn obtaining the higli prices ot an early market. The
^^^^^^ results were as follows, in bunches per acre:

Plot and Fertilizer. Bunches per acre. (jain.

3. No Nitrate 560 —

2. 200 lbs. Nitrate 680 120

I. 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 8 . 40 4 . 20 —

Applying fertilizer 2.00 i.oo —

Net receipts i97-50 161.50 $112.00

Nitrate made gain ^5 • 5° 44-30

The use of 400 pounds of Nitrate of Soda produced on
plot I a gain of ^85.50 on a fertilizer and application cost
of $10.40; the use of 200 pounds of Nitrate r-eturned a 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 loth, in rows two feet apart; on May 2 2d,
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

iiicr63.S6 in ^ . .

P rt R t June 19th; in all 400 pounds of Nitrate of

|1 .. Soda per acre. Half the field was not

„ It H treated with Nitrate. In the case of the

„ e • Black Wax beans, the Nitrated land gave a

well as Saving , , . , ,. , '='

_,. crop 6 days in advance ot the part not

in Time. 1 '1 at- j u

treated with JNitrate, and the same gain

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 ripening, the average price

of the Nitrated black wax beans averaged some 60 percent.

Table Beets
Grown on
Nitrate were
Ready for Mar-
ket 1 6 Days
Ahead of Un-
fertilized Plots.

43

higher than the portion of the field not treated with Nitrate ^'o^^ ^^^
of Soda; in like manner, the increased price
beans was 45 per cent.

Beets.

The crop must be forced to quick growth
in order to obtain tender, crisp vegetables,
quickly salable and at good prices. Nitrate
of Soda was compared with unfertilized
soil, with the result that on the Nitrated
plots, marketable beets were pulled 56
days from seeding; the unfertilized plot
required 72 days to produce marketable
vegetables. Nitrate of Soda was applied at the rate ot 500
pounds per acre, in lour applications.

500 lbs. Nitrate of Soda to the acre, in four applications.

No Nitrate.

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 tt^^, „ r^r...
, r 1 • r How a Crop

the rate of 575 pounds per acre, m five ^^^ g^^^^^ ^^^^^

apphcations ranging from May ist to June 'p-x„j paii„rp

17th. The part of the plot not treated with

Nitrate of Soda was a total failure, but allowing the same

Food for number of plants as the fertilized portion, and also allowing
for difference in price on account of later ripening, the crop
44 on the portion not treated with Nitrate

o ar pen should have returned a gross amount of
in Nitrate Re- ^292.50. The Nitrated portion returned
turned $21.00 ^^^^^ receipts of $720, from which deduct-
in Increased -^^ $19.50 for fertilizer and application of
^^P' 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.

Cabbage.

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 23 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. 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 man-
ner into the soil 300 to 400 pounds of Nitrate of Soda. Soil
Nitration cannot be depended on under any circumstances
for supplying enough natural Nitrate for cabbage. Nitrate
of Soda is the only immediately predigested Nitrated am-
moniate 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.

Formula for Cabbage per acre:

Nitrate of Soda 200 lbs.

Superphosphate 350 "

Sulphate of Potash 100 "

Celery.

Crisp stalks of rich nutty flavor are a matter of rapid,
unchecked growth, and plant food must be present in
unstinted 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
breaking the soil to a depth of lo inches. Thirty bushels

of slaked lime were broadcasted per acre -p^f^^^^^i^o^,,

. r n J k Extraordinary

immediately after plowing, followed by a Returns on
dressing of 20 tons of stable manure, all Celerv
well worked into the soil. Plants were set
May loth. The tract was portioned into three tracts for
experimental purposes; plot i received 675 pounds of Ni-
trate of Soda per acre in six applications. May i6th, 22nd,
June 1st, loth, 17th and 24th. Plot 2 received 475 pounds
in five applications. May i6th, 22nd, June ist, 17th and
24th. Plot 3 was not treated with Nitrate of Soda.

Plot I was ready for market July 6th, and was all off
by the loth. Plot 2 was ready for market July i ith 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 for 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 ferti-
lizer, leaving $662.58 per acre net. Plot i 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 lOth 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
i6th, 22nd, 29th, June 3rd, 9th, 15th, 22nd and 26th;
making a total of 165 pounds of Nitrate of Soda per acre.

Food for
Plants

45

Food for Qj^ 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,

15th, 24th, and August 8th. This practically doubled the

Nitrate application.

^ . . rr- The first picking on the Nitrated plot

Gain in Time i t 1 1 >t- i

. ., . ^ was made uly ist, on the non-Nitrated

in this Crop 1 t 1 i 1 • 1

Very Remark- P^°^ J"v ^^^^' ^"^" P"^^^ ^^^^ ^^ ^"^
, J ,p lowest point. After the early market sea-

W k ' Ad ^^^ ^^^ over, the vines were treated for

pickling cucumbers, the Nitrated plot re-
ceiving 50 pounds of Nitrate of Soda dis-
solved in water as before; later, two applications of a quart
^ach, containing half an ounce per gallon. The result was
that the vines continued bearing until cut down by frost.
The estimated yields were as follows: Nitrated plot, per
acre, 6,739 dozen, plot not Nitrated gave per acre 948 dozen.

Sweet Com.

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 second 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 cultivated into the soil. The total Nitrate
applied to the experimental plot amounted to 325 pounds
per acre. The Nitrated plot ripened corn 5 days ahead of
the non-Nitrated portion, and produced gg^ 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 ot 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
application of Nitrate in solution. June 1st 150 pounds
were applied, on the tenth this was repeated, and on June
22nd a 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-,Sg^ fruits, all of good quality; the non-
Nitrated plot produced only 8,^12 fruits per acre.

Food for
Plants

47

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;

750 lbs. Nitrate of Soda to the acre, in 5 applications.

No Nitrate.

May I2th, 200 pounds; May i8th, 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

Food for p^y Q^yg 1,72^ dozen heads, and so early to the market that the
^° ^ average wholesale price was 25 cents per dozen; per acre,
4^ ^431.00. From this we must deduct ^20.00 for Nitrate and
the expense of applying same, leaving Aet ^411.00. On the
non-Nitrated plot only about ^ per cent, of the plants headed,
and these reached the riiarket 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 i 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 375 lbs. of Nitrate of Soda No Nitrate,

acre, in 6 applications. to the acre, in 4

applications.

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

followmg table gives the results by plots, computed to an

acre basis: t... t-.. .,

Nitrate, Nitrate, No

675 lbs. 375 lbs. Nitrate.

Total yield 756 bu. 482 bu. 127 bu.

Per cent, scullions 1.5 1.7 ig.o

Average price per bushel 75 cts. 65 cts. 35 cts.

Total receipts ^^567. 00 ^3^3 -30 $44.50

Fertilizer cost 20. 17 9-30

Total net receipts 546.83 304.00 44 -S^

The results show very clearly that but for the Nitrate ^^^^ ^°^
applications, the crop must have been a failure in every
respect. 49

Early Peas

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 i. May i.

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. tt.

Total yield (p. ct.) 165 100 168 100

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 ist 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 Ni-
trated 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
obtained was 80 cents per bushel. The Nitrated plot pro-
duced 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. Deducting the cost of Nitrate of Soda and the expense

Food for q{ applying same, the Nitrated crop was worth ^463.30 per

^*^ acre, while the non-Nitrated plot returned only ^69.00 per

50 acre. For every dollar expended for Nitrate of Soda, the
crop increase gave $30.18 return.

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 Ni-
trated plot, marketable tubers, amounted to 57^ bushels; on
the non-Nitrated plot the yield amounted to 2ji bushels
rwarketable tubers. The gain for Nitrate of Soda was 143
bushels, or nearly 62 per cent, increase.

Early Tomatoes.

ff^ith this crop the object is to mature quickly, rather than
obtain a heavy acre yield; one basket of early tomatoes at $1.2^
ts worth more than 75 baskets later in the season, when the
price ts 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: ist, 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:

Nitrate. No Nitrate.

Plants set out in field May 17. May 17.

First picking Jun« 30. July 1 9.

Days, setting to first picking 43 62

Crop at ;^i .00 and upward per basket 40 p.c.

30 " 10 p. c.

io " 15

•75

.50
.30

.25

.15

.08

Estimate

d

yield per acre, baskets

10 20

25

15

'5

500 600

Gross receipts ^377-5° $190.20

Cost of fertilizer and application i°-35

Net receipts 367.15 1 90 . 20

Gain per acre for Nitrate 1 76 . 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 ^"^^

51

o
l-l
u
a
u

O

B

o

"q.
a.
re

c^i

c

V

re

O
C/5

o

CO

crop to an early yield, and while the applications of Nitrate
of Soda seem large and are large in proportion to the actual

Food for needs of the crops grown, at the same time the nature of

. market-gardening requires free use of immediately available «

^^ pla77t food, and the results show that such use is very prof-
itable. Other crops than those enuhierated were experi-
mented with, notably Carrots, Kale, Lima Beans, Melons,
Rhubarb, Spinach, Strawberries, Endive and Kohl-Rabi.
While the detail of results is not given, illustrations from
actual photographs show the increased growth from the use
of Nitrate of Soda.

Late Spinach.

350 lbs. Nitrate of Soda to the acre, in 2 applications.

No Nitrate.

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.

Food for
Plants

Hints for Right Use of Nitrate.

The points to be observed in the use of Nitrate of Soda 53
are: Avoid an excess; make frequent small applications
rather than single large ones; avoid wetting the foliage with
solutions of it; 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 a Nitrated ammoniate, and is immediately available
as plant food. The fertilizer suggested above may be
applied at the rate of 1,500 pounds per acre. Subsequent
applications 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. Apply the Nitrate well mixed with
fine dry soil at the rate of I ounce, to h ounce per hill.
The general fertilizer may be economized somewhat by using
a handful in each hill rather than by making a general
application.

The Medical Record for July had an article on "Typhoid
Fever from Sources Other than Water Supply," the point of
which was that infection frotn the soil luas more common
than most physicians supposed. The germ may be in
vegetables^ in dust blown by the wind, and flies are active
agents in carrying it about. The writer warns those who
have the care of the sick never to bury the excreta of
patients. It is the surest way, he says, of "perpetuating
the disease in any locality, keeping it alive for years and
causing it to become epidemic." He observes that "there is
good evidence that the typhoid bacillus grows to the surface
in a mixture of soil and fecal matter, like a fungus in a
hot-bed, so that burial is no protection whatever against its
spread." Unfortunately, in almost every town or village
there are physicians who ignorantly insist on burying typhoid
material in the earth as the best way to dispose of it.
Chemical fertilizer should always be used by market
gardeners.

Food for Always use Chemical Fertilizers for all Market Garden

Purposes Without Fail.

54

HoAv to Use Chemical Fertilizers
to Advantage.

All p Crops grow only in consequence of the

How All l^rOpS rii 1 I'l* 1 'ii

lood placed at their disposal; practicallv,
Grow. Lrji r • L-

the food plants consist or certain combina-
tions or mixtures of ammonia, phosphoric acid and potash.
Not any one, nor any two, but all three. AH soils contain-
some of these plant foods, and few soils contain them in very
large quantities. Fortunately for the permanence of agri-
culture, nature does not permit these natural supplies to be
drawn upon freely, and any attempt to overforce the soil
by injudicious farming is met by a temporary exhaustion.

The so-called"artificial manures"are simply

As to the Na- u • i • u . u- u

chemical or organic substances which con-

ture of Chemi- ^ . r .u .u i . r

tain one or more or the three elements ot

cal Manures. i ^ r j

plant rood.

The use of Nitrate of Soda is well known
Nitrate as a ^^ ^ top-dressing for small grains. Wheat

lop-Dressing ^^ strong clay will repay an application of

for Grains, jqq pounds of Nitrate per acre, even if

Grasses, Root- already heavily manured.
Crops, Pas- Yqt Roots lOO pounds at seed time and

tures, Soiling jqq pounds after thinning is found profit-

Crops, able.

The form of ammoniate most active as

plant food is the Nitrated form, namely;

ncreases Nitrate of Soda. All other ammoniates

ea rops. 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 ammonia (Nitrogen) in Nitrate of Soda to a soil

which contains several thousand pounds of ammonia 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 ^^o** ^°"^

value of Nitrate." The ammonia of Nitrate of Soda, Nitrated ^^^°^

ammonia, it may be called for convenience, is immediatelv 55

available as plant food, and it should therefore only be

applied until plants are ready to use it. By such a readv

supply of available ammoniate 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. The famous e.xperiments of La-wes and Gilbert

at Rothamsted have demonstrated that ,t-. . r-

, ... , , Nitrate Com-

cereals utilize more than three times as , .,,

much of the Nitrogen in Nitrate of Soda ^ ,1.,

r L AT- / • \ 1 Farmyard Ma -

as ot the iNitrogen (ammonia) contained

in farmyard manure; in practice, four and

one-half tons of farmyard manure supply only as much

available ammoniate usable plant food as lOO pounds of

Nitrate of Soda.

WTieat.

From lOO to 200 pounds of Nitrate of .^j,, t^,

5oda per acre should be broadcasted on i. • t-

, ^ , 11- ments in Eng-

wheat, as soon as the new growth shows in . ,

the spring. The results of such treatment

are shown by experiments made by three English gentlemen,

which are tabulated as follows:

I. NoNitrate, 23 bu. 300 lbs. Nitrate, 33.5 bu. Gain 46 p. ct

n. " 15 " 300 " " 28.0 " " 87 "

III. " 34 " 300 " " 49.0 " " 44 "

Average " 59
Another illustration is an experiment ^ .. ,

made by the late Dr. Voelcker; 672 pounds t.«^ , ^

r- ^ , , : . ' ^ . Meal Compared

ot cotton-seed meal were used in compari- .,, ,t.x J

• , 1 r TVT- r o 1 with Nitrate,

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 2^ per

cent., the above enormous application of cotton-seed meal

yielding but 37.7 bushels per acre.

Oats.

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.

56

Food for while the soil without Nitrate gave a crop of only ^6 bushels.
^" ^ Top-dressings for oats should average lOO pounds to the acre.
It should always be applied so?ne ten days after the young
plants have broken ground.

Barley.

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 ammoniate 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.

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 crof of nearly ten and one-half tons per acre, but

when 200 pounds of Nitrate of Soda were
Formulas and ^^^^^^ ^^^ ^j^j^ ^^^ increased to over 15
Jjirections. tons. The season was very unfavorable.

Three hundred pounds per acre of Nitrate is recommended.

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
T d Y* Id Agricultural College, Salisbury, gave a

return of nearly twenty and one-half tons
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 ^o^'^ ^^^

300 pounds of Nitrate resulted in a yield of thirteen and ^°^^

one-third tons per acre. 57

Catch-crops are recommended to pre- Catch-Crops,

vent losses of available plant food after
crops are removed. Rape, Italian rye grass, Rye, Thousand-
headed kale and clovers are suitable. All these should
be top-dressed with from 100 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
Nitrate alone is not a complete plant food. In all cases
where Nitrate has been recommended, phosphoric acid and
potash are to be used, unless the soil contains ample
supplies of both.

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
acre to 49.4 bushels for Nitrate of Soda, -.x., . ,
and 40.1 bushels for cotton-seed meal, a ^ ,, ,

. r i^T- rn ^ r CottOn-Seed

gain for Nitrate of boda of over 22 per cent. ,-■ , --,
t= . ., . . , "^ ^ Meal Com-

A similar experiment with oats gave a re- , ,1^, ,

r A u I 1 r XT- re J j pared on Wheat,

turn of 00 bushels for Nitrate of boda and

only 42 bushels for cotton-seed meal, a gain for Nitrate of

nearly 43 per cent. The Bulletin recommends, even when

cotton-seed meal is used in the complete 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 for each 100 pounds of Nitrate
of Soda used as a top-dressing on the soil. Frequent trials
at Agricultural Experiment Stations the world over fully
prove this to be so.

Barley.

This crop does best on a strong clay loam, but the soil
must not be rich in organic matter. Soils naturally rich in

Food for ammoniates are unfavorable, as one ot the most important
■^^^"^^ points in high-grade barley is a complete maturity of the
58 grain. With soils rich in vegetable matter, the supply of
the only digestible ammoniate or v^^hat is exactly the same
thing. Nitrated ammonia as 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
w^ith 200 pounds of Nitrate of Soda per acre. If the soil
is very rich, apply 100 pounds of Nitrate.

Buckwheat.

This crop does well on almost all kinds ot soil, but
should follow^ a grain or hoed crop — that is, a clean cultiva-
tion crop. On thin soils use about 400 pounds of fertilizer
to the acre, applied just before seeding, or even with the
seed. Heavy soils do not require fertilizing for this crop,
as it has exceptional foraging powers, and will find nourish-
ment where many grain crops will starve. As soon as the
plants are well above ground, apply a top-dressing of 200
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.

Oats.

This gram 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
wheat crop would utterly fail. On soils pretty badly ex-
hausted, an application of 500 pounds of fertilizer will .
yield a profitable return, provided the top-dressing of
Nitrate is not omitted. Under any condition of soil or

HIGHLAND 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.

fertilizing, a 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.

Formulas for Oats:

For One Acre.

Acid phosphate (at sowing time) 200 lbs.

Muriate of potash (at sowing time). . . . lOO "

Nitrate of Soda (in the spring) loo "

Ideal Formula
for Oats.

400 lbs.

Rye.

1 his is another illustration of the necessity of care in
the use of fertilizer Nitrogen (ammoniate). Rye does best
on lighter soils so long as they are not too sandy, but if the
soil is rich in vegetable 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 matter is greatest during the warm
days of midsummer, and a constant supply of available

Food for
Plants

59

Food for
Plants

60

Nitrate is being furnished at a time when the crop should
commence to mature. The crop needs Nitrated ammonia,
but it should have been supplied during the earlier stages
of growth. Use at first a 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.

Wheat.

The soil for this grain, fall planting, ranges from a clay

loam to a moderate sandy loam. For spring wheat, moist

^^, J\\ i,A , ^ peaty soils are used. Wheat

,_^'-^\j:^y.iif,^i,..^.iy^y:^^ IS usually grown m rotation,

"^5^^^ ^ -xV < //^ " '> ;' in which case it nearly always
I- ^" ' ^'^ ^//^<:^<^^-^ follows corn, or a clean culture
^l^v ''/m^.^x^0^ crop. The nature of cultivation

g^V'- -^^ is too well known to require
^ mention here. Both spring and
winter wheat are commonly
fertilized crops, particularly
the latter. The average fer-
tilizer for wheat should contain
Ammonia (Nitrogen), phos-
phoric acid and potash. This
fertilizer is applied with the
seed, and at the rate of 500
pounds to the acre. Nitrate of
Soda is also applied as a top-dressing as soon as the crop
shows green in the spring, broadcast, at the rate of 100
pounds per acre. Like all grains, wheat should have its
ammoniate plant food early, and in the highly available,
easily digested Nitrated form, such as is only to be found
commercially as Nitrate of Soda.

The plant food needs of a crop of 30 bushels of wheat
per acre amounts to about 70 pounds of ammonia, 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 20 pounds of Nitrated
ammonia, so that the quantity mentioned for top-dressing
is a minimum quantity. Much has been said of legume
ammonia for wheat, the crop being generally grown in rota-
tion. Whatever ammonia 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 effectual. 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 lOO pounds of Nitrate of Soda produces 300
to 400 pounds of grain and a corresponding amount of straw.

An Ideal Fertilizer Formula for Wheat.

Acid phosphate (at sowing time) 300 lbs.

Muriate of potash (at sowing time) 100

Tankage (at sowing time) 100

Nitrate of Soda (in the Spring) ■ 100

Per acre 600 lbs.

Food for
Plants

61

FERTILIZERS FOR FRUITS.

(Bulletin 66, Hatch 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 Ni-
trate of Soda. A few
cents worth applied
to each tree will give
the largest possible
yield of choicest
fruit, returning many
tmies Its cost.
Fertilizers for the
The results

Nitrate of Soda
on Apples.

Apple:
show the most improvement where Nitrate
of Soda was applied. For apple trees in
grass the following fertilizer is recom-
mended: Nitrate of Soda i to 5 pounds. Sulphate of potash
I to 5 pounds, S. C. phosphate rock 4 to 10 pounds; the
quantity used to be varied according to the size of the tree.

Fertilizers for the Peach : The fertilizer
recommended, depending upon the size of
the trees, is substantially the same as for apples, except that

Peaches.

Food for f}^e phosphate rock is reduced one-half for the earher stages

^^^ of growth, remaining the same as for apples in the later

62 stages. Nitrate of Soda should not be applied until just

as the trees are beginning to grow.

„., ^ re J Fertilizers for other Fruits: For all

Nitrate of Soda . , - . ,, , , ,

. perennial fruits as well as shrubs and

.. plants, the fertilizer used should be largely

available in the early part of the season, as a
preventive to winter injuries. Nitrate of Soda is the most
desirable form of ammoniate.
» 300 lbs. Nitrate.

General Fruit ^^^ ^^j^ Phosphate.

Formula per Acre. ^^^ ^^^ Sulphate of Potash.

The rational fertilization of fruit trees depends somewhat
upon their period of growth; young trees need ample sup-
plies of Nitrate and potash to develop and ripen new wood.
Later, at the bearing age, phosphoric acid and Nitrate is
required for the formation of fruiting buds. These two
phases in the making of an orchard should have due con-
sideration and plant food used accordingly.

How Nitrate Benefits the

Farmer.

Tiri- . TVT-. .. Nitrate of Soda, from the standpoint of

What Nitrate , » • 1 11 • • u

.,,,., Ti. the Agricultural chemist, is a substance
Looks Like ; Its ,, ^ , , . r • • • j j

. , formed by the union of nitric acid and

Chemical ,. it • u 1

sodium oxide. In appearance it resembles.
Properties. , . .^'^, j ,

coarse salt, in agriculture and the arts, it

is valuable chiefly for the active Nitrogen (commercially it is
an ammoniate package) contained in the Nitrate of the com-
pound; the Soda acts as a carrier of Nitrogen in a combina-
tion that can be handled. When pure it
What It is in contains 16.47 pounds of Nitrogen per 100

Agriculture. pounds of Nitrate of Soda, that is, 16.47

per cent. Nitrogen. Commercially pure Nitrate contains
about 15.75 o^ Nitrogen, equivalent to 19 per cent, of
Ammonia, or 380 pounds to the ton.

Nitrate of Soda is found mixed with Food for

earth in the arid section of northern Chili. ^^^""^ '* '^ P^^^*^
It is extracted bv means of hot water, in ouna. 5^

which Nitrate is soluble. The enormous explosive industry of
this country could not be conducted without -,, ,y
Nitrate oi Soda, and glass works are
dependent upon it. In fact, glass works and powder works
usuallv have Nitrate on hand.

Nitrate of Soda has a special bearing y p . .

on the progress ot modern agriculture: in • ■», j

^ . . ^ . . in Modern

the first place it is the most nutritious form » • t.

c -^y- ^ • I r 1 Agriculture,

or Nitrogenous or ammoniate plant food,

and secondly it is a very important factor in the manufacture
of sulphuric acid and acid phosphate. While the action of
micro-organisms zvith certain crops [legume) combines and
makes effective use of the inert Nitrogen of the atmosphere,
such action is far too slow and uncertain for all the require-
ments of modern agriculture. The rapid exhaustion of
combined Nitrogen has several times been noticed by emi-
nent scientific men, with reference to food famine, because
of a lack of the needful Nitrogenous plant food. It has
been estimated under the present methods .^jj * f i m fv. ^

croppmg; the rich lands ot our Western , t^-

1 - . DV our x^ioneer

States, that for every pound of Nitrogen -,-

- r to rarmers.

actually used to make a wheat crop, four
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 loo pounds of
Nitrate per acre both profitable and necessary.
The agricultural value of Nitrate of Soda
has had the attention of the foremost agri- Eminent Scien-
cultural and scientific specialists of the tists the World
world, including such men as Dr. Paul Over Well Ac-
Wagner and Professor Maercker, of Ger- q^amted with the
many; Lawes and Gilbert, Sir William Great Value of
Crookes, Dr. Dyer and Dr. Voelcker, in titrate.
England; Professors Erandeau, Cassarini, Migneaux, and
Cadoret, in France; Professors Bernardo, Giner and Alino, in
Spain; and Drs. Voorhees, Wheeler, Kilgore, Brooks, Dug-
gar, Stubbs, Ross, Patterson, Hilgard and Shaw, in America.

Food for 'The results obtained by these officials may be summarized
_Plants ^g follows:

64 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, fibre 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
alfalfa.

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 stimulating 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, etc.

_ ^ . 8. It may be used as a surface applica-

Top-Dressing. . ^ ■^ r ■ ■ ^\

tion to the soil, from time to time, as the

plants indicate a need of it by their color and growth.

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, as a
supplemental fertilizer, or as a mixed fertilizer, in combina-
tion with other fertilizer ingredients.

11. The best results are obtained from its application
when the soil has been treated with ample supplies of avail-
able phosphoric acid and potash, or where these are already
present in ample quantities in the soil. It should always be
remembered that it furnishes but one element of plant food,
namely. Nitrogen, but this is the most expensive element of
the three essential ingredients; and of the various commercial
forms of Nitrogen (ammoniates) Nitrate is the cheapest.

12. Its uniform action seems to be to energize the
capacity of the plant for developing foliage and growth.
Its action is characterized by imparting to the plant a deep
green, healthy appearance, and by causing it to grow rapidly
and to put out numbers of new shoots.

13. The immediate effect of an application of. Nitrate '^°°^ for
of Soda, therefore, is to develop a much larger plant growth, ^^^°*^
and the skillful application of phosphates and potashes ^5
must be relied upon to act in combination with this effect,

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 growing crop; one of
the most valuable qualities of this fertilizer being that it does
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
later 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.

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
quantities too close to the plants that are fertilized with it.
For most agricultural crops, an application of 100 pounds
to the acre is sufficient when it is used alone.

18. It may be applied to either agricultural or garden
lands in the form of a solution in water, or by sowing it
broadcast upon the land, or by means of any fertilizer-
distributing machine in use. If applied in the drv state,
in order to insure uniform distribution, a convenient method
is to mix it with twice its weight of air-slacked lime, land
plaster, phosphates, or even with dry sand, before applying
it. It can be applied to the surface, and without cultivation
will be absorbed by the soil, or it may be cultivated 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.

Accepting the conclusions of these scientific men, the use
of Nitrate of Soda in agriculture ought to be increased
proportionate to the dissemination of the knowledge of its

66

Food for usefulness among our farmers. We ought to expect espec-
^^^°^^ ially an increase in the consumption of

Its use ug Nitrate among growers of tobacco, fibre

to ncrease. plants, sugar beets, the hop, grape, grass

and small fruits. 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.
"Complete" fertilizers are generally rather low in ammo-
niates and Nitrate may be wisely used to supplement them.
As it is practically the cheapest form of plant food
ammonia, its use in complete fertilizers promises to increase
still further.

Nitrate of Soda Niter in Fertilizing.

(Bulletin 24, California State Mining Bureau, May, 1902.)

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 follow-
ing notes are added in order to give some general idea
of the value of Nitrate of Soda in fertilizing.

The most important materials used to supply Nitrogen,
in the composition of commercial fertilizers are Nitrate of
Soda and sulphate of ammonia. Nitrate of Soda is par-
ticularly adapted for Top -Dressing during the growing
season, and is the quickest acting 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 follow-
ing 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

Sulphate of ammonia 19 to 22

Dried blood 10 to 14

Tankage 5 to 12

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

Peruvian guano 6 to 10

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.

Wheat 35 bushels.

Rye 30 bushels.

Barley 40 bushels.

Oats 60 bushels.

Corn 50 bushels.

Buckwheat 30 bushels.

Potatoes 200 bushels.

Sugar beets 15^ tons.

Mangel-wurzel 22 tons.

Meadow hay 2^ tons, dry. 83

Timothy 2 tons, dry. 89

Green corn i li tons. 85

Red clover 2 tons, dry. 105

Lucern 8 tons. 113

Sugar-cane 20 tons. 153

Sorghum 15 tons. I2I

Cotton 750 lbs., seed. 26

Hops 600 lbs., seed. 84

Tobacco , 1 ,600 lbs.

Grapes 2 tons.

Cabbage 31 tons.

Cucumbers 25 tons.

Onions 11^ tons.

Oranges 10 tons.

Food for
Plants

'^7

Nitrogen.

59

51

46

55

67

35

46

69
150

89

32

150
86
72
24

lbs.
lbs.
lbs.
lbs.
lbs.
lbs.
lbs.
lbs.
lbs.
lbs.
lbs.
lbs.
lbs.
lbs.
lbs.
lbs.
lbs.
lbs.
lbs.
lbs.
lbs.
lbs.
lbs.
lbs.

Food for yj^g following table shows the quantity of fertilizer
^° ^ desirable for one acre, with the percentage of Nitrogen in
it. The quantities given are for the average soil, under
average conditions, the character and amounts of other
plant-foods in the fertilizer not being considered here:

68

Artichokes . . .
Asparagus.. .

Barley

Beans

Beets, garden
Beets, sugar. .

Benne

Blackberry. ..
Buckwheat. . .

Cabbage

Cane, sugar..

Carrots

Cassava

Celery

Corn

Cotton

Cranberry. . .
Cucumbers . .
Currants ....
Egg-plant . . .

Flax

Hemp

Hops

Horseradish. .

Lettuce

Melons

Fertilizer

Nitrate of

Soda.

Nitrogen

in
pounds.

Per acre.
500 lbs.

Per cent.
18

500
300
100

22.5

5
14

200
300

12

60

200

27.5

300
100
500
300
300

19.5
9.0 '
60.0
22.5
15.0

300
700

9.0

28.0

150

100

13-75
18.0

200

12.0

500
300
400

36.0
16.5
80.0

200

12.0

200

44.00

400

30.00

300

24

300
300

50.0
36.0

Fertilizer

Nitrate of

Soda.

Mint

Mustard

Oats

Onions

Oranges

Peas

Pineapples

Potatoes, Irish.
Potatoes, sweet

Radishes

Ramie

Rape

Raspberry. . . .

Rhubarb

Rice

Spinach

Squash

Strawberry. . . .

Sunflower

Tobacco

Tomatoes

Trees, general .

Turnips

Wheat

Per acre.

700 lbs.

300

100

300
Per tree.

3

Per acre.

200

300

150

200

240

200
2,800

300

600

300

180

200

300

300

600
1,400

300

200

100

Nitrogen

in
pounds.

Per cent.
28

9
10

60

20

50
21

22
15
13
24
21
29

13-5

36.0

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. Every one 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; yet Dr. Maercker,

the Director of the Government Agricultural Experiment ^ood for

Station at Halle, Germany, says: "Just think! the fertilizer ^^*^

consumption of potash alone in Germany must increase ^9
700 per cent, before the normal demands of the lands and
farms are met and satisfied."

Grass Grov^ing for Profit.

limothy and related grasses feed heavily on Nitrogen;
they are able to transform it completely into wholesome and
digestible animal food. When full rations of plant food
are present a good crop of grass will remove about the
equivalent of the active fertilizer ingredients of 300 pounds
of Nitrate of Soda, 200 pounds muriate of potash and 400

^^

iU |i|||l|||||||||i|||.j(|iJ

1

' A ^^*^)ffl|^H^^|

V,,.

^^H

m

, r - "J ill hll^^^^^^B

V" T:_iaigM

I^^HRH

•i -

\

,i:<A^W^^SK^

^

Clearing Land for Seeding.

pounds of Thomas Phosphate Powder. These amounts are
recommended to be applied per acre as top-dressing for
grass lands; and if wood ashes are available 200 pounds per
acre will be very beneficial in addition to the above. Grass
lands get sour easily, especially when old, and when they
do, one ton of lime per acre should be harrowed in before

Food for seeding down anew.

Plants

70

The seeding must be done before

September, and the above-mentioned ration should be used
as a top-dressing the following spring, as soon as 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

^^mmam^

"%

HIHK'

t

-V

I

/{

^

-.

m

$ '

tf

i

^''-^i

^

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^

^m^^M;^'

A

l*J

gum

ggs

^^^^^WHM^^^^HMmB J *3 : -•>

T ,.<v

:?

H

^1

^^n!S^7^^3SE9MRBVBBB

■jmM^i^

^ios^^B

^^^^^^^1

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' -^■■■■■■- "'•■■

^^w

1^^^-

;j|Sj

^J|

^^^1

^^^K^^^y

^g^

■i

Hi

HI

flmili^iHH

HH

Types of Characteristic Rock Shatterinfj (1).

as 4^ 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 con-
stituent of the prescribed ration, pushes the grass early
and enables it to get ahead of all weeds, and the crop then
feeds economically and fully on the other manurial con-
stituents present in the fertilizer mentioned in the formula
and present in the soil.

When Nitrate costs about $50.00 per ton and clean hay
sells $16.00 per ton the financial results are very satisfactory.
Nitrate can sometimes 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
produce an increase of from 1,000 to l,200 pounds of barn-

qoo lbs.

This illustration was made from the photograph of a
field of Timothy. The portion on the left was not, that on
the right was, fertilized with Nitrate of Soda, 400 pounds
to the acre. Every farmer is interested in gettmg the
heaviest possible yield of grass.

71

cured, clean tunothy hay, the value of luhich luill average ^^^^ ^^^
from $8.00 to $10.00. The cost of 1 00 pounds of Nitrate is ^^^^^^
likely to average ^2.30 to $2.60. It pays ivell to use Nitrate
liberally on grass lands.

A reliable, heavyTop-Dressing formula for Grass Lands
per acre:

300 lbs. Nitrate of Soda.

200 lbs. muriate of potash, or 1,000 pounds of wood ashes.

400 lbs. Thomas slag or Peruvian guano or acid phosphate.

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:

Food for
Plants

72

Yield of Cured Hay Under Different Rates
of Nitrogenous Fertilization.

Yield of Cured Hay. Average

.,. , r c J V A 1899, 1900, 1901, 1902, Yields

Nitrate or Soda applied. tu tu tu Ti-'-n

^^ Lbs. Lbs. Lbs. Lbs. in 1 ons.

*

None 5,075 4,000 3,290 2,950 I . 9

150 lbs. per acre* 6,300 5,600 5,55° 4,850 2.8

450 lbs. per acre* 6,913 8,200 9,390 8,200 4.1

*.\mount slightly reduced in 1901 and 1902.

V/h t the These figures show a uniform, consist-

T-v. cu^ ent and marked advantage from the use of

Nitrate Nitrogen; and the efi-ect of its
absence is shown by the steady decline of the yields on the
no-Nitrate plat from year to year. In each year the use of

Rock before Blasting with One Pound of Forty Per Cent. Dynamite.

150 pounds of Nitrate gave increased yields over the plat
without 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 Nitroo;en in the soil to the
soluble Nitrates proceeds very slowly during the cool, moist

Food for
Plants

73

Same Rock Shattered by the Explosion of Dynamite.

weather of spring. The full ration of Nitrogen, 450 pounds
of Nitrate, more than doubled the yield of hay over that pro-
duced on the no-Nitrate plat in 1900 and in the next two
years it nearly tripled the yield. The average increase over
the 150 pound plat was one 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

How Nitrate
Improves the
Quality of the
Hay.

Food for had to be placed upon it in estimating the profit from the
^^^°^^ use of fertihzers. That from the no-Nitrate plat, since it

74

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
;^io.oo; while ;^i6.oo and ^12.00 were the values given to the
first and second cuttings respectively on the plat receiving
the full ration of Nitrate.

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 percentages of timothy were 39 per cent, and
67 per cent., respectively, and in the fourth year the differ-
ences were even more marked.

Types of Characteristic Rock Shattering (2).

An Alk r Timothy is a grass which will not tol-

Soil Nee erate an acid soil, and it is probable that

for Gra ^^^ 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 certain portion of the latter, which is an alkali, is

Plants

Types of Characteristic Rock Shattering (3).

able to hold its own and thus to make what the market calls a
finer, better hay; and since the market demands timothy and
pays for it, the farmer who sells hay is wise if he meets the
demand.

Financial Profit from Use of Nitrate.

Frequently more plant food is paid for tt t^^ p

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. 1 his 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, consequently the amount applied upon each
plat was increased in 1901 and in 1902. \he Nitrogen
requirement of the crops was found to be slightly less than
was supplied in 450 pounds of Nitrate and the amount was

75

left to combine with other free acids of the soil. This, ^°°'^ ^o*"

like lime, neutralizes the acids and thus

^'sweetens" the soil for the timothy. Red

top, on the contrary, 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 from the Nitrate, the timothy was more than

How Nitrate
Neutralizes Soil
Acids and
Sweetens the
Soil.

Food for reduced to 400 pounds in 1901, and to 415 pounds in 1902.

^°^^ The Nitrate on the second plat was also reduced in propor-

76 tion. The phosphoric acid, however, was probably in

considerable excess, since liming sets free phosphoric acid

already in the soil and so lessens the apparent financial

profit; but not to an excessive degree.

Excess of Value of Hay Over Cost of Fertilizers.

^'*a^*^i'id^°'^^ 1899. 1900. 1901. 1902. Average.

None ^6.09 ;S5i3.42 ^12.13 $7-U $9-77

150 lbs.* 14-34 20.37 23.97 16.52 18.80

450 lbs.* 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.
ToB-Dressinp- '^^^ application should be in the form

Grass Lands. °^ aTop-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 starvation.

On land which shows any tendency to sourness, 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 furrows and harrowed
into the soil. Top-dressing with lime after seeding will not
answer, and, in the case of very acid soils, the omission of
lime at the proper time will necessitate re-seeding to secure a
good stand of grass.

•r^ • 1 All the elements of fertility are essen-

Economical . , , t -i i r -i-

and Profitable ^ ^° "^^ ordmanly complete fertilizers
Practice "^^^^ ^^ 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 ^o^d for
to set the phosphoric acid tree from its natural insoluble
combinations. 77

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 350 pounds to the
acre when potash and phosphates are present.

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 Phosphatej

and Two Hundred Pounds Sulphate of Potash, but no

Nitrate of Soda.

On such soils as that of these plats, the best fertilizer
combination for annual application appears to be:

400 pounds phosphate.

200 pounds muriate of potash.

300 pounds Nitrate of Soda.

No stable manure has been used upon the field under
experiment for over twenty years.

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

Food for when to use lime. Details of excellent grass experiments,
^^^°*^ to be found in recent Bulletins issued by the Rhode
78 Island Agricultural Experiment Station, Kingston, Rhode
Island, tell about Nitrate of Soda.

Nitrate of Soda l^ '^Y T ''^°"' f. ^l^f^ ^^'^ '"^ "'^"'
00 TToo^ ;« fion the fact that Mr. dark s success m

Clark's Grass obtammg remarkably large yields of hay

Cultivation ^'^^ ^ number of years, an average of 9 tons

of cured hay per acre for 11 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
«arly in the spring, and v^^hich start the grass off v^ith 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.

r f 1 ^^^^ ^^^^ known that many who have tested

. his methods have met with failure chiefly

. . , . , because they neglected to supply the voune

May Aid in the , / -^i rr • . r

fj Ki TT grass plants with a sumcient amount of

readily available food for their use early in
of Nitrate. .u • u v • j j j

the spring when it is most needed, 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, until converted 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 Foo^^ ^o*"
and take up about 75 per cent, of their total Nitrate Ammo- ^^^°*^
niate during the earlier stages of their growth and that Nitro- 79
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 growing
crops by having only an insufficient supply of immediately
available Nitrogen when it is most needed.

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 surface as a mulch, for the crop uses
enormous quantities of water. The plants continue bear-
ing until frost, hence the earlier fruiting commences the
heavier the crop through simply 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 pro-
duced the largest crops, but also the largest quantity of
*' early" tomatoes, 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 be, or however freely chemical
fertilizers may have been used, the top-dressing of Nitrate

Food for -^vill be found to have increased the fruiting power of the
^"^^ plants, and to have also added to the flavor and color of
80 the fruit.

Formula for Tomatoes:

Nitrate of Soda (in two or more applications) 400 lbs.

Superphosphate 400

Sulphate of potash 100 "

Tobacco.

The value of tobacco depends so much upon its grade,
and the grade so much upon the soil and climate, as w^ell as
fertilization, that no general rules can be laid down in
tobacco culture. Leaving out special tobaccos, such as
Perique, the simplest classification of tobacco for the pur-
poses of this book are as follows: Cigar. — Tobacco for cigar
manufacture, grown chiefly in Connecticut and Wisconsin.
Manufacturing. — 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 diff'er^nt 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 practiced 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 extensive tract of soil in search of plant
food. The crop needs of plant food are about 170 pounds
of ammonia per acre, 70 pounds of phosphoric acid, and
250 to 300 pounds of potash; on the basis of the chemical
analysis of the whole crop. As phosphoric acid is apt to
take insoluble and unavailable forms in the soil, the quantity
is usually more than doubled. The fertilizers recommended
for tobacco vary a great deal, but even with the phosphoric
acid double the actual need, the ammonia in the fertilizer
should exceed the phosphoric acid.

Fertilizers for tobacco run from two to four per cent,
ammonia, eight to nine per cent, available phosphoric acid.

and six to eight per cent, potash, the latter always in the ^°°^ *°^

form of sulphate. This fertilizer 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 600 pounds per acre. Manufacturing tobaccos
are particularly benefited by the application of Nitrated
ammoniates, of which class of fertilizer chemicals Nitrate of
Soda alone is cheap enough for use as plant food. While
the production of leaf may be enormously increased by
abundant use of this Nitrated ammonia, the other plant
food elements should also be used to secure a well matured
crop. In the case of cigar tobaccos, Nitrated ammoniates
should be used exclusively, as it is difficult to secure a
thoroughly matured leaf unless the supply of digestible
ammoniate is more or less under control, a condition not
practicable with ordinary ammoniates. 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 broad-
casting can be done just before a rain, the results will appear
promptly.

Tobacco growing is special farming, and should be
carefully studied before starting in as a tobacco planter.
For 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 thor-
oughly pulverized.

Formula for Tobacco:

Nitrate of Soda 300 lbs.

Superphosphate 100

Sulphate of potash ("high grade") 100 "

Sweet Potatoes.

This crop prefers a soil lighter than Irish potatoes,
but the preparation of the soil is much the same. It is an
underground 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

Food for interferes with the maturity of the crop, producing not only
a large crop of useless vines, but also few marketable roots,
^2 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 lOO

Superphosphate 200

Sugar-Cane.

This is a typical crop of the West Indies, but is also
grown successfully in Louisiana and Florida. The Sand-
wich Islands are also very successful for cane growing. The
method of planting, by planting sections of cane, is pretty
generally practiced in all sugar cane countries. The soil is
generally selected for its natural fertility, but many cane
lands fail simply because the humus, ammonia supplying
substance, has been cropped out of the soil. The yields
per acre are very high, often reaching 100 tons of green
cane. With such heavy cropping, the plant food needs are
naturally very high — nearly 400 pounds of ammonia (Nitro-
gen) being actually required per acre. The fertilizer used
contains ammonia, phosphoric acid and potash. An excess
of phosphoric acid is apt to force an early maturity of the
crop, especially if ammonia is lacking. Evidences of a too
early maturity should be promptly treated with applications
along the rows of 400 to 800 pounds of Nitrated ammoniate
per acre — Nitrate of Soda.

If the soil is very rich in organic matters, the crop
will fail to mature properly, and while the yield of cane
may be great, the actual sugar produced will be low. Ni-
trated ammoniates have the advantage of furnishing ammonia
when the plants need it most. If very rich soils must be used
it is best to grow a forage crop on the soil one or two years
before planting to cane. The proper care of stubble crops
is largely a matter of fertilizing; if fertilizers are freely used,

the life of the stubble will be greatly prolonged. This is ^°°^ ^°^
particularly true of the Nitrated ammoniates. As potash ^° ^
and phosphates are readily available their use has no restric- ^3
tions, but ordinary ammoniates cannot well be thoroughly
worked into the soil, and they fail in a large measure to reach
the crop. The Nitrated ammoniate, Nitrate of Soda, being
soluble in water, at once acts effectively.

Sugar Beets.

Select, if possible, a deep mellow loam, or even a sandy
loam. The crop should follow a clean cultivation crop,
such as corn, with deep fall plowing and cross plowing in
the spring. With a hard subsoil a subsoil plow must be
used, and used conscientiously. Work thoroughly into the
soil at the last harrowing before seeding, 300 pounds of a
fertilizer, consisting of 100 pounds high grade superphos-
phate, 100 pounds fine ground bone and 100 pounds potash,
and, see that the potash is in the for?n of sulphate, or Canada
wood ashes. As soon as the plants have made two leaves,
apply along the rows a top-dressing of 300 pounds of Nitrate
of Soda per acre. As in the case of barley, sugar beets must
be thoroughly matured, or the percentage of sugar will
be low.

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
cultivation, but the matted row is generally found more
profitable than the plan of growing only in hills. While
some growers claim that one year's crop is all that should
be harvested before ploughing down for potatoes, as a mat-
ter of fact the common practice is to keep the bed for at
least two harvests. In selecting plants care should be exer-
cised to see that pistillate plants are not kept too much by
themselves, or the blossoms will prove barren. The crop
is a heavy consumer 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

84

Food for ig Qf little use in the beds. Use from 400 to 800 pounds
of phosphate, apphed broadcast immediately after harvest;
in the spring, as soon as the strawberry leaves show the
bright, fresh green of new growth, and apply broadcast
200 pounds of Nitrate of Soda to the acre.

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.
It is now known to be much more economical than pastur-
ing, not only that more stock can be kept per acre, but the
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 appli-
cations in soiling, by comparing different parts of the same
field, difi^erently 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 from 300 to 600 pounds per acre, and experi-
ence will more often approve the 600 pound application
than the 300. Top-dress in quite the same manner for
second crops. It is a quick, rank growth of green substance
that is wanted, and for this purpose no other form of ammo-
nia is as quick acting as Nitrated ammoniate, or Nitrate of
Soda.

Small Fruits.

Under this head we treat of blackberries, currants,
gooseberries and raspberries. Strawberries have been
treated separately in another part of this book. All these
small fruits are commonly grown in the garden, generally

under such conditions that systematic tillage is not practica- ^^^'^ ^°^
ble. For this reason such plant food essentials as may exist ^"^^
naturally in the soil become available to the uses of the ^5
plants very slowly. This is as true of the decomposition
of animal or vegetable ammoniates as of phosphates and
potashes. Consequently, small fruits in the garden suffer
from lack of sufficient plant food. All these plants w^hen
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 are 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 phos-
phate 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.

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 disadvan-
tages. 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 ammonia it contains
is not Nitrated, 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 potash. They should always be used in such
proportions that 100 pounds of ammoniate Nitrogen are

Food for 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
ammoniate 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 phosphate and 2 ounces of sul-
phate 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 applications with those
plants it is desired to fully mature, as soon as the desired
growth is made.

Orange Groves.

Satisfactory results have been obtained in Florida by
fertilizing during the cold season. About two months
before the period of growth begins, apply for each full
grown tree a mixture of 7 pounds of high-grade super-
phosphate 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 surface. In order to accomplish this appli-
cation economically, it is well to mix the Nitrate with two
or three times the quantity 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 bac-
teria 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 leaching, 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 ammoniates,
if used in such quantities as to afford an adequate supply
of Nitrate, may cause die-back. No disease results from
more than this, but the annual growth of leaves of fruit
trees added to the fruit makes a total yearly consumption
of the plant food essentials much greater than that of any
grain crop. The early decay of orchards as well as failure

87

to set fruit buds, is largely a matter of lack of plant food, ^^od for
Orchards should have Nitrated ammoniates, applied early
in the season, as late supplies of ammonia are liable to cause
a heavy setting of leaf buds at the expense of next year s fruit.
The ordinary ammoniates are not satisfactory for orchard worky
as they continue to supply available ammonia all through
the season; not 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. Apply per acre
300 to 600 pounds of a fertilizer high in phosphates and
potash, and top-dress with 200 pounds of Nitrate of Soda
at blossoming or just after, followed by an additional Top-
Dressing of 100 to 200 pounds per acre some four weeks
later. 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.

Nursery Stock.

The soil should be a moderately light loam, somewhat
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 overgrowth 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 con-
tinually being formed, only to be killed back in winter.
The ammonia in all low grade ammoniates is slowly Nitrated
by the action of certain soil organisms, which contmue 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 ammonia 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

88

Food for j-j-jg young trees are in full leaf, apply in the same manner
Plants ^QQ ^^ ^QQ 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
ammonia, 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.

Melons.

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 the ground between rows so quickly that
cultivation is limited to the first few weeks of growth. This
is also an argument 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
(Nitrate of Soda), a quantity per hill corresponding to 250
to 350 pounds of Nitrate of Soda per acre. If at any time
the hills should show a sickly yellow, apply 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 ooo

Muriate of potash • 200

Potatoes. ^"^'^ ^°^

Plants
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 through-
out the growing season. The most successful growers use
only commercial fertilizers, and the amounts applied per
aci'e range from 200 pounds to 1,000 and even 2,000. The
fertilizer 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 sufficient.

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 seed dropped fifteen inches apart in the rows.
Formula for Potatoes:

Amount of Fertilizer Used Per Acre.

Nitrate of Soda 200 lbs.

Muriate of potash 100

Superphosphate 3'^°

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, arnd the average crop, kiln dried hops

Food for pgj- acre, with the percentage of gain over the plot not
^^^°^^ treated with Nitrate, are shown in the following table:

90

Plot and Fertilizer. Kiln D

1 No Nitrate 9

2 2 cwf. NITRATE 12

4 " " 13

6 " " 13

8 " " 1.4

10 " " 14

30 loads manure 10

3

4

5
6

7

ried Hops.

Gain Per Cent.

.75 cwt.

—

.00 "
•67 "

23

39

•75 "
.58 "
.58 "

41

49
49

■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 lbs., or Thomas slag 300

Sulphate of potash, 100 lbs., or unleached wood ashes... 400

Lime '.

100

Corn.

The crop is especially 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 quan-
tities of water, and the tillage must be very thorough
that an even earth mulch may be practically con-
tinuous. 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 ^^ ^

Food for
Plants

91

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 113 lbs. per acre.

Food for object in this case is not a matured grain, and Nitrate of

^^^"^^ Soda should be used very Hberally in the shape of top-

92 dressings. It is desirable with this crop to guard against
a too early maturity, and consequently the available phos-
phoric acid in the fertilizer should be kept low, not over
120 pounds per ton.
Formula for Corn:

Nitrate of Soda 200 lbs.

Dry ground fish 200

Tankage ' 100

Acid phosphate 200

Muriate of potash _. 200

Grapes.

Grape plantations should be located and planted by an

expert, and one, too, who has experience with the locality

*^^ ^ ,^^zs=i«s^ r^ -^v -— « selected as

the vine-
yard. The
treatment of
the young plants
is a matter of sod
and climate, and
for which there are
no general rules.
When the vines have
reached bearing age, how-
>ever, 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 phos-
phoric acid to the acre. This is not a crop for
ordinary commercial fertilizers. The fertilizer
suggested above should be applied in the spring, and at the

?w

,^

•"^

Food for
Plants

93

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 113 lbs. per acre.

3 1-3 oz. Nitrate of Soda per vine, or 189 lbs. per acre.

Food for same time broadcast along the rows Nitrate of Soda at the

rate of 200 pounds per acre. If the plants lose color in spots.

94 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, Germany.

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 lbs.
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

Food for
Plants

95

a;
a

bjO

o

CO

c

V
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Food for applied just at the time the vines commence growth in the
^^^°^^ spring. A better plan perhaps is to apply the Nitrate in
96 two doses, one when the vines start growth in the spring,
the second some time three weeks later.

Lawns and Golf Links.

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 use 50
pounds of seed per acre, Kentucky blue grass 40 to 45
pounds, and for Bermuda grass 15 pounds. If for any
reason the soil cannot be properly prepared, pulverize the
fertilizer very fine indeed. The grass should be mowed
regularly and the clippings removed until nearly mid-
summer when they are best left on the soil as a mulch.
For a good lawn, broadcast per acre in the spring enough
of a fertilizer to supply 100 pounds of actual potash and
50 pounds of available phosphoric acid; also, use at the
same time and in the same manner 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 growing 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 situations, a drainage system must be established.

Food for
Plants

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Food for

Plants How Money Crops Feed.

98 The substance of plants is largely water

p J J and variations of woody fiber, yet these

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, Ammonia
(Nitrogen), Potash and Phosphates.
It Pr'nc'oal These words are popular names, and

T,, _ , are used for the convenience of the general

Elements, ... . ^ ^ i r i

Nitrate Ammo- P"^^^^' . ^^ ^ "^^"^'^ °^ ^^^^! plant-food
•ni. u • ammonia is not real ammonia, but am-
nia, Phosphoric 1 • 1 • 1 1 1

Ac'd Potash monia combined with other elements,, yet

* ' the valuable factor is always the ammoniate.

Nitrate of Soda contains an amount equivalent to about
nineteen per cent, of ammonia, or 380 pounds to the ton,
and cotton-seed meal, for example, about nine per cent.; as
plant food more than two pounds of cotton-seed meal are
necessary to furnish as much plant food as one pound of
Nitrate of Soda. We value the plant food on the amount
of ammoniate it contains, and on this account ammonia has
become a popular standard name for this element of plant
food. In like manner. Phosphoric Acid and Potash are
standards, hence the importance of farmers and planters in
familiarizing themselves with these expressions. We always
think of fertilizers and manures as just so much Ammonia,
Phosphoric Acid and Potash, as we can then at once com-
pare the usefulness of all fertilizer materials. No doubt
other substances are necessary for the proper development
of crops, but soils so generally supply these in ample quan-
tities that they may safely be neglected in a consideration
of soil needs and plant foods. The food of plants may
therefore be understood to mean simply. Ammonia, Phos-
phoric Acid and Potash.

Farmyard manure acts m promotmg ,,„ ,-

1 -^11 1 11 I ^ • ° Why Farm- plants

plant erowth almost wholly because it con- , „ .

^ . ° , , -^ yard Manure

tarns these three substances; green manur- , ^,, 99

, , , ^ , ' » , and Other

mg IS valuable tor the same reason and t» j i.

Products are

largely for that only. Various refuse sub- y , , .

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. A

number of crude chemicals contain Ammonia, or Potash,

or Phosphoric Acid, or some two of these, or even all

three of the plant food elements, and are valuable to

agriculture accordingly. In fact, in whatever form, state

or condition this plant food occurs, crops seem to be able

to make a more or less ready use of it. However, the

manufacturer, the farmer and the planter ... ^,

must not overlook the fact that all three ,,,

r 1 1 1 1 TVT Elements

or these elements are needed. JNo excess t j- i-i

r r 1 Indispensable.

of any one, nor ot any two, can make up

for the deficiency of any one. To illustrate, should a
soil be given enough Phosphoric Acid and Potash for a
crop of 8o bushels of corn per acre, but only enough Nitrate
Ammonia for 40 bushels, the yield cannot go above 40
bushels. The chain is no stronger than its weakest link.

The Quality of Manures and Fertilizers.

While plant food is always plant food, Nitrate a \

like all other things it possesses the limita- p j- ♦ ^ ^

tion of quality. Quality in plant food means Arnmon^atV
the readiness with which plants can 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 the highest quality, yet there are differences
even in this. For example, Nitrate of Soda is freely soluble
in soil liquids and water, and is the highest grade of plant food
ammoniate; sulphate of ammonia is also soluble in water,
but of distinctly lower quality because plants always use
ammonia in the Nitrated form (the form in which it occurs
in Nitrate of Soda), and the ammonia in sulphate of am-
monia must be Nitrated before plants can make use of it.

Food for Xhis is done in the soil by the action of certain organisms,
^°^^ Defects and under favorable conditions. The weather

^°° - T^^.^^ ;„ fi,^ must be suitable, the soil in a certain con-

Losses in tne ... i i • i i • i i i

Use of Ordinarv "'^^°"' ^"^' besides, there are considerable
Ammoniates losses of valuable substance in the natural

soil process of Nitrating the ammonia. By
unfavorable w^eather conditions, or very w^et or acid soils,
Nitration may be prevented until the season is too far
advanced, hence there may be loss of time, crop and money.
Intrinsic Values ^^^ quality of ammoniates, such as
of Ammoniates co"on-seed meal, dried fish, dried blood,

v>^r,r.A ^« tankage, etc., is limited by conditions some-

Based on 1 • M 1 • n • 11

Nitrate as the what similar to those intiuencing sulphate

oi. A ^A of ammonia, except that the crude materials

Standard. i u, • ttt- i ,

are not even soluble in w^ater. With these

substances, the loss of Nitrogen in its natural soil conversion

into Nitrate is very great. Perfectly authentic experiments

and made under official supervision, have shov^rn that lOO

pounds of ammonia in these organic forms have only from

one-half to three-fourths the manurial value of lOO pounds

of Nitrate Ammonia in its Nitrated form of Nitrate of Soda.

,,, , , This matter of fertilizer quality is not

Pxiospnates .

T^ , , ' confined to ammoniates. Potash also must

be in soluble form, but as most agricultural
potash is in the shape of potash salts, all of v^hich are v^^ater
soluble, the solubility of potash is not a problem in manur-
ing. Hov^^ever, there are grades even in these salts. For
some crops materials containing muriates are thought to be
injurious, therefore potash in such forms as are free of
chlorine or muriates are of higher grade than those containing
chlorine.

Special Functions of Plant Food.

,y . As stated before, plants must have all

_ ^. , three — Nitrate, Phosphates and Potash —

Functions of r i i r i i 1 1

^. or the plant rood elements, but notwith-

standing this imperative need, each of the
three elements has its special use. This may seem of little
importance if for mere growth all three must be used in any
event. However, there are many cases in which considera-
tions of the special functions of plant food elements become

important. For example, a soil may be rich in organic Food for

ammonia from vegetable matter turned under as green ^^^°^^

manure, and through a late wet spring fail to supply the loi

available Nitrate in time to get the crop well started before

the hot, dry summer season sets in. In this case the use of

a Nitrate ammoniate alone in the highly available form,

such as Nitrate of Soda, will force growth to the extent of

fully establishing the crop against heat and moderate drouth.

This method of manuring is simply Top-Dressing, familiar

to us all, but which many of us do not fully understand.

In like manner, if the soil is too rich in ^^^ ^^ ^^^^

organic ammoniate, which during the sum- pv,r,cT.v.ofa
11 1 -1 ui J I'nospnaie.

mer months rapidly becomes available, and

as the fall approaches, the crop fails to show signs of manur-
ing, liberal top-dressing of acid phosphate will hasten
the maturity of the crop. All soils contain more or less
plant food as a natural condition, but this plant food is
rarely economically balanced for the uses of the farmer or
planter. If crops show a tendency to lodge badly, potash
is needed. In many ways, in fact, the special functions of
the plant food elements are important, and should have the
careful attention of those who have to deal with the plant
food problem. There is no "royal road" to the under-
standing of the fertilizer or manure questions; they must
be "worked out."

Nitrated ammonia as plant food seems g^g^-^g^j Influ-
to influence more especially the develop- ^^^^ ^^ Nitrate
ment of stems, leaves, roots, etc., while the ^^ Edible Value
formation of fruit buds is held in reserve; , piant
in fact, the growth of the framework of the
plant. This action is of course a necessary preliminary to
the maturity 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 composition of the plant itself, and the
most valuable part of all vegetable substance for food pur- .
poses at least, is that containing the greatest proportion of
combined and modified ammonia.

^° pi ^°^ Potash as plant food seems to influence more particularly
the development of the woody parts of stems and the pulp

1 02

of fruits. It is also essential to the formation of sugar and
How Nitrate starch. The flavor and color of fruits is

]yjay Be ^^^° credited to potash. In fact, this ele-

Supplemented ment of plant food seems to supplement
by Potash. ^^^ action of Nitrogen by filling out the

■framework established by the latter. Potash
with Nitrate is always an important fertilizer with special
crops where the object is to produce sugar, starch, or other
products usually more or less a result of the manufacture
of agricultural produce.

How Nitrate Phosphoric Acid as a plant food seems

May Be Aided ^° influence more particularly the maturity
by Phosphoric °^ plants, and the production of seed or
j^cid. 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 supple-
ment green manuring where grain is to be grown. It seems
to be used in excess in commercial fertilizers, because it is
prone to take insoluble and therefore unavailable forms in
the soil.

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
Sources of processes are somewhat slow except under

Natural Plant ^^^^ favorable conditions, and both supply
jtqqjj^ Potash and Phosphoric Acid, but only the

former supplies Nitrate. Whether the soil
has been fertilized or not, there are certain signs which
indicate the need of plant food more or less early in the
growth of the crop. If a crop appears to make a slow
How They May growth, or seems sickly in color, it does not
Be Supple- greatly matter whether the soil is deficient

mented with ^" Nitrate or simply that the ammoniates

Profit. present have not been Nitrated and so are

not available; the remedy lies in top-dress-
ings of the immediately available form of Nitrated ammo-
niate, of which class of plant food materials Nitrate of Soda
alone is commercially available.

Top-Dressings.

Food for
Plants

Top-Dressme, as commonly understood, -^ , ^ ^, ^°i

^ . , ,^ ,..-'-, ,, ' Early Growth

means simply the application oi plant food , p,

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 ammoniate plant food into the Nitrates.

A very late spring may prevent the natural and usual

Nitration of this kind of plant food, though „ tvt-.. ^
, . . , ^ , ' . & How Nitrate

large quantities may have been applied in o q,.

the form of organic ammoniates and other ,, ,' .,

, ° , , , Money, and the

crude manures, so that the warm weather ^

finds the crop very backward and a full

crop cannot be made. An application of Nitrate of Soda, •

the most quickly available form of ammoniate plant food

in commercial use as a fertilizer, as soon as the crop shows

the fresh green color of new groiuth 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 advan-

tage on fruits and vegetables from wliich 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 ammoniate plant

food, rains or cool weather interfere with jj ,.

the regular supply of Nitrate, by checking . . .

, o. r 1 • 1-1 1 Ammoniates are,

the action or the organisms which cause the r -^ ..

Nitration of crude ammoniate substances. Tr,-. , , ',
rj^ , . , , ... Nitrated, and

1 op-dressings are also used on very rolling o, c

lands, in which case the hill tops show ,, p

lighter colored foliage in prolonged periods

of dry weather, and light applications of Nitrate of Soda

are found to be profitable.

Food for On heavy clay soils, spring working is impracticable,

Pla^ as it results in puddling the top soil. In this case fertilizers

104 cannot be worked into the soil even for spring planting,
and Nitrate of Soda is used in the form of a top-dressing
spread broadcast; Phosphoric Acid and Potash are usually
applied in the fall for such soils.

TT X 'p In top-dressing soils, it is very impor-

j. tant to secure an even application over the

whole area. As the ordinary application
per acre is about 100 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 three times
its weight of fine dry loam. This mixture should be made
immediately before using, though the Nitrate may be
crushed at any time if mixed at once with an equal bulk of
fine, clean sand and tightly packed in bags. In the latter
case, just before using, mix with an equal weight of dry loam.
Where top-dressings are made with a machine, it is necessary
that the mixture be dry, so that the feeders will not clog.

Top-Dressing Experiments.

■0 IX r The official Agricultural Experiment Sta-

■j^.. . tions have made many experiments to

■jyj p determine the value of top-dressings of

Nitrate of Soda, particularly the New
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 made (see
Bulletin 71) a top-dressing test on grass land and the results
also indicated a profitable use of this chemical fertilizer.

The experiment was made on three plots, all of which
were treated with ample quantities of Phosphoric Acid and
Potash. 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.

150 lbs. Nitrate 2.24 tons.

450 lbs. Nitrate 3.28 tons.

The season was not good hay weather on account of an Food for

early and severe drouth, yet the top-dressing of 150 pounds _^^!

of Nitrate of Soda per acre increased the crop of hay 40 per ^°5
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
practically no second crop, a top-dressing of l^O pounds of
Nitrate of Soda per acre increased the crop in value $6.g^,
at a cost for Nitrate of $J.JO; a top-dressing of ^50 pounds per
acre increased the value of the crop $l6.g8 at a cost of $g.go.

Plant Food Needs of Crops.

The chemical analysis of plants shows what CroDs
the actual amounts of ammonia, potash and Xake out of
phosphoric acid they contain, and is a g .,
fairly good guide for the composition of
fertilizers. The value of plant food, so called, is not solely
through its use as simple food, but at the same time there
is a fair degree of uniformity in the fertilizer needs of
plants as shown by their chemical analysis. At least it
is the only practical method of comparison we have. 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. While it
is true the stubble and roots remain in the soil, there is
invariably a considerable loss in the process of transforming
crude fertilizing substances into available forms.

The Storrs Experiment Station of 'Connecticut reported
on an experiment with timothy hay, with results as follows:

Yield per acre. Ammonia (Nitrogen). Potash.

Hay S^Q^o lbs. 39.0 lbs. 51 .5 lbs.

Stubble and roots.. 8,223 " 90.1 " 55.8 "

Phos.
25'

Acid.
9 lbs.
,2 "

Total 12,203 lbs. 129. 1 lbs. • 107.3 'bs. 39.1 lbs.

The quantities of plant food actually Eauivalent
contained in the crop, computed to the best Ouantitv of
known fertilizer materials, are represented Nitrate Food
by 807 pounds of Nitrate of Soda, 215
pounds of muriate of potash, and 280 pounds of acid-

Food for phosphate. This illustration is interesting as showing the
• P^^°^^ really heavy consumption of plant food by ordinary farm
i°6 crops. While the yield in this case is a large one, it is
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 ammoniate (Nitrogen) con-
tained in this manure will be converted into Nitrate during
the fall and winter, and such of this as the plants fail to
take up is dissipated by the spring rains and other causes.
Consequently, there is a lack of Nitrate Ammoniate in the
early spring, when the plants most need it, and this shortage
continues until the soil warms and becomes less charged
with water, when the organisms of the soil are enabled to
convert the vegetable substance containing ammonia 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.

r» i. -ni A u The following table shows the plant food
Part Played by » , r- ,

N't t PI t necessary to accompany each 100 pounds

^ . . of ammonia (Nitrogen) assimilated by

crops figured on a fair yield per acre:

P Ammonia(Nitrogen). Potash. Soda. Phos. Acid.

'^°P' Pounds. Pounds. Pounds. Pounds.

Barley 100 74 — 25

Buckwheat 100 59 — 21

Corn 100 55 — 48

Oats 100 93 — 33

Wheat 100 43 9 34

Onions '100 83 — 42

Potatoes 100 132 2 38

Rye 100 72 — 42

Timothy 100 69 7 26

The figures of the table are based on the complete crop,
including stalks, straw, vines, etc. The table shows roughly

the proportions which various crops store within their ^"^od for
substance of the three elements of plant food; in estimating ^"^^
the composition of a fertilizer for any of these crops, the i°7
table serves as a suggestion.

Suggestions for Top-Dressing Crops.

It must be understood that fertilizers do not take the place
of tillage. However thoroughly a crop may he fertilized, with-
out 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 distribu-
tion can be made; the fertilizer must go to the plant, not the
plant to the fertilizer.

The Alfalfa, Cow Pea and Clover Question.

This class of plants has the property of taking -g ,
inert ammonia (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 omitting Nitrate in the fertilizer,
we have a crop 'containing more Nitrogenous food (protein
or flesh formers) than the Nitrogen actually given as fertil-
izer 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 ammoniate 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 ammonia, while in 500 pounds of
Nitrate of Soda there are less than 100 pounds. Undoubtedly,
the ammonia taken from the air is a great aid, but we

Food for should not expect too much of it. The method of seeding

^°^^ clovers depends much upon locality and soil needs with

i°S 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.

Cost of Transportation of Fertilizers.

A striking illustration of the difference in the cost of trans-
portation by four different ways is given by Representative
Brownlow, of Tennessee, in a recent speech before Congress.
Mr. Brownlow is the author of the bill asking for national
aid to road improvement and in support of the measure he
gave the following table which is based on the rnost careful
estimates:

Cost of Transportation Per Ton.

Horse power, 5 miles i^i . 25

Electric power, 25 miles i • 25

Steam cars, 250 miles ; ^ . . . . i . 25

Steamships on the lakes i ,000 miles i . 25

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 companies
are ever at work repairing and improving their highways
while the farmer is apparently so little awake to his own inter-
ests 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; at the
present time facilities for supplies at interior points have not
been provided.

In ordering Nitrate of Soda make the request that in the
event of purchasing, that it be sent as "Fertilizer," and that
it be marked "For Fertilizing Purposes." It has been the
custom of the railroad companies to discriminate heavily
against Nitrate of Soda by charging almost prohibitory

rates, and it is hoped by correctly designating the material ^oo^^^ or
the discrimination will not be practiced.

109

RETABULATION SHOWS THAT:

$1.25 Will Haul a Ton —

5 miles on a common road,
I2§ 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.

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.

As Nitrate is a powerful plant tonic and energizer, it is
NOT a stimulant in any sense of the word; a very small
quantity does a very large amount of work. Evenly Top-
Dress by broadcasting the Nitrate as soon as the frost
leaves the ground in the spring, or as soon as verdure
first appears.

I never recommend the use of Nitrate of Soda alone,
except at the rate of not more than one hundred (100) pounds
to the acre, when it may be used without other fertilizers.
The phosphatic and potassic 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.
A rate of one hundred pounds (100) per acre you will

Food for generally find profitable for all crops. It will be found
quite satisfactory also in its after-effect in perceptibly sweet-
enins: sour land.

no

t3

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
fertilizing during the cold season. About two months
before the period of growth begins, apply for each full
grown tree a mixture of 7 pounds of high-grade super-
phosphate 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 surface. In order to accomplish this
application economically, it is well to mix the Nitrate with
two or three times the quantity 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 leaching, 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 ammoniates,
if .sed 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 ammoniates must undergo Nitration — must be
Nitrated before living trees or plants will feed on them.
From six weeks to two months after the above appli-

in

cations Nitrate may be used again as above indicated. If ^°<^^ ^^"^

desirable, two to three months later a further appHcation

of one and a half pounds of Nitrate 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 condition of his grove
and the general character of soil and climate in his particular
locality. .

Strawberries.

Prof. W. F. Massey (all farmers know him) writes: "I
top-dressed an old strawberry bed in its fifth year of bearing
with 300 pounds Nitrate of Soda per acre. I had intended
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."

This plant requires a moist soil, but not one water-
jogged at any time of the year. A light clay loam, or a
sandy loam, is preferable. There are several methods of
cultivation, but the matted row is generally found more
profitable than the plan of growing only in hills. While
some growers claim that one year's crop is all that should
be harvested 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 consumer of plant food, and the soil cannot be
made too rich. Farmyard manure should never he 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, as soon as the strawberry leaves show the
bright, fresh green of new growth, apply broadcast 200
pounds Nitrate of Soda to the acre.

Food for 'pabig Showing Prices of Nitrate of Soda

Plants

on the Ammomate Basis.

112

Figured on Basis of 380 Pounds Ammonia in One
Ton of Nitrate of Soda.

Price per
Cwt. of

Nitrate.

Price per
Ton of
Nitrate.

Price

Ammonia

per lb a.s

Nitrate.

Equivalent
Price
Ammonia
per Ton unit.

Equivalent

Cost of

Nitrogen

per lb.

$1.85

$37.00

$0,097

$1.95

$0,118

1.90

38.00

0.100

2.00

0.122

1.95

39.00

0.103

2.05

0.125

2.00

40.00

0.105

2.10

0.128

2.05

41.00

0.108

2.16

.0.131

2.10

42.00

0.111

2.21

0.134

2.15

43.00

0.113

2.26

0.137

2.20

44.00

0.116

2.31

0.140

2.25

45.00

0.118

2.37

0.144

2.30

46.00

0.121

2.42

- 0.147

2.35

47.00

0.124

2.47

0.150

2.40

48.00

0.126

2.53

0.153

2.45

49.00

0.129

2.58

0.156

2.50

50.00

0.132

2.63

0.159

2.55

51.00

0.134

2.68

0.162

2.60

52.00

0.137

2.73

0.165

2.65

53.00

0.140

2.78

0.168

2.70

54.00

0.143

2.83

0.173

This table enables one to compare commercial quota-
tions on ammoniates with accuracy. The figures themselves
are not quotations 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,
equivalent to 19.00 per cent, of ammonia. It is prepared
merely in order that purchasers may compare the price of
Nitrate of Soda which is always quoted by the hundred
pounds, with the other ammoniates, which are quoted by
the ton unit. In the first column, therefore, are given the
prices per hundred weight of Nitrate of Soda; in the second

column, the corresponding prices per ton; in the third ^^^^ ^^^
column, the cost of the contained ammonia per pound, a ^°^^
figure which is always discussed, but almost never explained ^^S
in Station Bulletins; in the fourth column, the equivalent
price of the Ammonia per ton unit, and in the fifth column,
gives the corresponding prices of the cost of the Nitrogen
per pound, a figure also much discussed, but not explained
in Bulletins. The important figures to remember are the
price per hundred weight, the price per ton and the equiv-
alent price of the ammonia in the Nitrate per ton unit. The
table IS prepared to cover fluctuations in price running from
one dollar and eighty cents per hundred, to tivo dollars and
seventy cents per hundred; or from thirty-six dollars, to fifty-
four dollars per ton.

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.

Great gains have been made in the past few years in our
knowledge of the necessity of using, and in the methods of
use of, commercial fertilizers. A point of primary impor-
tance that has been learned is that their application is neces-
sary 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 genera-
tions. 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 annually. The question as to the need of
fertilizer settled, the next in importance is how to use the

Food for materials containing the essential plant-food elements in

such a manner as to contribute to the best growth and devel-

^^4 opment of the plants under the wide variety of conditions

that exist, and thus secure the largest financial return from

their application.

T...^ 01 u While the three constituents — Nitrogen,

ruitrogen Should 1 1 • • 1 1 1 n ^

_, . o • , phosphoric acid and potash — are all essen-

Receive Special • 1 1 n i- 1 1 1

.^^ ^. tial, because all are liable to exhaustion.

Attention. -.j. . , , 111

iNitrogen 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 expen-
sive 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 com-
parative ease of mining, combined with the facilities with
which these phosphates may be converted into superphos-
phates, materially reduces the cost of immediately available
phosphoric acid. In the case of potash, the vast deposits
of Germany furnish unlimited quantities of crude material,
which are readily converted into concentrated salts of potash,
free from deleterious substances, and which furnish potash
in immediately available forms, and, because of their high
content of the essential element, the transportation charges
• are relatively low per unit of constituent. Nitrogen, on the
other hand, is less abundant, and even though fouiid in the
form of Nitrate of Soda as a tTatural deposit, the quantity is
limited in extent, as compared with the deposits of phosphates
and potash 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 manufactured poiash salts, thus increasing the cost of
transportation per unit of the constituent.

Second, because Nitrogen exists in three forms — as
organic matter, as ammonia and as Nitrate — and which
differ widely in their rate of availability or immediate use-
fulness 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 reason-

ably quick use of the constituent when appHed in organic ^^'^^ ^^^

materials, it is necessary, first, to select those likely to change _^^

rapidly, and second, to depend upon favorable weather con- "5
ditions — i.e.y 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 Nitro-
gen 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 {orm, which takes place rapidly under average
seasonal conditions, though an appreciable time must inter-
vene between the date of its application and the time it can
be used. In the case of the third form, the Nitrate, no condi-
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 lOO per cent., making
the matter of selection of material exceedingly important.

In the third place, because Nitrogen, in this immediately
available form, is so readily soluble and so completely carried
in the soil water, there is danger of its loss by leaching — that
is, while there is no question as to the usefulness of this form
of Nitrogen — i.e.. Nitrate — so far as its absorption 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 applications are
not properly adjusted, there may be an abnormal and inferior
development of plant, because of too large a use of Nitrogen,

Food for or, as it forms no fixed compounds in the soil, there may be a

^° ^ loss from leaching into the drains when applied previous to

^^^ the growth of the plant or in too large quantities 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.

_,, t- • * -J As already pointed out, the mineral ele-
Pnospnoric Acid -^ S i i i • • i

, p , ments — potash and phosphoric acid — are

j..„ , relatively cheap as compared with Nitrogen.

^. In the case of potash, the availability of the

different forms in which it is usually ob-
tained 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
acid the soluble and immediately available forms contained
in superphosphates may be obtained quite as cheaply as many
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 'pi, -d 4.tt f —^-

soil, with which it must associate and com- „. _ ^^7

bine, in order to fully meet the food needs of

I TT 1 AT- • quires an

plants. Hence, where JNitrogen m any ^, , ^

j: , , r •^■ ■ Abundance of

form IS recommended as a lertilizer, it _,, t. • a -j

, , , , 1 ,1 , , , . Pnosphonc Acid

should be understood that the phosphoric , -X j. ^ -

. , , , r 1 1 and Potash in

acid and potash necessary tor the growth , _ „

of the crop must either be supplied with it,
or have been previously applied, or should have existed
naturally in the soil. On poor soils, therefore, the
application of the minerals must be made with the
Nitrogen, while in cases where the soil is naturally
rich in minerals, if Nitrogen 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 deficiency in Nitrogen.
Under such circumstances, it is a commendable practice to
use Nitrogen only, as it enables a use of soil constituents,
which are of no service while in the soil. The fear that such
use of Nitrogen will result in an undue exhaustion of phos-
phoric 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 phosphoric acid and
potash removed in the crop would not be relatively 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.

Food for ^ T, X In the next place, the best use of Nitrogen

Plants The Best Returns ■ , S • • ,• , ' •, • * ,

, .1. TT r ^^ attained wheji it is applied to soils in pood

irom toe U se ot

^^° TVT.. A condition, rather than to poor or worn-out

JNitroffen Are • . • .

nv.* • A \j^Tv, soils. The soils to which high-grade ferti-

vIDCd-lUCQ W X16I1 |- 1*1111 11

A 1' H t r d "zers are applied should possess good ab-

<s I W 11 P sorptive and retentive properties, in order

' - that the materials applied may be retained

pared for Crops, r ^ ri ii ii

tor the use or 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 circulation
of the plant-food.

T,, T^. J , Whether it will pay to use any one or more

The Kind of r ^^^ .^J. ^ . ,

^ , fertilizer constituents is a question that can-

Crop an Impor- , , . . / , ,

X XT- X • not be answered positively, except by the
tant Factor in , / -ni i • r i

_, ^ . . ,, person who uses them. 1 he relation or the

Determining the ^ ^ , . ... , , r i •

. . -^ 7 cost or the rertilizer to the value or the in-
Agricultural , . • i i r i • i

°. , ^, creased crop is a variable factor, and, aside

Value of the r ^ ^^ • • • n II

,,.x from weather conditions, is influenced by

Nitrogen. , i i i- r ^ i

the availability of the constituents — that

is, the proportion that a crop can obtain of the amount
applied, 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 contain-
ing Nitrogen to crops which possess a low market value may
result in a maximum production — that is, as large an increase
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 propor-

tionate gain in crop, may result in a large profit, because ^°^^ ^'^^

the cost of the Nitrogen, though considerable, is relatively a ^" ^

small item when compared with the increased value of the "9
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 low market value — dry hay will
bring, say, $12 per ton, and a good yield is two tons per acre;
the market garden group of crops shows a high market value
— succulent vegetables will bring as much per ton and the
yield will be five to ten times as great. These relations of
cost of material applied to value of crop are exceedingly
important, and should be carefully looked into before plan-
ning for the purchase of materials.

In the next place, the form of Nitrogen ^ ^ . ^

1 . . ^ ' fe Certain Crops

used IS very important. Many crops, as, _ . ,,

f 1 I r I • 3.re iirSpeciaiiy

lor example, those grown for early spring _ fif h h

forage, or for hay or grain, as rye, wheat, NitmteNitrogen.
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 agen-
cies 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 imme-
diately 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

Food for harvested early, as anyone can grow them in their regular

^^^"^^ season; their growth must be promoted or forced as much as

I20 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 dependent, 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 r ^ j r u J u

( w-4- *■ f frequently used after the seed has germm-

oi JNitrate or i i i j ^' i ^i

ated and the crop made a partial growth,

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 application,
since it is so completely soluble that but a slight amount of
moisture is necessary in order to distribute it throughout the
soil, and, because of its ready availability, it is used by the
plant as soon as it comes in contact with its roots. It is the
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

Profits From r ^^^ ^ ^1 r

, „ , fertilizers is to so supplement sou supplies

the Use of r i r j i.^ • c^ a

of plant-food as to obtain a proht, and, as

er 1 izers. already intimated, the profits for the differ-

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,
provided the increase in yield will more than pay the cost of
the application. The farmer should calculate what increase
in crop 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

121

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 appli'cation 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 remarkable
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, how-
ever, not uniform, and variations in return from definite
applications must be expected.

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
involved; 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 ear- __ , , ^ ,
, , . , . , . -^ ... , o Market Garden

deners that, m their busmess, liberal manur- _

ing must be practiced, and that the man-
ures used must contain an abundance 6f Nitrogen, that may
be quickly used by the plant, if rapidity of growth and early

Food for maturity are to be attained. The experiments with Nitrate

^°^^ of Soda were, therefore, planned to show in which directions

^22 the benefits from its use were observed — whether, for ex-
ample, in the larger yield of a crop of the same general char-
acter, or whether, together with the larger yield, there was an
earlier maturity of those crops in which early maturity is an
important factor, or whether the marketable quality was
improved, thus returning a larger profiffor 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.

p, . „ , , In the growing of this crop, whose value

^ may range from ^300 to $600 per acre, 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
must be kept growing at all hazards. In good practice an
application of from fifteen to twenty tons of manure and
about one ton of a high-grade commercial fertilizer are used
per acre. The plants are usually grown under glass, and
transplanted 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 applications; 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 extra 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

Plants

12"

which received 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 ,, ^, , -. tt •
o , j-^ J • I Method of Using

800 pounds per acre, dependmg upon the ;

conditions, always remembering that 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. Where it does not seem practicable to make the
application of Nitrate of Soda separately, then the Nitrate,
in the quantity 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 ap-
plied long enough before the plants are set to permit of its
thorough distribution in the soil. Still, the danger of loss
is not great, unless the season is so extremely wet as to pre-
vent cultivation.

In the case of asparagus, which is a per- .
. , , ^ , ^1 ^r 1 • Asparagus,

ennial, the hnal results or the experiments

have not yet been secured, though the experience of prac-
tical 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 season
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

Food for cannot exert its full effect except in the presence of the neces-
^° ^ sary supply of the mineral elements.
^^4 M th d f "'■" ^^^ early spring, as soon as the land is

„ . ^. fit to cultivate, the beds are ploughed or

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 8oo
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
vitality 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
roots immediately absorb this available form of Nitrogen,
which stimulates and strengthens the plant, and enables it to
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
system have no difficulty in contracting their entire crop
from year to year at very remunerative prices.

T, , T, ^ A careful study of the special needs of plants

Early Tomatoes. , 1 1 • 1 1

shows that there is no other one crop that

responds more favorably to the use of immediately available
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
quality of crop, and because of the larger crop an increased
maturity is virtually secured. These are all points of ex-
treme practical importance. The results of all the experi-
ments 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 ot about ^"-

^100 per acre. ^^^

In the growth of this crop two methods TyrgfUQ^jg ^f
are used, depending largely upon the char- pj.„„^vg
acter of the soil and its previous treatment
in reference to commercial fertilizers or manures. In the first,
where the farmyard manure and commercial fertilizers, 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 usually earlier, and the net
profit is quite as great as if larger applications 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 prac-
tice which would tend to encourage a later growth or longer
season would reduce proportionately the net profits.

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 100 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
increases 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 __ . . 1
1 1- • TAT- 1 ij How to Apply

m the application 01 iNitrate; it should not „.

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

Food for should be made, though care should be used not to make

_^1 the second application too late, as it encourages a later

^26 growth of plants and retards maturity.

_ , _ , , The cabbage is a gross feeder, and the

crop can utilize large quantities or 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
adapted 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 1^53
to ;^8o per acre. The experiments also show that what may
be regarded 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
applications have a tendency to disproportionately increase
leaf growth and retard heading. The most remarkable
effect of the Nitrate is shown in the influence it exerts upon
the marketable 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
applications of mixed fertilizers.

__ , , - On soils well adapted for the crop — me-

. . . dium sandy loams — the land should be

plowed early and well cultivated. If ma-
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 ^^7

the plant to absorb food is gratified, and a maximum crop

is the result.

This is a crop of very considerable im- i? i t ki

I 1 1' ■ 1 ' jL/3.riy id.Di6

portance m market garden districts, and in ^

^ . . . ^ r Li -ri Turnips,

certain sections is very prohtable. 1 he

profit, other things being equal, is measured by the earliness

v^ath 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 gain* obtained in the experiments from

the use of Nitrate have ranged from 30 to over 100 per cent.,

according to the amount applied and method of application.

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 liberally m fh H f

fertilized, particularly with the mineral ele- , ,. ^.

, ^ -^ , . ^ P ... Application,

ments, the recommendations tor fertilizers,

which have in practice proved very satisfactory, are as fol-
lows: Prepare the soil early and apply a light dressing 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 ger-
minated 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. Applications 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

Food for 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

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 nitrogent)us food of the plant if
early maturity is to be accomplished. Owing to this fact,
the utilization of the Nitrate by the plant is liable to be less
than if applied later, as the season for heavy rains, which are
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
material may be used to advantage.

A good practice is to manure the soil, either
^ ° ^^ during; the fall or winter, with from ten to

twelve tons per acre, and apply 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 Nitrogen 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 lOO
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 ^oo'^ ^°^
gains per acre when the Nitrate has been used in this way ^
have ranged from ^i8 to ^40 — a very profitable use of Nitro- "9
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,
100 per cent., with an average increased value of crop
of ^100 per acre. It is shown, further, that as in the case of
very early crops, that 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
maturity 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 sub-
stance is noticed in marketable quality of the total crop,
reducing very materially the percentage of culls. The
experiments showed that, while the percentage of culls,
where no Nitrogen was applied, averaged 40 per cent., the
average 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 fall m th h f
or winter, 8 to 10 tons of manure, which p
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

Food for crops, not to allow the salt to come in contact with the
P'^°^^ foliage of the plants.

130 A, V In the case of cucumbers, heavier soils

Cucumbers. , , , , ' . . ^ ^ .

may be used, and larger 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 con-
tinuous growth of vine and fruit, thus materially reducing
the proportion of culls. For growing this crop to best
advantage, the soil should either be well manured or a com-
mercial fertilizer, rich in all of the constituents, should be
applied at the 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 dressing may range from
two to three weeks, according to season.
_ . Celery is a crop that responds most prolit-

^* ably to an application of an abundance

of available Nitrogen. This fertihzer 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 ^ood for
from the best use of the Nitrate was over ^250.

The celery crop is expensive, both in m th d f ^^^

plants and in labor, and since the cost of . ,. ^.
S . •1111 Application,

these Items is the same whether the crop is

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-
cially to rapidity of growth and to the formation of stalk
which possesses that peculiar crispness which in so marked
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.

The growinp; of peppers has become a -^

. I _ r r ^ Peppers.

considerable industry in market garden dis-
tricts 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

Food for [hat peppers continue to form during the entire period of
plants gj-Q^rfh, the distribution of the Nitrate throughout the season
^32 is desirable where large quantities are applied. Where more
convenient the first appHcation of Nitrate may be applied at
time of setting the plants, in order to prevent any delay in
grow^th 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-
' tial that an abundant supply of Nitrogen
be at the disposal of the plant. The 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
commercial fertilizers, the question of greatest importance
has been the source of Nitrogen best suited to meet the
demands of the special early growth. The experiments
which have been conducted with a view to answering this
question have shown clearly that while Nitrate is most use-
ful, a combination of the Nitrate with quickly-available
organic forms, as dried blood, or with both organic and
ammonia forms, is preferable to the use of any single form.
M tVi ri f ^" good potato soils, therefore, a good

_ . fertilization should consist of from 800 to

1,000 pounds of a fertilizer contammg
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 congenial

Sweet Potatoes. , • S- , 1 1 ^u u • i

home m a light, sandy soil, the physical

character of the soil measuring, to a large extent, the quality

Plants

133

of the crop, though the method of fertiHzation will also ^^od for
influence this to a certain extent. 1 his plant seems to have
the power of acquiring from the soil Nitrogen that is inaccess-
ible 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
tubers of the character demanded by our northern markets —
a small, round tuber, which cooks dry and has a nutty flavor.
These characteristics of quality cannot be secured in crops
grown on heavy soils, nor on sandy soils too liberally supplied
with Nitrogen.

The fertilizer may be applied at the time Methods of

of making up the rows, in order that it Practice

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 __ d G '

and rye, forms a very important part of the
farming interests of the Eastern, Middle and Southern Coast
States. The areas of these crops in eighteen States, includ-

Food for ing Tennessee and Kentucky, are, in round numbers, as

P^^"^^ follows:

^34 }{ay 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-
tions which prevail, it is likely that their growth will continue
for some time to come, though it is eminently desirable that
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,
because, if followed, it will enable the farmer to obtain
more profitable crops, and will encourage the gradual adop-
tion 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 — firsts

"What shall I use?" second, "How much shall I use per Food for
acre?" arid third, "When and how shall it be applied?" ^^^°^^ '
Experiments that have been conducted with the use of Nitrate ^35
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 element
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-
able. The results of experiments conducted through a
period of nine years, and in different sections of the State,
show 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 ot 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.

The second question, as to how much __ __ ,

, „ , 1- 1 • 1 1 How Much

snail be applied, experience teaches that on „, ,, ,

1 M • 1 r 1 • • Shall be

good soils, in a good state or 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 ele-
ments, 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

Food for (he constituents are supplied in reasonable excess, besides
— L^^ 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.

-_ ^, , , The experiments, the results of which are

Methods of r i 1 • 1 i

. ,. ^. conhrmed by experience, also answer the

Application. , • , ■■' * 1 • i n 1

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
before or just after a rain. If applied earlier than this there
will be a slight danger of loss, because the roots will not be
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
mineral 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 ahout y^ 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 ^7
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:

Nitrate of Soda 500 lbs.

( jround bone 200

Acid phosphate 200

Muriate of potash 100

1,000 lbs.
Applied at the rate of 200 to 300 pounds per acre.

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.

The results of experiments conducted to ^ . , ^,
, . . ^ , . . , , Gains from the

answer this question show a gain in both . , „.

grain and straw from the top-dressing of f c ,?
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

Food for straw, thus showing a wide variation in the character of the
^"^^ soils used and in seasons, making the average of the results
^38 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 largfe
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 Southern
States included in our discussion, we find a gain of 7.9
bushels of wheat and 1,340 pounds of straw, and a valuation
of seventy-five cents per bushel for wheat and $6 per ton for
straw, which prices probably represent the average, though
not as high as are now prevailing, the total value of the
increase is 1^9.95, 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, with-
out the additional Nitrate, the average yield is over twenty
bushels per acre.

-,, . ^ In reference to the second question, as to

The Amount , u at- u n u r j 1

. . , how much INitrate shall be applied, the

to Apply. . II -1 • 1

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 ^0°^ ^^^

apparent, as, if the season is good and the growth normal, ^"^^

the second application may be dispensed w^ith. Where the ^39

soil is liable to be deficient in minerals, and this is often the

case, the Nitrate may be mixed w^ith 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 1894 _.

confirm the conclusions reached in both

the experiment on hay and wheat, that Nitrate of Soda as a

top-dressing proves desirable in effectually increasing the <

yield of 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 ^y

for straw, or an average increase of 28.5 per cent, for 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 i,8oo.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

investment. The suggestions as to thie 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.

At this Station during the years 1800 to _, . ,

1002 seven experiments were conducted .^, _,

■ L M- 1 • r with Forage

with iNitrate as a top-dressing on forage „ **

crops, the Nitrate being used in addition ^

to the manures and fertilizers generally used, and the follow-

Food for
Plants

140

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, ranging from 34.1
per cent, for corn to 96.6 per cent, for barley— a profitable
return from the use of the Nitrate 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

Fertilizer.

° C

iH <U

^ §

OJ c^

itrat
Sod

w

0

z

z^ i

1

lbs.

lbs.

I

9,520

13,100

I

9,280

15,000

2

14,355

21,540

I

20,400

26,800

I

6,250

9,530

I

2,400

4,720

2

'>>

-a

n

c

lbs.

3,580
5,720

7,185

6,400

3,280
2,320

"c5
O

iT

re

c
1;
o

u

37-6
61.6
50.0
31-4

52.5
96.6

Yield.

u

be
re

<

-a
u

re

CI

u

c

1-^

lbs.

-lbs.

10,000

3,760

10,000

6,160

14,000

7,000

20,000

6,280

10,000

5,250

8,000

7,728

1) o

c ^

re —

K, OJ

Q
10

9

7
II

64

24
50

42
88

59

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 appHca- ^^^^ ^^^
tions were made after the plants were well started and root _^^_^ —
systems well established and ready for the Methods of ^"^^

rapid absorption of food. In raising forage Application,
crops the best results, m fact, satisfactory
results, can only be obtained when grown under the inten-
sive 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.

Although there are many valuable suggestions offered
by the experiments, at least two are of fundamental im-
portance, and cannot be too strongly urged upon the atten-
tion of farmers:

1. 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 jor quick-grozving vegetable
crops, whose marketable quality is measured by rapid and
continuous grozvth, and for those field crops which make their
greatest development in spring, before the conditions are favor-
able for the change of the Nitrogen in the soil into forms usable
by plants.

FARMERS' BULLETIN No. 107.

Editor: W. H. BEAL.

Prepared in the Office of Experiment Stations.
A. C. TRUE, Director.

Page 7.

" Under existing conditions farmers are advised to purchase
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,

Food for hecause the 'specials^ are not properly compounded, and second y,
^° ^ because the needed plant food can be thus procured at lower
142 cost.'''""

The continuous use of muriate of potash may so far
deplete the soil of Hme 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 1^0 pounds per acre, one-half
the amount of this salt may be ivithheld until the crop is J or
^ 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.

SUMMARY OF INCREASED YIELDS.

From Application of 100 Pounds per Acre of Nitrate of Soda.

_,. . T^ . , It should be pointed out that in the
Rise in Price of , , . ^ • 1 >t- r n ^

„ T, J .. recorded experiments with JNitrate of Soda
Farm Products. ^^ V-> 1 r 1 t 1 i •

on Money Crops heretofore published in

Experiment Station Reports and Bulletins, farm products

were much low^er in price. The prices of agricultural

products have risen to a high water mark, and in certain

cases the advance 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

Tw • f u fif profit resulting from the crop increases

JW.arS[lIl Ol "rOnt 1 1 r 'kt- r r' ^ • r

^ °. due to the use of JNitrate of Soda, if re-

Greater. J , . 1 r

arranged on a basis of present values for

crops, would show more profit than before. It should also

* U. S. Department Agricultural, Farmers' Bulletin, 65 and 84 (Experiment Station
"W ork, II, page 27 ; VII, page 5).

. be remarked that the prices of other Ammoniates have ^°°^ ^^^

risen higher than Nitrate of Soda, and it is _,, . ^^1

1 r 11 r II A Other Ammo- ,.^

as heretofore the cheapest or all Ammo- . , ^^. , ^43

, , ^ mates Higher,

mates m the market.

Economists of authority tell us that the -^ , , , _, , ...^

,.,... . / -111 Probable Stability

cost or living is to remain tor a considerable . _ ,. ,

, ^ , . , L • L T I 1 of Farm Values,

time on the high basis now established,

so that it is to be expected that the prices of agricultural
products will remain at a high level.

In this connection your attention is called to many ex-
periments with Fertilizers in which Nitrate ^ , ^ , ^
^ r c J ■ J 1 L ] • J Good Results Due

or boda is said to have been used in order , ...^ ,

J , , 1 • 1 1 to Nitrate,

to produce results to be exploited as due

to materials other than this Standard Money Crop Producer.

Further, one may add, that when Ni- _, ,^ „,, , ,
J , -^ r J Result Slight

trate is used at the rate or lOO pounds per . J^

I 1 1 . • TT" •!• Auclecl t/Ost per

acre, the actual cash increase in l^ertihzer . , ^

,, J , J Acre and per Ton

cost per acre is very small, and when used ,^ .,.

r J J . / , of Fertilizer,

in mixed goods it cheapens the cost per ton

of the Fertilizer.

The highest agricultural authorities „„ ,,^., , „

u ui^ujL ri What Nitrate Has

have established by carerul expenmenta- ^ r ^

, J r AT- r o J Done for Crops,

tion that 100 pounds or INitrate or boda

applied to the crops quoted below has produced increased

yields as tabulated hereunder:

Barley 400 pounds of grain.

Corn 280 pounds of grain.

Oats 400 pounds of grain.

Rye 300 pounds of grain.

Wheat 300 pounds of grain.

Potatoes 3,600 pounds of tubers.

Hay 1,000 pounds, barn-cured.

Cotton 500 pounds seed-cotton.

Sugar Beets 4,000 pounds of tubers.

Beets 4,000 pounds of tubers.

Sweet Potatoes 3>900 pounds of tubers.

Cabbages 6,100 pounds.

Carrots 7,8oo pounds.

Onions 1,800 pounds.

Turnips 37 per cent.

Strawberries 200 quarts.

Asparagus lOO bunches.

Tomatoes 100 baskets.

Celery 30 per cent.

Food for It should be remembered that plants take up most of

Plants j-j^gjj. Nitrogen during the early period of their growth.

144 It ts now known that there is not as much clanger of if

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 movement
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 beginning to be used in America.

If the Nitrate is to be mixed with superphosphate or
other fertilizers, put the desired quantity of each in a heap
on the floor and turn it over until it is uniformly mixed.

Nitrate of Soda, unlike sulphate of ammonia, dried blood
and other complete mixed fertilizers, can be mixed with lime or
ashes without loss of Nitrogen.

FROM BULLETIN No. 67.

Maryland Experiment Station on the Culture and Handling
of Tobacco in Maryland.

H. J. PATTERSON, Director and Chemist.

From Page 140.

The following materials are well adapted
for use in making fertilizers for tobacco:
Dissolved South Carolina rock, dissolved bone, dried
fish, bone-tankage, cotton-seed meal, Nitrate of Soda,
sulphate of ammonia, high grade sulphate of potash, car-
bonate of potash and magnesia, and cotton-seed-hull ashes.

As a rule, in mixing fertilizers there is not as much Nitro- ^°°^ ^^^

wen and potash used as would be beneficial and profitable. —

By the use of crimson clover and cow-peas for adding ^^^
humus to the soils the amount of Nitrogen or ammonia
furnished by commercial fertilizer could be either kept low
or reduced. Farmers should generally aim to mix their own
fertilizers, as by this means they are sure of what goes into
the fertilizer, and, as a rule, they get the plant food cheaper
than by purchasing it in ready mixed goods. The mixing of
fertilizer can he easily and cheaply done on the barn floor,
by the aid of a hoe, shovel and coarse sand screen.

The following figures give the approxi- _.. __. .
mate percentage which each lOO pounds of
the various ingredients will represent when they are added
to a mixture and the whole made up to a ton or 2,000
pounds.

Each 100 pounds of dissolved South Carolina rock
represents 7-10 per cent, of phosphoric acid in a ton
mixture.

Each 100 pounds of standard dried fish or tankage will
represent ^ per cent, of ammonia and 4-10 per cent, of total
phosphoric acid in a ton mixture.

Each 100 pounds of Nitrate of Soda will represent
about one (i) per cent, of ammonia when made up in a
ton mixture.

Each 100 pounds of high-grade sulphate of potash will
represent about 2^ per cent, of potash when made up into
a ton mixture.

For illustration, a fertilizer which has been used with
good results on the Station farm for tobacco was made up
as follows:

Dissolved South Carolina rock 1.300 lbs.

Tankage (10 per cent.) 400 lbs.

Nitrate of Soda 100 lbs.

High-grade sulphate of potash 200 lbs.

Total, 2,000 lbs.
This contained approxmiately :

Phosphoric acid (P, O;^) Q to lo per cent.

Potash (K, O) 5 "

Ammonia 3

Food for Terms Used in Discussing Fertilizers.

Plants ^

Y^ 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 drie'd blood, cotton-seed meal, tankage and
ammonia salts. 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
phosphate of lime in the form of bones, Peruvian guano
and Rock phosphate. Phosphoric acid occurs in fertilizers
in two forms — available and insoluble phosphoric acid.

Superphosphate. — In natural phosphates the phos-
phoric acid is insoluble in water and not available to plants,
except in the form of very fine powder. Superphosphate is
prepared from these by grinding and treating with sulphuric
acid, which makes the phosphoric acid more available.
Superphosphates are sometimes called acid-phosphates.
Peruvian guano contains much available phosphate when
finely ground.

Potash, as a constituent of fertilizers, exists in a number
of forms, but chiefly as sulphate and muriate. The chief
sources of potash are the potash salts, muriate of potash,
sulphate of potash. Canada wood ashes and cotton-hull
ashes are also sources of potash and also Nitrate of Potash.

Ammoniates.

Per Cent Lbs. Ammonia

Ammonia. Per Ton.

Nitrate of Soda 19 . 380

Dried blood 14-5 295

Tankage 13.3 266

Dry fish scrap 10 200

Cotton-seed meal 8.5 1 70

Barnyard manure 0.6 12

Phosphates.

Per Cent
Phosphoric Acid.

Superphosphate 14

Ground bone 22

Bone tankage 12

Thomas slag 16

Barnyard manure 0.32

Potashes.

Per Cent Actual
Potash.

Nitrate of Soda i to 3

Muriate of potash 50

Sulphate of potash 52

Canada wood ashes 6

Cotton-seed hull ashes 25

Waste from gunpowder works 18

Corn cob ashes 23

Maryland marls i .25

Peruvian guano 2.61

Castor pumace 1.5

Tobacco stems 6.5

Barnyard manure 0-43

Sodas.

Per Cent Actual
Soda.

Carbonate of Soda 50

Sulphate of Soda 43

Nitrate of Soda 35

Food for

Lbs. Phosphoric Plants
Acid Per Ton. ■

280 ^47

440
240
320
6.40

Lbs. Potash

Per Ton.

20 to 60

1,000

1,040

120

400

360

460

25

52.2

30

130

8.6

Lbs. Soda
Per Ton.

1,000

860

700

SOUTH CAROLINA AGRICULTURAL
EXPERIMENT STATION.

From Bulletin No. 56.

/. Comparison of Varieties.

II. Quantity of Seed per Acre.

III. Experiment with Nitrogen.

Wheat.

IV. Home Manures.

V. Commercial Fertilizers.

VI. Tillage.

Page 5.

If wheat is sown upon land deficient in
organic matter, it is wise to use a complete
fertilizer, containing Nitrogen, phosphoric acid and potash.

Fertilizers.

Food for
Plants

If wheat shows an unhealthy appearance in early spring,

especially upon sandy lands, an application of seventy-five

'48 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.

„, . 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 i 7 ■ 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 phos-
phoric acid and potash applied with the
seed. Nitrate of Soda as a top-dress,
yield 194 bus.

UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA AGRICULTURAL
EXPERIMENT STATION.

Timely Hints for Farmers, No. 31.

PROF. \V. 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 (lo per cent, ammonia) i,ooo

Nitrate of Soda 140

Sulphate of potash 60

Dissolved bone (16 per cent, available phosphoric acid) 800

2.000

PURDUE UNIVERSITY,
INDIANA AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT

STATION,

LAFAYETTE, IND.

C. S. PLUMB, Director.

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

I 7 * • r AvaiiaDiiity 01

grozving crops, or where an application of ^.

Nitrogen ts desirable in the maturing of a

crop, the N itrate of Soda is preferable to dried blood.

The results obtained from the several Conclusions

experiments enumerated seem to invite the Pertaining to

following conclusions: Nitrate of Soda.

1. That in order to study the action of the three essen-
tial elements of plant food, Nitrogen, phosphorus and
potassium, a soil must be used that is fairly deficient in
plant food.

2. That potash when used m any considerable amount,
either alone or in connection with Nitrate of Soda, pro-
duced conditions unsuitable to plant growth.

3. When phosphoric acid was used alone or in con-
nection with Nitrate of Soda or muriate of potash, even in

149

Food for large amounts, a marked increase in the growth of the

Pla^ plants was obtained.

150 4. The muriate of potash proved somewhat superior to

the sulphate, the increase in each case being but slight.

5. But little difference seems to obtain in the efficiency
of different forms of available phosphoric acid.

6. In each instance chemical fertilizers proved slightly
superior to stable manures.

7. The application of liquid fertilizers from below by
the sub-watering method proved perfectly feasible and gave
satisfactory results.

8. Nitrate of Soda gave quicker returns than did dried
bloody and seems best adapted to lettuce culture.

9. The sub-watered plants made a better growth than
the surface watered ones.

MASSACHUSETTS EXPERIMENT STATION.

„ ... , Since i8q2 the Massachusetts Hatch Sta-

Fertilizers for • 1 i j • • r

„ , ^ tion has been conductmp; series or experi-

Garden Crops. ^, -, • '^ 1 r -kt-. .

ments to test the relative value of i\ itrate

of Soda, sulphate of ammonia, and dried blood, as sources

of Nitrogen for different garden crops; and, at the same

time, to make a comparison of muriate with sulphate of

potash, when used with each of the three Nitrogenous

fertilizers for the same class of crops. Dissolved bone-black

was applied equally to all plats from the first. These

experiments were continued unvaried until 1897. Sulphate

of potash in connection with Nitrate of Soda generally gave

the best crop; in cases where it did not, it gave one but

slightly inferior to the best except in the case of one crop,

sweet corn, a plant which makes much of its growth in the

latter part of the season. Nitrate of Soda in almost every

instance proved the most valuable source of Nitrogen, whether

used with muriate or sulphate of potash. Sulphate of

ammonia and muriate of potash when used together gave

the poorest yield in every instance.

Up to 1897, as has been already stated, only chemical

fertilizers were used, but in 1898 a change was made in the

plan of the experiment. In view of the fact that market

gardeners, in whose interest chiefly these experiments were

carried out, almost invariably use large quantities of stable ^°°^ ^°^

manure, and employ commercial fertilizers, if at all, simply ^ —

to supplement the manure, it was decided to apply equal ^^i
amounts of thoroughly mixed stable manure to each plat
and to use in addition the same fertilizers as before.
Further, in order to have the best data for determining
whether the fertilizers should prove in any degree useful,
another plat was added to which manure alone was applied.
A number of different garden crops were grown, including
spinach, lettuce, table beets, tomatoes, and cabbage; and,
as a second crop, turnips.

Spinach gave by far the best results with „ . ,

Nitrate of Soda. With sulphate of am-
monia it was almost an absolute failure, many plants dying
soon after germination and most of the others becoming
yellow and sickly. Sulphate of potash gave better returns
than the muriate. Similar results were obtained with beets.
Most of the plants on the sulphate of ammonia plats became
weak and sickly and many died. The results with tomatoes
were also in part similar. Sulphate of potash gave better
returns than the muriate, and Nitrate of Soda gave the best
yield of any of the sources of Nitrogen. This is thought to
be due to the fact that the tomato is not set until about the
first of June, and makes most of its growth when the season
is well advanced. By this time the injurious compounds
formed by the sulphate of ammonia have been washed away
by rain or destroyed by further chemical changes. The
crops that were injured by the sulphate of ammonia — spinach
and beets — are sown early and make most of their growth
before the season is far advanced.

Lettuce yielded better on barnyard manure alone than
on the plats to which fertilizers were also applied. The
result is in line with results obtained at the New York State
Station, where it was found that "after the soil has received
a heavy application of stable manure, any further addition
of chemical fertilizers is only thrown away." Here, as
before, sulphate of ammonia was found to be highly injurious.

Cabbage appeared to be somewhat benefited by the
addition of fertilizers to barnyard manure. The difference
in the effect of the different fertilizers was not very marked.
Nitrate of Soda appeared to be the best source of Nitrogen.

Food for The plats from which the beets, lettuce and spinach had

been harvested were plowed and sowed to turnips without

152 further fertilizing. In this case the crop was decidedly

better on the plats which had received fertilizers in addition

to manure.

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. i*

Comparison of Nitrate of Soda and Sulphate of
Ammonia Both W^ith and W^ithout 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 Atumonia, though quite soluble, has to
he changed into a nitrate before it can he 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 and was not so liable to leach from the soil; 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 harmful to plants. The use of Lime in 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.

♦Gaiu of 7.8 bushels, or seventy-five per cent.

Food for
Plants

Some Practical Hints Regarding

Nitrate. ^53

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 lOO 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 practiced 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.

There are no unknown conditions that enter in, in refer-
ence to the solubility, and hence the availability of Nitrate
of Soda.

Food for
Plants

154

The Use of Nitrogenous Fertilizers

on Vegetables. .

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.

Lettuce.

An application in March at the rate of 250 pounds of
Nitrate of Soda and 750 pounds of Dried Fish per acre,
to Lettuce, in cold frames, made the crop ready to market
one week sooner and increased the yield five pounds per sash
or 12,000 pounds per acre; which at two cents per head
would have a value of ^240 per acre.

Potatoes.

Several experiments have been tried on the use of Nitrate
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.

Tomatoes.

Some of the early work of this Station was with fertilizers
for tomatoes. The results in detail are given in Bulletin
No. 91, 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.

With regard to the matter of fertiHzing cantaloupes, con- ^°°^ ^^^
tinuous and rapid growth is essential to earliness and a good ^°^^
crop, and Nitrate of Soda under the proper r 4- i ^^^

itions and with proper care, will yield
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:

Dried Blood or Cotton-Seed Meal 400 lbs.

Superphosphate (14 per cent.) or Peruvian guano 600 lbs.

Sulphate of potash 200 lbs.

The points to be observed in the use of ^ , ^ . .

TVT. re J A -J J General Points as

Nitrate of boda are: Avoid an excess, and ,,,,,,,

• J irr -1 1- r to Method of

avoid wetting the foliage with solutions of . .. .

it, and 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 a nitrated ammoniate, and is immediately available
as plant food. The general fertilizer above suggested may
be applied at the rate of 1,200 pounds to the acre, and subse-
quent applications of Nitrate of Soda may be made at the
rate of 100 pounds to the acre, say about two weeks apart,
during the growing season, and best by placing the Nitrate
well mixed with land plaster or fine dry soil before applying,
say one-quarter of an ounce to one-half of an ounce to each
hill. There is no Nitrogenous Fertilizer in the market at the
present time which sells as low as thirteen cents a pound for
the Nitrogen contained in it, which is what Nitrate Nitrogen
would cost at the price of ^2.00 per cwt. In looking at
quotations Nitrogen in Sulphate of Ammonia costs fifteen
or sixteen cents wholesale; and Dried Blood, Tankages and
Mixed Fertilizers anywhere from sixteen to twenty cents.
Nitrate is, therefore, the cheapest Ammjniate in the market
even at its present quoted price of two dollars and twenty-five
cents a hundred. The latter price is wholesale and applies
only to lots of five tons or more. The prices for all Nitro-
genous Fertilizers are likewise wholesale for five to fifteen-
ton lots, and smaller amounts cost more. It should be borne
in mind that prices for all agricultural crops have risen pro-
portionately much higher than Nitrogenous Fertilizers, and
especially so as to Nitrate of Soda.

Food; for Nitrate for Experiments.

^° ^ As Nitrate is a Powerful Plant Tonic and Energizer tt is NOT a stimulant
156 tn any sense of the word; a very small quantity does a very large amount of
work. Broadcast the Nitrate as soon as the frost leaves the ground
in the spring.

I never recommend the use of Nitrate of Soda alone, except at the rate
of not more than one hundred (100) pounds to the acre, when it may be used
without other fertilizers. The phosphatic and potassic 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, or if used on the
plots (20 ft. by 20 ft.) not more than three pounds of each should be applied
thereto. One hundred pounds per acre you will generally find profitable for
all crops. It will be found quite satisfactory also in its after effect and in
perceptibly sweetening sour land.

According to Dr. Wheeler's experiments
in Rhode Island soils are less exhausted
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 con-
nection.

Rhode Island Formula:

Nitrate of Soda 300 lbs.

Sulphate of potash 200 lbs.

Acid phosphate or its equivalent in Thomas slag 400 lbs.

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 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 ^57
moisture prevents fermentation and the consequent chemical
changes in the nitrogenous constituents of the manure.

The best method for the management of __ ^ ,

r , 111- Management of

farmyard manure is to make and keep it _, \t j

, ■' 11 I 11 • Farm- Yard

under cover, in sheds, or better still, in __

IVIflTiiirp

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 disposing _ _
/- , . r ., f ■ ^ r to Farm Sewage

ot the night-soil on a rarm is to so construct _. .

the closet that the urine will at once drain
to a lower level, and there be mixed with an equal quantity
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 farm-yard manure or compost.
Such receptacle should be made in the form of a shallow
drawer or box with an inclined bottom, and 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.

Food for ^s an alkali, soda has no advantage over potash, since the
^^^°^^ decomposing action of the soda is rarely due to its alkalinity.
^58 Potash, if used in the form of wood-ashes, the lime car-
bonate of the ashes, will neutralize the acid properties of
the peat, and the growth of the Nitrate ferment will thus
be greatly promoted.

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 Save n 1 • j r -u ui ^ • ^

all kmds or coarse vegetable materials 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 decom-
position of coarse materials, and they should always be
composted in large heaps and kept moist.

The process of nitration in the niter-bed,

J: l?^ ^°" ^^ the compost heap, or in the soil is precisely
Nitration. , ^ -ri, r .• c ^t\. . ■

the same. 1 he formation or JNitrates is

due to the continuous life and development of a micro-
organism known as the nitric ferment or nitric bacteria,
which lives upon the nitrogenous organic matters, ammo-
nium compounds, and other things present in the soil.
The nitric ferment 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 40° 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 100° F. the
formation of Nitrates rapidly decreases and at 131° F. en-
tirely ceases. As w^e 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
sheltered situations. When so made the conditions for

nitrification are more favorable and the beds are protected ^ood for
from the leaching action of storms. ^" ^

To ensure rapid nitrification all the food elements required '59
by the nitric ferment must be present. The ash ingredients
of plants, phosphates, ammonia, carbonaceous matter, and
an excess of oxygen must be present.

Peat containing much copperas, coal-tar, gas-lime con-
taining sulphites and sulphides, kill the ferment. The
Nitrate 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 ^.^^^^^ ^^ g^^^^
JNitrate or boda by 10.47, which gives the
per cent, of Nitrogen; multiply the per cent, of Nitrogen thus
obtained by the trade value of Nitrogen in the form of
Nitrates (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 X 16.47 == ^S-^^ P^^ cent, of Nitrogen; 15.64 X ^5
(trade value for 1892) ^ 234 cents, or $2.34, value of Nitro-
gen in 100 pounds; $2.34 X 20 zr $46.80, value per ton.

Multiply the per cent, of ammonia by c r v, t f
.82^'^, and then multiply the result by the ,
trade value of Nitrogen in ammonia salts,
\']\ cents; multiply the result by 20, which gives the value
per ton.

Example. — A manufacturer guarantees his sulphate of
ammonia to contain 22 per cent, of ammonia: 22 X -^235 rz:
18.12 per cent, of Nitrogen; 18.12 X ^l\ ^ 317 cents, or
$3.17, the value of Nitrogen in 100 pounds of sulphate of
ammonia; $3.17 X 20 z= $63.40, value per ton.

Multiply the guaranteed per cent, of sul- c 1 u f *

1 ,- 11 I'll 1 OUlp£ld.t6 Ol

phate ot potash by .54; multiply the result p f v,

by the trade. value for potash in high-grade

sulphate (5 cents) and multiply the last result by 20.

Example. — A high-grade sulphate of potash is guaranteed
by the manufacturer to contain 45 per cent, of sulphate of
potash: 45 X -54 ^= 24.30 per cent, of actual potash; 24.30

Food for ><( 5 rr 122 cents, or ^1.22, the value of actual potash in
^^^°^^ 100 pounds of sulphate; ^i.22 X 20 = $24.40, value per ton.
160 „ . , rr. . 1- Multiply the guaranteed per cent, of
^^"^*7{ ^^'^^^ munate (chloride) by .63; then multiply
(C on e). ^^^ result by the trade value for potash in

the form of muriate (4^ 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 = 5040 per
cent, of actual potash; 50.40 X 42 cents = 227 cents, or
j^2.27,the value of actual potash in 100 pounds of sulphate;
;i52.27 X 20 zz ^45.40, value per ton.

Second. How to make a commercial valuation of a fer-
tilizer from a guarantee-analysts as given by manufacturers.
The statements of guarantee-analysis as used by manu-
facturers differ considerably in form, and the amount of
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 contam:
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
valuation from such form of statem.ent 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 fertihzers. But if the
Nitrogen is stated in the formof ammonia, multiply the guar-
anteed 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 o^ive 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.: 2 X -5235
= 1.65 per cent, of Nitrogen; 1.65 X 15 1 cents = 25.58
cents.

The per cent, of available phosphoric acid is guaranteed ^^^d for
to be from 8 to lo per cent.: 8 X 4i cents = 36 cents. ^^^°*^
insoluble phosphoric acid: 2X2 cents 1= 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. AH we know is that there is from
3 to 5 per cent, of actual potash contained in the fertilizer,
so we will eive ourselves the benefit of the doubt and assume
the potash to be in the form of muriate (chloride) : 3 X 4^
cents r= 13^ cents.

We now have the value in cents of the Nitrogen, available
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
multiplied by 20 gives the value in cents of one ton.

Example: —

Nitrogen i .65 X 15^ = 25.5 cenrs.

Available phosphoric acid. 8 X 7i = 36.0

Insoluble phosphoric acid 2X 2 = 4.0

Potash 3X 4i=_i3J "

Total value of 100 pounds 79° cents.

79 X 20 =: 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
sulphate by .54 and the result by the trade value, 5^ 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, 4 j cents.

Example I. — A manufacturer's guarantee-analysis is
8 to 10 per cent, of potash as sulphate: 8 X -54 ^= 4-32 per
cent, of actual potash; 4.32 X 5i 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 (chloriSe): 6 X -63 =^ 3.78
per cent, of actual potash; 3.78 X 4i ^= i7-0 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 chemical
compound.

{a) To change Nitrogen into an equivalent amount of
ammonia, multiply the given amount of Nitrogen by 1.214.

Food for ^^^ Yo convert ammonia into an equivalent amount of

^" ^ Nitrogen, multiply the given amount of ammonia by .8235.

^^2 (^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 equiva-
lent amount of actual potash, multiply the per cent, of muri-
ate (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.

(g) To convert potash to an equivalent per cent, of muri-
ate (chloride) of potash, multiply the per cent, of actual
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
calculate the comparative commercial values of different
trade-brands, and be governed in buying by their actual
commercial 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 dur-
ing the idle winter months, when we can usually buy agri-
cultural 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 acid, 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 CQ-operating with several other farmers we
purchase, at wholesale, sufficient raw materials for our com-
bined use. With a few hoes and shovels, a good-sized ash
sieve, and an even barn floor we are ready for work.

,-.. . T, We proceed to spread the weighed raw

Mixing Raw • 1 • u • 1 1 l a

■jyj , 7 . materials m thm layers on the barn Hoor,

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,

i63

pass the mixed materials through the sieve, and having ^°°^ ^^^
secured an even admixture, store the finished materials _^i_
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) X 20 ^ 100 pounds, phos-
phoric acid (available) 9 per cent. X 20 =: 180 pounds, and
potash 7 per cent. X 20 ^ 140 pounds.

The tables of analyses in the appendix have 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,
Lbs.

200
250
100

350
800

200

100

2,000

Nitrate of Soda

Sulphate of ammonia.. . .

Dried blood

Dissolved bone meal

Dissolved bone-black. . . .

Muriate of potash (chlor-
ide)

Sulphate of potash (high
grade)

Total quantities in I ton.
Per cent, in I ton

Nitro-
gen,
Lbs.

Phosphoric Acid, Lbs.

Avail-
able.

31-50
51.25

10. 52

9-10 : 47-35
133-60

102
5

37
II

180.95
9.04

Insolu-
ble.

1. 91
14.24

2.40

18.55

.92

Total.

I. 91

61.59

136.00

Potash,
Lbs.

199.50
9-97

104.92

38.60

14352

7-17

Now let us suppose that out of these same materials we
wish to make a fertilizer containing from i 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 Nitrogen.

i64

Food for 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 Nitrogen in about
equal proportions; that is, 10 pounds of Nitrogen from each
of the four nitrogenous constituents. We begin with Nitrate
of Soda, containing 15.75 pounds of Nitrogen 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 15.75
pounds of Nitrogen there must be in i pound of Nitrate of
Soda the one-hundredth part of 15.75 pounds, or .1575
pounds of Nitrogen. Hence, we must have about 63^
pounds of Nitrate of Soda.*

We make a similar calculation for sulphate of ammonia,
as follows: 100 pounds of sulphate of ammonia contain
20.50 per cent, of Nitrogen. Therefore, i pound of sulphate
of ammonia contains the one-hundredth part of 20.50, or
.2050, and we have .2050 -^ 10,000 = 48.7 pounds, or we
simply take 50 pounds of sulphate of ammonia, which con-
tain 10.25 pounds of Nitrogen. Like calculations for all
the raw materials are made, and, after estimating the required
quantities for all the constituents, we have:

•i

Mater-
ial,
Lbs.

63i

100

400

515

100

45

i.273i

Nitrate of Soda

Sulphate of ammonia.. . .

Dried blood

Dissolved bone meal

Dissolved bone-black. . . .
Sulphate of potash (high

grade)

Muriate (chloride)

Total quantities in i ton.
Per cent, in I ton

Nitro-
gen,
Lbs.

10.00
10.25
10.52
10.40

41.17
2.05

Phosphoric Acid, Lbs

Avail-
able.

54.12
86.00

1 40 . 1 2

7.00

Insolu-
• ble

16.28
1-54

17.82
0.89

Total.

1. 91

70.40
87-54

15985
7-99

Potash,
Lbs.

38.60
23.60

62.20
3i»

*.i575-^ 10,000 X 63^^ pounds.

We have the required percentages of Nitrogen, available Food for

phosphoric acid, and potash, but instead of i 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
manufacturer to make up the difference.^" We find that
when the percentages of Nitrogen, total phosphoric acid, and
potash are added together, the sum of thei-r weights range
between 16 and 30 per cent, of the total weight, and that in
each ton of iertilizer there is from 70 to 84 per cent, of
something else. This great difference is not due to dishon-
esty on the part of manufacturers or dealers in agricultural
chemicals. The essential elements are always combined
with other substances 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 fertilizers — the greater part of the weight is
made up of moisture, dirt, etc. In many States of the
Union there is much greater protection against fraud in
buying commercial fertilizers than in the purchase of food

or clothinor.

... . . . /

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 i 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:

Food for
Plants

1 66

Mater-
ial,

Nitro-
gen,
Lbs.

Phosphoric Acid, Lbs.

Potash,
Lbs.

Lbs

Avail-
able.

Insolu-
ble.

Total.

63i

100

400

515

50

82I1

Nitrate of Soda ......

Sulphate of ammonia.. . .

Dried blood

Dissolved bone meal

Dissolved bone-black. . . .
Sulphate of potash (high

grade)

Wood-ashes (unleached)

10.00
10.25
10.52
10.40

54.12
86.00

16.28
1-54

1. 91
68.40
87-54

15.20

19.30
45.21

2,000

Total quantities in i ton .
Per cent, in I ton

41.17
2.05

140. 12
7.00

17.82
0.89

173-05
8.65

64.51
3-22

The Unit System.

In the wholesale fertihzer trade some raw materials are
bought and sold on the " uriit system." The unit is i per
cent., or 20 pounds per ton.

Thus, a lot of dried blood, containing 10.50 per cent, of
Nitrogen, equivalent to 12.75 P^'" cent, of ammonia; is said
to contain I2f units of ammonia, and, quoted at ^2.50 per
unit, a ton will cost: 12I X ^2.50 r^ ^31.87^.

A quotation of ^1.50 per unit of available phosphoric
acid means ^1.50 for each 20 pounds contained in the
material quoted.

Illustration. — A manufacturer offers dissolved bone black
guaranteed to contain 16 units of available phosphoric acid,
at ^0.70 per unit: 16 X ^0.70 = $1 1.20 per ton.

Materials Used in Making Commercial or
Chemical Manures.

Nitrate of Soda or Chili saltpetre occurs in
vast deposits in the rainless districts on the
West coast of South America, chiefly in
Peru, Chili, and Bolivia, from whence it is
imported to this country for use in chemical manufacture
and in agriculture. As imported into the United States,
Nitrate ot Soda usually contains from fifteen to sixteen per

Nitrate of Soda
or Chili
Saltpetre.

cent, of Nitrogen. Nitrate of Soda resembles common salt, ^^^^ ^^^

• . . , Plants
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 therefore liable to be washed from
soils. Whenever practicable its hould be applied as a top-
dressing to growing crops, and if possible the dressings
should be given in two or three successive rations.

Nitrate of Soda is usually applied at the rate of from lOO
to 200 pounds per acre on land previously dressed with
farm-yard manure. To secure an even distribution, the
Nitrate 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 out-
come 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 green, and vigorous growth of crops. The
growth of plants is greatly energized by its use, for the
Nitrate in supplying 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. Nitrate of Soda adds nothing of value to the soil but
nitric acid. The thirty-seven to forty per cent, of soda
which it contains is practically of no use to agricultural
plants. In the increased crop contained 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 con-
sumption 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 „ ^t j

, • 1 • 1 1 II How Used.

aloiie or mixed with dry superpnospliate

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.

Food for 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.

PVom 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 mature
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.

Fifth. Crops grown with Nitrate of Soda seem to resist
the attacks of parasitic organisms better than those grown
without its aid.

Sixth. Nitrate of Soda does not exhaust the land.

Although in the phosphatic guanos the
^ Nitrogen compounds and the potash which

they originally contained have been washed
out by the rains, much of the phosphoric acid is in a form
that can be more readily dissolved by the roots of plants and
by the carbonic acid water of the soil than is the case with
many of the finely ground rock-derived phosphates. Phos-
phatic guanos, when finely powdered, do excellently for
moist grass lands and in soils rich in humus, and are also
excellent materials for w^orking into composts or manure
heaps. But the phosphatic guanos, of which the Jarves,
Baker, and Howland Islands are types, are rarely applied
directly to the soil. They are chiefly valuable for the phos-
phate of lime which they contain, and are used almost
altogether in the manufacture of superphosphates.

The phosphoric acid of natural phosphates, when finely
enough powdered, is somewhat soluble in weak acids, and
hence can be readily absorbed by the acid secretions of the
roots of plants.

This manure is specially recommended for peat, clay, ^°o^ for
and sandy soils, also for moorlands and wet meadows.

It can be mixed with Nitrate of Soda, but such mixtures ^^9
should only be made just before spreading on the land;
this phosphate must not be mixed with sulphate of ammonia,
as a part of the ammonia will be liberated and lost. English
authorities recommend that basic slag phosphate, when used
alone, be applied from six tcf eight weeks earlier than super-
phosphate, because of the greater solubility of the super-
phosphate; and that the basic phosphate be used in prefer-
ence to superphosphate on wet, peaty, and marshy soils on
account of its containmg an excess of free lime, w^hich
neutralizes the organic acids of the soil. Dr. Paul Wagner
recommends four and one-half hundredweight (five hundred
and four pounds) of basic slag phosphate per acre for gen-
eral crops.

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
between 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 thr.ee 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 feftilizers, we
find that there is an actual difference of nearly ^14 in their
commercial values, whereas the difference in price made by
the manufacturer is only ^5,

Food for ]\[o. I has a commercial value of less than ^24, while No.

^"^^ 2 has a commercial value of nearly ^37 per ton; or in No. i

170 we are asked ^1.50 per 100 pounds for a fertilizer worth

about $1.16, and in No. 2 we are asked ^1.75 per 100 pounds

for a fertilizer worth ^1.85.

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 fertiliz-
ing 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
inferior forms of Nitrogen, phosphoric acid, or potash,
samples may be sent to the State Experiment Station for
analysis. The detection of error or fraud is more certain
and much easier in unmixed raw materials than in mixed
fertilizers. Another important advantage of home-mixing
is the opportunity afforded the intelligent farmer to adapt
the composition of a fertilizer to the special soil require-
ments of his land and to the wants of the crop to be grown.
And, lastly, home mixtures have, as a rule, proved to be
much cheaper than ready-made fertilizers. However, the
economy of home-mixing should in every instance be deter-
mined by actual calculation.

Nitrogen, phosphoric acid, and potash, as we have
already seen, are necessary for the complete development
of farm crops, and are the constituents most likely to be defi-
cient in cultivated soils; different crops have different capac-
ities 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
contains them in sufficient stores to develop crops to limita-
tions fixed by season and existing climatic conditions. By
a careful study of the capacities of different crops for using
Nitrogen, phosphoric acid, and potash, we may, within rea-
sonable limits, approximate the quantities, which, under
average conditions of crop, soil, and season, should be

171

restored to the land to balance the consumption of p-rowing Food for

^ to to Plants

crops.

Tables exhibiting the average amounts of Nitrogen, phos-
phoric acid, and potash found projfitable for different crops
are given on pages 163, 164, 172.

In using complete 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 Station for 1891.

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
m"anufacturers 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.

"In making these mixtures two important points were
taken into consideration. First, that the value of a complete
fertilizer depends upon the kind and quality of the essential
ingredients, Nitrogen, phosphoric acid, and potash con-
tained 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
requirements of the soil for different crops.

"Chemical analyses were made of all the materials used
in the mixtures:

Food for Formulas.

^^^'^^^ For General Crops:

172 Nitrate of Soda 200 lbs.

Dried blood 200 "

Ground bone 4°°

Superphosphate 1,000

Sulphate of potash 200

2,000 lbs.
For Potatoes: I.

Nitrate of Soda 100 lbs.

Dried blood 200 "

Ground fish 200

Ground bone 4°°

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.
HI.

Nitrate of Soda 250 lbs.

Sulphate of ammonia 400

Bone-black superphosphate 800

Double sulphate of potash and magnesia 675

Land plaster 5°°

2,625 "^s-
For Peach Trees:

Nitrate of Soda 300 lbs.

Dissolved bone 400

South Carolina rock superphosphate 700

Muriate of potash 600

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 fertiHzers. ^°^^

"In the .following table the actual composition of the J73
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.

Valuation

oi

Total

Total Phos-

Potash.

AT Station's

NiTROGKN.

phoric Acid.

Price.

o

-d

0

•6

0

— ■

6

■6

.3

6

ij

(-

3
0

I-
V

c:

0

Z

c:

5

\j

A

ii«

<

3
0

&

5

fe

5

CI

■3

u.

—003

S

s

3960

4 01

4.01

'3-34

1369

+0.35

5-43

5-40

?35 70

$3634

4002

4-43

4.21

— 0 22

10.69

11-45

+076

7.65

696

—0.69

33 92

37.10

3986

5 12-

4.92

— 0 20

7 00

7.20

+0.20

11.16

11.29

+0 13

4003

40.16

3978

3 55

3S7

+0..-Z2

950

Q-57

+0.07

11.25

11.79

+0-54

39- '9

36 18

4246

4 59

452

— 0 07

4-73

5"4

+0.31

6.S6

7.22

+0.36

32.49

30.92

"The plus, -j-, and minus, — , signs in the difference
column, indicate the percentage more or less found by
analyses 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 phosphoric
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 raiu tnaterials
as the market affords.

Food for
Plants

174

"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
expensive element Nitrogen were used, each of which has a
different commercial value, and also because in three mix-
tures ground bone or tankage was used, materials which in
themselves 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 included
freight charges to point of consumption; in the others the
average cost of freight was $1.00 per ton. The cost of mix-
ing was variously estimated, ranging from 50 cents to $1.50
per ton. In the table showing cost and value of the mixtures
^i.oo per ton has been assumed as the average cost of
mixine.

Station Number.

Cost per ton

Freight and mixing.

o o

Total cost per ton. .

Station's value

Value exceeds cost. .

3960

4002

3985

3978

4246

$29.06

$30 . 60

$36.76

$33.00

^27.74

1 .00

1 .00

2.00

2.00

2.00

30.06

31.60

38.76

35.00

29.74

■b"-7o

33 92

40.03

39-19

32-49

5.04

2.32

1.27

4.19

2.75

4207

$30.10
2.00

32.10

33-45
1-35

"The average value per ton of these mixtures is ^2.92,
or 8.9 per cent, greater than their cost at point of consump-
tion. 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 complete 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 31 per cent.; in other ^^^^ ^°^

words, an amoimt of plant food in a mixture that would cost

on the average $100 when bought in the form of raiu materials ^75
and mixed at home would, on the average, cost $IJI when
bought in the usual manner in the form of manufactured brands.

"The best forms of fertihzing 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
answer the purpose. Screening is also advisable if suitable
apparatus is at hand. It is not claimed that the buying of
raw materials and mixing at home is the best and cheapest
method of getting fertilizers under all conditions; however,
the important points in favor of the system will bear repeat-
ing, viz.:

"i. That a definite knowledge of the quality of the
materials 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 tiie 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 variations
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.

1-6

Food for Two Good Home Mixtures.

Plants

I. Mixture for General Use. (Connecticut Experiment Station.)

Dissolved bone-black 834 lbs.

Tankage 666

Sulphate of ammonia 208

Muriate of potash 2g2

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
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 averao-e 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 screehing 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
valuation 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, fir^e 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

Jersey and Holstein grades in milk were

kept in their places during the whole twenty-four hours,.

Weight of cows, pounds. ,
Pood 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

Eight

sen

Average

Cows for

Pel

Cow

One Day.

Per

Day.

20,380

I,

132

1,347 ■

75

876

49

1,452 -5

81

7

35

•41

5

01

.28

7

40

•41

$1

10

;^o.o6

35

.02

33

.02

I

78

.10

Composition of the mixed excrement:

Nitrogen 51 per cent.

Phosphoric acid 35

Potash 51

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. „. ^^ • , c j t- • ■

' ' I'lrst 1 rial, becond 1 rial.

Average weight 1,132 1,178

Average food eaten 75 76

Average water drunk

Average total excrement voided.

49
81

40
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: soiid, Liquid, Mixed,

Per Cent.

Nitrogen • 26

Phosphoric acid 28

Potash 20

Value per ton ;^2 . 08

Per Cent

Per Cent.

1.32

■49

....

.22

I .00

•38

177

and the manure carefully collected as it was excreted, and a ^o°<^ ^^^

sufficient quantity of bedding and absorbents of known com- ^

position and weight were used to make the collection complete.
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 i part malt sprouts. ' The other details of
the experiment are shown in the table:

Food for 'pi^g averajre of the two trials shows that well-fed cows,

yielding milk heavily, may be counted upon to return nearly

178 ten cents' worth of valuable fertilizing materials per day,

and the last trial shows that the liquid excrement is of

equal value with the solid.

The determination of the amount of excre-
ment was made by carefully collecting the
manure made by the ten horses in the University barn during
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 for Average per

Jl Days. Horse per Day.

Nitrogen, pounds 16.27 • ^5

Phosphoric acid, pounds 13-50 ■^-

Potash, pounds 32-53 - 30

Nitrogen, value ^2 . 44 $0.02

Phosphoric acid, value 81 .01

Potash, value i .46 .01

Total i^4-7i -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, 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

of clear excrement of the following percentage composition ^oo<i ^'^^

I ^ • 1 Plants
were obtamed:

179

JN itrogen i . 00 per cent.

Phosphoric acid 08

Potash 1 .21 "

Vakie per ton $4.19

The other details of the experiment were as follows:

3 Sheep for Average per
33% 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 $l .08 $0.01

Phosphoric acid, value .04 .0004

Potash . .39 . 004

Total value $i-5i $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 _, .

J , , . 1 . Swine,

manure produced by swme were made m

the same general way as the sheep, i.e., by keeping the swine

continuously upon tight galvanized 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 i^2 . 94 j^3 . 1 8

Food for
Plants

1 80

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

001
006

Summary.

Horse*
Horsef
Cows . .
Sheep.
Swine.

Value
Per Ton.

^2.79

2.27
4.19
3-i8

Value Per

Animal

Per Day.

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.

$11.47
19. 12

29.82

38.55
17. II

Analyses of Commercial Fertilizing Materials.

Name of Substance.

7. Phosphatic Manures.

Apatite

Bone ash

Bone-black

Bone-black (dissolved)..

3

C

tn

0

0

S

z

7.00

....

4.60

....

o

Phosphoric Acid.

Avail- ! Insolu-
able. ble.

16.70

0.30

Total.

36.08

35 89
28.28
17.00

* Manure voided while at work not included.

t Total excrement calculated oti the basis that three-fifths was collected in the stable.

Analyses of Commercial Fertilizing Materials.

Continued.

Food for
Plants '

i8i

Name of Substance.

/. Phosphatic Manures. —
Continued.

Bone nioa!

Bone meai (free from fat)

Bone meal (from glue factory).

Bone meal (dissolved)

Caribbean guano

Cuban guano

Mona Island guano . . .

Navassa phosphate

Orchilla guano

Pe

S. Carolina rock (gr'ound)

S. Carolina rock (floats)

S. Carolina rock (dissolved). . .

//. 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)

V

3

7-47

24.27

12.52

7.60

7 -.31
14.81

1.50

///. hi lirocrenous Manures.

o

Ammoniate

Castro pomace

Cotton-seed meal. . . .

Dried blood

Dried fish

Horn and hoof waste.

Lobster shells

Meat scrap

7-33
3.20

4.82

2.00

1-93
6.31

125

4-75
7.25

2.75

12.00

5.88

9.98

6.80

12.50

12.75
10. 17

7.27

12.09

O

4.12
6.20

1.70

2.60

1 .67
0.76

785

13

09

43

Z3,
56
66

52

25
25
59
44

o

61

13.68
23.80

13-54
8.42
52.46
45.19
2.04
38.60
23.50
16.65
18.00

5-50
1 . 10

12

62

45

Phosphoric Acid.

Avail-
able.

8.28

13 -53

7-55

8.36
0.60

ti .60

05

Insolu-
ble.

Total.

15. 22
4.07

14-33

6.90
27-43

:j.6o

20

23 • 50
20. 10

29.90

17.60

18.90

13 -35
21.88

34-27
26.77
15.26
28.03
27.20
15.20

61

85

40

43
16

45
91
25
83
52
07

Food for
Plants

182

Analyses of Commercial Fertilizing Materials.

Continued.

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 (moUusks)

Shells (crustacea)

Shell lime (oyster shell)

Soot

Spent tan

Spent sumach

Sugar-house scum

Turf

o
*4

7.40
1.25
6.00
8.54
1 .00
13.20
10.61
9.27

15-45
5.20

4.40

1-73
18.18

1.50

15.98

76.20

21 .40

40.37

53-50
61.50

7.80

19.50

5-54
14.00
30.80
50.20
19.29

c

lU

bJO
O

4.04

15-75
2.30

12. 12

20.50
6.82
2.29
5.64

0.30

0.30
1.30

^■37
0.20

0-75

0.30
o. 10
6.20

0.20
1 .00
2. 10

1.94

o

Cm

20

40

44
30

O. 10

0.40

23.20

0.86

0.70

1 .2<;

0.04
0.49

0.22
0.20

o. 10
0.04
0.20
0.04

1-83

O. 10

0.30

Phosphoric Acid.

Avail-
able.

02

Insolu-
ble.

23

Total.

Pure Dry (N H^ ), S O4 has 21.21 N— 25.76 N H,
Pure Dry Na N O3 has 16.47 N — 20.00 N H,.

I/O

88

25

60

29

II

o
o

o. 10

0.40

1. 18

0.50

0^38

1.05

0.56
0.09

0.26
o. 10

0.20
0.03
2.30
0.20

0.04
O. 10

Analyses of Farm Manures.

Taken Chiefly from Reports of the New York, Massachusetts and
Connecticut Experiment Stations.

Food for
Plants

18.-,

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.

11
95

11

20
90

27

Nitrogen.

0.29
0.58
1.63
0.44

1-55
1 .00

0.60

0.80

0-55
1.95

0.50

0.60

0-43

Potash.

o. 10

0.49
0.85

^•35
1.50

0.25

0.20

0.30

0.15

2.26

0.60

013
0.83

Phosphoric
Acid.

o. 17

1-54

o. 17

1 .09
o. 17
1 .40
0.31

O.OI

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.

9

9
6

II

10

28

9
9

7
8

76
93
36
41

72

24
00

65

15

29

26

Nitrogen.

1.92
I .02

313
2
I

2,
2,
2.
I ,
I .

33

11

23

09

75
80

12

1 .64
0.28
0.80
1. 16
1. 15
1.05
2.07

Potash.

2.80
0.81
4.88
2.01
1.67
I .22
2.20
I. 81
0.76
I .32
0.91
1.25
2.23
1.28
0.99
I .46
I .46

Phosphoric
Acid.

0.54
0.41
0.61
0.70
0.44
0.55
0.44
0.52
0.51
0.30

0-53
0.44

0.27
0-35
0-55
^■11
0-53

Food for
Plants

184

Analyses of Fertilizing Materials in Farm Products.

Continued.

Name of Substance.

//. Hay and Dry Coarse

Fodders — Continued

Meadow fescue

Meadow foxtail

Mixed grasses

Orchard grass

Perennial rye-grass

Red-top

Rowen

Salt hay

Serradejla.

Soja bean

Tall meadow oat

Timothy hay

Vetch and oats

Yellow trefoil

///. Green Fodders.

Buckwheat

Clover (red)

Clover (white)

Corn fodder

Corn fodder (ensilage)

Cow-pea vines

Horse bean

Lucern (alfalfa)

Meadow grass (in flower). . . .

Millet... r

Oats (green)

Peas

Prickly comfrey

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

I'l . 26
8.84

913

7.71

12.48

5-36

7 -.39
6.30

7.52
11.98

82.60
80.00
8f.oo
72.64
71 .60
78.81

74-71
75 30
70.00
62.58

83-36
81.50

70.00
82.59

60.80
86.11

85 -35

80.00

13.08

13-25

18.50

Nitrogen.

0.94

1-54

1-37

1-31
1 .23

1-15

1-75
1. 18

2.70

2.32

1. 16

1.26

1-37
2.14

0.51

0-53
0.56

0.56

0.36

0.27

0.68

0.72

0.44

0.61

0.49

0.50

0.42

0-57
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
o .65
1.08

1.72

1-53
0.90

0.98

0-43
0.46

0.24

0.62

0-33
0.31

'•37
0.45
0.60
0.41
0.38
0.56
0.75

0-53
0.42

0.32

0.26

0.79

1-73
1.16

0.99
1. 16
1.38

Phosphoric
Acid.

0-34
0.44

0-35
0.41

0.56

0.36

0.46

0.25

0.78

0.67

0.32

0.46

0-53
0.43

p. II
o. 13
0.20
0.28
o. 14

0.98

0-33
0.15

0.15

o. 19

0.13
0.18

O. II

0.17

0.14

0.08
0.30

0.09

0-35

0.22

0.27
0.15

0-55

Analyses of Fertilizing Materials in Farm Products.

Continued.

Food for
Plants

185

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 strav,' (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
II .50
II .07
15.00

14-30
28.70

16.65

77.00
15.40
92.65
89.80
14.80
10.56
15.00
10.36

7-73

8

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

N t rogen.

0.80
1.30
0.24
0.18
0.51
0.50
0.23

2-53
0.80

0.64

0.29

1.36

2.29

1 .04

0.49

0.24

0-35
0.30

0.91

1 .01

0.54

0.82

0.24
0.25
o. 19
o. 14
0.19

0.21
0.21
0.22

2.06
4. 10

1-44
1.82
1 .46
2.62
3.20
552

Potash.

0.30
2.41

I

I

3-49

0-37
0.60

0.24

1.99

0.15

1 .04

0.88

1-38
2.32
1 .01
0.07
0.76
o. 16
0.24
0.42
o. 14
0.44
0.32

0.44
0.29
0.46

0.54

0.38

0.29
0.50
0.41

0-73
1 .20

0.21

0.40

0.44

0.97

1 .04

1. 14

Phosphoric
Acid.

0.24
0.61
0.75
1 .06
0.21
0.06
0.02

1-75
0.34

0.20

"o. I I
0.55
0.68

0-35
o.oTS

0.19

0.07

0.13

0.25

0.19

0.18

O. II

0.09

0.08

0.09
o. 10
0.09
0.07

0.13

O. 12

0-95
1. 16

0.44

0.70

0.60

1-75
1 .30

0.87

Food for
Plants

1 86

Analyses of Fertilizing Materials in Farm Products.

Continued.

Name of Substance.

VI. Grains and Seeds. — ■

Continued.

Millet

Oats

Peas

Rye

Soja 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(f rom half-skimmed milk)
Cheese (from skimmed milk).. .

Moisture

13.00
20.80
19. 10
14.90
18.83
14.00

14-75
15.40

13

13

8

8

14
9

•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
75.01
II .01

9.18

87.20
68.80
90.20
13.60
90. 10
38.00
39.80
46.00

Nitrogen.

Potash.

2.40

I 75
4.26

1 .76

530
1.48

2.36

2.83

2.05

1-55
1 .63

3.08

1.68

2.21

0.23

0-75
6.52

2.62

543
0.98

5-40
6.02

3-67
2.25
1.84

3^05

0.89

2.88
2.63

0.58
0.58
0.58
o. 12
0.64
4.05

4-75
5-45

0.47
0.41
1.23
0.54
1.99
0.42
0.61
0.50

0.44

0-34
0.49
0.99
0.65

0.54

1.08
1.89
0.15
0.05

O. II

1. 16
1. 16

1 .60
0.66
0.81

155

0.05
1 .62
0.63

0.17
0.09
0. 19

0.09
0.29
0.29
0.20

Phosphoric
Acid.

0.91
0.48
1 .26
0.82
1.87
0.81
0.89
0.68

0.71
0.66
0.98
0.82
0.85

0-57

0.02

0.18

2.78

0.29

0.43

0.20

1.42

I

I

1

I

I

o

,65

,40

. II

26

26

31

2.87

0.95

0.30
0.15
034

0.15
0.80
0.80
0.80

Analyses of Fertilizing Materials in Farm Products.

Continued.

Name of Substance.

X. Flesh of Farm Animals.

Beef

Calf (whole animal)

Ox

Pig

Sheep

XI. Garden Products.

Asparagus

Cabbage

Cucumbers

Lettuce

Onions

Moisture.

77.00
66.20

59-70
52.80

59.10

Nitrogen.

3.60
2.50
2.66
2.00
2.24

Potash.

0.52
0.24
o. 17
o.go
0.15

0.32

0. 12

0.30

0-43

0. 16

0.24

0.20

0.25

0.27

0.25

Phosphoric
Acid.

Food for
Plants

187

0-43
I 38
1.86
0.44
1.23

0.09
o. II
O. 12
O.II
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

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

31
53

Potash.

62

17

514

265

426

190

154

29

57

58

169

174
236

35

193
103

127

54

72

181

63

155
201

Food for Xable Showing the Number of Pounds of Nitrogen, Phos-
^^^"'^^ phoric Acid, and Potash Withdrawn Per Acre

1 88

by an Average Crop.

CojJtinued.

Name of Crop.

Oats .

Onions

Peas (pisuni sativum)

Poppy

Potatoes

Rape

Rice

Rye

Seradella

Soja bean

Sugar cane. .'

Sorghum (sorghum saccharatum)

Sugar beet (beet-root)

Tobacco

Vetch (visia sativa)

Wheat

Nitrosen.

89
96

87
119

154

39

87
128

297'

518

446

95
127
149
III

Phosphoric
Acid.

Potash.

35

96

49

96

39

09

30

87

55

"192

79

124

24

+5

44

76

57

196

62

87

37

107

90

561

44

200

32

148

35

113

45

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
130

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

Fertilizer Experiments on Meadow Land.

Timothy.

-Continued.

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.

1 60
160
160

20 loads.
4,000

Yield of

Hay in

Pounds

Per Acre.

Food for
Plants

189

I, goo
2,320
2,670
2,520
1,620
2,200

3^350

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 Percent.remainingin the soil unex-

(in years), hausted at the end of each year.

I 2 S 4 s ^ 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

Food for
Plants

190

Sulphate of ammonia, Nitrate of Soda, sulphate,
Nitrate and muriate of potash are generally held to .be en-
tirely exhausted by the crops grown the season of their
application.

The figures given above are always used in fixing the
price for new tenants. In this country no such careful esti-
mates have been made, but the proportions probably vary
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.)

Nitrogen, PhosphoricAcid, 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

The Various Potash Salts and Their Composition.

A.

Natural Products of the
Mines.

Kainit ... ..
Carnallite.
Kieserite. .

Sylvinite.

1!:

B. Concentrated Products.

a. Sulphates of Potash.

1. Sulphate of potash, high-graded, 96%

2. Sulphate of potash, high-graded, 90%

3. Double .sulphate of potash and sulphate of

magnesia (double manure salt)

4. Calcined kieserite

b. Muriates of Potash.

1 90-95%.
Muriate of potash > So-S.s% .

J70^5%-

Calcined manure salt, high grade •

Calcined manure salt, low grade

21-3

50-4

2.0

15 S
II. 8
24.7
II. I

14.0

1.6

1-7

QI.7

8.V.S
72-.'i
44 5
25.6

.2
'3)

is

(/3

14-5
12. 1

21-5

5-8
11.8
II

0.7
2.7

.^4-0
65.6

.2

2.S,

•o a

o o

12.4 34.6

21.5 22.4
17.2 26.7

4.0 46.2

5.1 38.2
9-3'34-9

0.4

l.o

0.2

0.4

0.8

22.5

3-1 -I

0.2

0-3
0.6
4.6
6.3

V

(fl p.
.c >,
P-C

3'"'

0.2
1.2

2-5

0.9

7-1
14-5
21.0
12.4
10.3

1-7
1-9
0.8

I 9
3-6

3.6

0.3
0.4

0.9
6.5

0.2
2.9
3 5

0.8

o 5
1-3
1-9

I.

0.2

o 3

12.7

26.1

20.7

8.4

9-
8-3

0.7
2.2

0.6 II. 6 27.2

15.7 II. I

0.2
0.2

0-5

5-3

10.6

52-7
49-9

3 a

V o

m g

-J
01

0.6
I.I
2..1
7.8
12.6

57-9
52-7
46.7
28.1
16.2

.34-9
72-3

30.0
40.6

Some American Rotations.

Potatoes.

Wheat.

Clover.

Clover.

Wheat, oats or rye.

Roots.

Wheat.

Clover.

Clover.

Corn, oats or rye.

I.

Potatoes.

2.

Wheat.

3-

Grass, timothy and clover

4-

Grass, timothy and clover

5-

Corn.

I.

Roots.

2.

Wheat.

3-

Clover.

4-

Clover.

5-

Wheat.

6.

Oats.

Of General Interest.

How to Copyright a Book, Map, Chart, Etc.

Every applicant for a copyright must state distinctly the name and resi-
dence of the claimant, and whether the right is claimed as author, designer
or proprietor. No affidavit or formal application is required. A printed
copy of the title of the book, map, chart, dramatic or musical composition,
engraving, cut, print, or photograph, or a description of the painting, draw-
ing, chromo, statue, statuary, or model or design for a work of fine arts, for
which copyright is desired, must be sent by mail or otherwise, prepaid,
addressed "Librarian of Congress, Washington, D. C." This must be done
before publication of the book or other article. A fee of 50 cents, for record-
ing the title of each book or other article, must be inclosed with the title as
above, and 50 cents in addition (or one dollar in all) for each certificate of
copyright under seal of the Librarian of Congress, which will be transmitted
by return mail. Within ten days after publication of each book or other
article, two complete copies must be sent prepaid, to perfect the copyright,
with the address, "Librarian of Congress, Washington, D. C." Without
the deposit of copies above required, the copyright is void, and a penalty of
$25 is incurred. No copyright is valid unless notice is given by inserting in
every copy published, " Entered according to act of Congress, in the year
, by , in the office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington";

191

Rotation on Crops. ^"^'^ ^""^

^ Plants

In the changed conditions of agriculture elaborate systems
of crop rotation are no longer itecessary. 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 conditions.

192

Food for or, at the option of the person entering the copyright, the words, "Copyright

Plants iQ — ^ by ." The law imposes a penalty of ^lOO upon any person who

has not obtained copyright who shall insert the notice, " Entered according to
act of Congress," or "Copyright," or words of the same import, in or upon
any book or other article. Each copyright secures the exclusive right of
publishing the book or article copyrighted for the term of twenty-eight years.
Six months before the end of that time, the author or designer, or his widow
or children, may secure a renewal for the further term of fourteen years, mak-
ing forty-two years in all. Any copyright is assignable in law by any instru-
ment of writing, but such assignment must be recorded in the office of the
Librarian of Congress within sixty days from its date. The fee for this
record and certificate is one dollar. A copy of the record (or duplicate
certificate) of any copyright entry will be furnished, under seal, at the rate of
50 cents. Copyrights cannot be granted upon trade-marks, nor upon labels
intended to be used with any article of manufacture. If protection for such
prints or labels is desired, application must be made to the Patent Office,
where they are registered at a fee of $6 for labels and $25 for trade-marks.
An American author, who is within the British dominions at the time of the
first publishing of his book, and who publishes it there, is entitled to the
protection of their copyright laws.

Centenarians.

The most remarkable were: The Countess of Desmond, killed by falling
from a cherry-tree, in her 146th year.

Thomas Parr, died after a dinner party, in his I52d year.

Cardinal de Salis, who recommended daily exercise in all weathers, aged
1 10 years.

John Riva, of Venice, who chewed citron bark daily, died at the age of 116
years, leaving a son of 14 years.

Besides the foregoing, Mrs. Ann Butler died at Portsmouth, England,
January, 1883, at the age of 103 years.

Mrs. Betty Lloyd died at Ruabon, Wales, in March, 1883, in her 107th
year, her funeral being attended by two of her children, aged over 80 years.

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 coun-
tries, 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
making 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

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

Charleston, South Carolina 43

New York City, N Y 43

Gaston, North Carolina 43

Richmond, Indiana 43

Marietta, Ohio 4?,

St. Louis, Missouri 43

Muscatine, Iowa 42

Baltimore, Marjdand 41

New Bedford, Massachusetts 41

Providence, Rhode Island 41

Ft. Smith, Arkansas 40

in the United States.

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 11

San Diego, California 9

Ft Colville, Washington. 9

Ft. Bliss, Texas 9

Ft. Eridger, Utah 6

Ft. Garland, Colorado 6

Food for
Plants

193

Number of Years Seeds Retain Their Vitality.

Vegetables.

Years. Vegetables!.

Cucumber 8 to 10

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

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 I to 2

HKKU^^.

Anise 3 to 4

Caraway 2

Summer Savory i to 2

Sage 2 to 3

Food for How Deep in the Ground to Plant Corn.

Plants
The following is the result of an experiment with Indian Corn. That

194 which was planted at the depth of

1 inch, came up in 8)4 days.

i^ inch, came up in g}4 days.

2 inches, came up in 10 days.

2% inches, came up in Il^ days.

3 inches, came up in 12 days.

3^ 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 or
distances mentioned, with one, two or three lines of wire, based upon each
pound of wire measuring one rod (16J feet).

I Line. 2 Lines. 3 Lines.

I square acre 50% lbs. loi^/^ lbs. 152 lbs.

I side of a square acre. . . 127^ lbs. 25^3 lbs. 38 lbs.

I square half-acre 36 lbs. 72 lbs. 108 lbs.

I square mile 1280 lbs. 2560 lbs. 3840 lbs.

I side of a square mile . . 230 lbs. 640 lbs. 960 lbs.

I rod in length i lb. 2 lbs. 3 lbs.

100 rods in length 100 lbs. 200 lbs. 300 lbs.

100 feet in length 6yi6lbs. 12% lbs. i8%6 lbs.

How Grain will Shrik.

Farmers rarely gain by holding on to their grain after it is lit 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 most 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, iii 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 further. The following are its principal navigable tributaries, with

the miles open to navigation:

Miles.

Minnesota 295

Chippewa 90

Iowa 'So

Missouri 2900

Big Horn 50

Allegheny 325

Muskingum 94

Kentucky 105

Wabash 365

Tennessee 270

Osage 302

White 779

Little White 48

Big Hatchie 75

Sunflower 271

Tallahatchie 175

Red 986

Cypress 44

Black 6r

Bartholomew 100

Macon 60

Atchafalaya 218

Lafourche 168

The other ten navigable tributaries have less than fifty miles each of naviga-
tion. 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 navigable to
steamboats, and 20,221 miles navigable to barges.

Food for
Plants

195

Miles.

Wisconsin 160

Rock 64

Illinois 350

Yellowstone 474

Ohio 950

Monongahela no

Kanawha 94

Green 200

Cumberland 600

Clinch 50

St. Francis 180

Black 147

Arkansas 884

Issaquena 161

Yazoo 228

Big Black 35

Cane 54

Ouachita 384

Bauf 55

Tensas 112

Teche 91

D'Arbonne 50

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.

The Great Canals of the World.

The Imperial canal of China is over 1,000 miles long. In the year of 1861
was completed the greatest undertaking of the kind on the European conti-
nent, the canal of Languedoc, or the Canal du Midi, to connect the Atlantic

Food for with the Mediterranean; its length is 148 miles, it has more than 100 locks,
Plants and about 50 aqueducts, and its highest part is no less than 600 feet above
jog the sea; it is navigable for vessels of upward of 100 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. 1 he 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 J miles long; the Ohio canal, Cleveland to Portsmouth, 332; the
Miami and Erie, Cincinnati to Toledo, 291; the Wabash and Erie, Evans-
ville 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 " Barley 300 bushels.

Lime 70 " Wheat 340

Flour 90 " Flax Seed 360

Eggs 130 to 160 " Apples 370

Flour 200 sacks. Corn 400

Wood 6 cords. Potatoes 430

Cattle 18 to 20 head. Oats 6S0

Hogs 50 to 60 " Bran i,oco

Sheep 80 to 100 ' ' Butter 20,000 pounds.

Rules for Business Farmers.

7 he 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 be aware of you the second time.

Deal uprightly with all men, and they will repose confidence in you, and
soon become your permanent customers.

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 I

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 a 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. Food for

, r , Plants
Ignorance oi law excuses none.

It is a fraud to conceal a fraud. ^97

The law compels no one to do impossibilities.

An aereement 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 e.xempt 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
prostration.

How to Remove the Smell of Paint from a Room.

The smell of paint may be taken away by closing up the room and setting
m the centre of it a pan of lighted charcoal, on which have been thrown some
juniper berries. Leave this in the room for a day and a night, when the smell
of the paint will be gone. This is also effectual in removing the odor of
tobacco smoke from the room.

198

Food for Time Required for Digesting Food.

Plants Food. How Cooked. h.m.

Apples, sour, hard Raw 2.50

Apples, sweet, mellow Raw I-30

Bass, striped Broiled 3.00

Beans, pod Boiled 2 . 30

Beans and green corn Boiled 3-45

Beef Fried 4 ■ 00

Beefsteak Broiled 3.00

Beef, fresh, lean, dry Roasted 3.30

Beef, fresh , lean , rare Roasted 3 . 00

Beets Boiled 3-45

Bread, corn Baked 3.15

Bread, wheat, fresh Baked 1.30

Cabbage Raw 2.30

Cabbage, with vinegar Raw 2.00

Cabbage Boiled 4 • 3°

Carrot, orange Boiled 3.13

Catfish Fried 3.30

Cheese, old, strong Raw 3.30

Chicken, full grown Fricasseed 2.45

Codfish, cured dry Boiled 2.00

Custard Baked 2.45

Duck , tame > Roasted 4 ■ o"

Duck, wild Roasted 430

Eggs, fresh Raw 2.00

Eggs, fresh Scrambled i .30

Eggs, fresh Roasted 2.15

Eggs, fresh Soft boiled 3.00

Eggs, fresh Hard boiled 3.30

Eggs, fresh Fried 3 . 30

Fowls, domestic Roasted 4.00

Hashed meat and vegetables Warmed 2.30

Lamb, fresh Broiled 2.30

Milk Boiled 2.00

Milk Raw 2.15

Mutton, fresh Broiled 3.00

Oysters, fresh Raw 2 .55

Oysters, fresh Roasted 3.15

Oysters, fresh Stewed 3 . 30

Parsnips Boiled 230

Pork, steak Broiled 3. 15

Pork, fat and lean Roasted 5. 15

Pork, recently salted Stewed 3.00

Pork, recently salted Fried 4- 15

Potatoes, Irish , Baked 2 . 30

Potatoes, Irish Boiled 3.30

Salmon, salted Boiled 4-00

Sausages, fresh Broiled 3 . 20

Soup, bean Boiled 3.00

Soup, chicken Boiled 3.00

Soup, mutton Boiled 3.30

Soup, beef, vegetables Boiled 4.00

Trout, salmon, fresh Boiled 1.30

Turkey, domesticated Roasted 2 . 30

Veal, fresh Boiled 4tif»

Veal , fresh Fried 4 . 30

Spirits of Turpentine a Valuable Remedy.
This is one of the most valuable articles in a family, and when it has once
obtained a foothold in a house, it is really a necessity, and could ill be

dispensed with. Its medicinal qualities are very numerous; for burns it is a Food for
quick application and gives immediate relief; for blisters on the hands it is of Plants
priceless value, searing dov^'n the skin and preventing soreness; for corns on j^^

the toes it is useful, and good for rheumatism and sore throats, and it is the
quickest remedy for convulsions or fits. Then it is a sure preventive against
moths; by just dropping a trifle in the bottom of drawers, chests and cup-
boards, it will render the garments secure from injury during the summer.
It will keep ants and bugs from closets and storerooms by putting a few drops
in the corners and upon the shelves; it is sure destruction to bedbugs, and
will effectually drive them away from their haunts if thoroughly applied to
the joints of the bedstead in the spring cleaning time, and injures neither
furniture nor clothing. Its pungent odor is retained for a long time, and no
family ought to be entirely out of a supply at any time of the year.

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. I hese 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 ot
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
creditors. 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.

Franklin's Words of Wisdom.

Want of care does us more damage than want of knowledge.

For want of a nail the shoe was lost, and for want of a shoe the horse
was lost.

For age and want save while you may, no morning sun lasts all the day.

Experience keeps a dear school, but fools will learn in no other.

Lying rides upon debt's back; it is hard for an empty bag to stand
upright.

Food for Creditors have better memories than debtors.

Plants Women and wine, game and deceit, make the wealth small and the want

200 great.

What maintains one vice would bring up two children.

Plough deep while sluggards sleep; and you shall have corn to sell and
to keep.

Work to-day, for you know not how much you may be hindered to-
morrow.

Fly pleasure and it will follow you. The diligent spinner has a large shift.

Now I have a sheep and a cow, everybody bids me good-morrow.

Keep thy shop, and thy shop will keep thee.

If you would have your business done, go, if not, send.

Who dainties love shall beggars prove. Fools lay out money and buy
repentance.

Foolish men make feasts, and wise men eat them.

He that by the plough would thrive, himself must either hold or drive.

The eye of the master will do more work than both his hands.

Silks and satins, scarlet and velvets, put out the kitchen fire.

Always taking out of the meal tub and never putting in, soon comes to
the bottom.

Drive thy business, let not that drive thee. Sloth makes all things
difficult, industry all easy.

Early to bed and early ta rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.

If you would know the value of money, try to borrow some.

When the well is dry, they know the worth of water.

Not to oversee workmen, is to leave them your purse open.

If you would have a faithful servant, and one that you like, serve yourself.

By diligence and perseverance the mouse ate the cable in two.

Diligence is the mother of good luck; and God gives all things to
industry.

Industry needs not wish, and he that lives upon hope will die fasting.

There are no gains without pains; then help hands, for I have no lands.

Buy what thou hast no need of, and ere long thou wilt sell thy necessaries.

At a great pennyworth pause awhile; many are ruined by buying
bargains.

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. ^^^°*^

Water, when converted into steam, increases in bulk eighteen hundred 201

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 g,ooo 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.

What Housekeepers Should Remember.

That cold rain water and soap will remove machine grease from washable
fabrics.

That fish may be scaled much easier by first dipping them into boiling
water for a minute..

That fresh meat beginning to sour, will sweeten if placed out of doors in
the cool air over-night.

That milk which has changed may be sweetened or rendered fit for use
again by stirring in a little soda.

That boiling starch is much improved by the addition of sperm or salt,
or both, or a little eum arabic dissolved.

Food lor That a tablespoonful of turpentine, boiled with your white clothes, will
Plants greatly aid the whitening process.

^^^ That kerosene will soften boots and shoes that have been hardened by

water, and will render them as pliable as new.

That thoroughly wetting the hair once or twice with a solution of salt and
water will keep it from falling out.

That salt fish are quickest and best freshened bv soaking in sour milk.

That one teaspoonful of ammonia to a teacup of water applied with a
rag, wijl clean silver or gold jewelry perfectly.

That salt will curdle new milk, hence, in preparing porridge, gravies, etc.,
salt should not be added until the dish is prepared.

That paint stains that are dry and old may be removed from cotton or
woolen goods with chloroform. It is a good plan to first cover the spot with
olive oil or butter.

That clear boiling water will remove tea stains; pour the water through
the stain and thus prevent its spreading over the fabric.

That charcoal is recommended as an absorber of gases in the milk room
where foul gases are present. It should be freshly powdered and kept there
continually, especially in hot weather, when unwholesome odors are most
liable to infect the milk.

That by applying kerosene with a rag when you are about to put your
stoves away for the summer, will prevent them from rusting. Treat your
farming implements in the same way before you lay them aside in the fall.

That a teaspoonful of borax put in the last water in which clothes are
rinsed, will whiten them surprisingly. Pound the borax so it vvill dissolve
easily. This is especially good to remove the yellow that time gives to white
garments that have been laid aside for two or three years.

That a good agency for keeping the air of the cellar sweet and wholesome
is whitewash, made of good white lime and water only. The addition of
glue or size, or anything of this class, is only a damage, by furnishing organic
matter to speedily putrify. The use of lime in whitewash is not simply to
give a white color, but it greatly promotes the complete oxidation of effluvia
in the cellar air. Any vapors that contain combined nitrogen in the unoxi-
dized form contribute powerfully to the development of disease germs.

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 l 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
abouf4 by 4 inches and 3J inches deep.

A gallon of water weighs from 8 to 10 pounds, according to the size of the
gallon, and is equal to a box 6 by 6 inches square and 6, 7 or 7^ inches deep.

203

A peck is equal to a box 8 by 8 inches square and 8 inches deep. Food for

A bushel almost fills a box 12 by 1 2 inches square and 24 inches deep, Plants
or 2 cubic feet.

A cubic foot of water weighs nearly 64 pounds (more correctly, 62^
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 l^ feet deep, or
6 cubic feet.

Petroleum barrels contain 40 gallons, or nearly 5 cubic feet.

Number of Nails and Tacks per Pound.

Number
Per l,b

NAILS.
Name Size

3 penny, fine i'^ incli 760 na

3 " ■•

4
5
6

7
8

9
10

12

c6
20

30
40

50

6

8

10

12

fence

^H
2

2'4
2M

3

3/2

4

A%

5

5%

2

3

^80

300

200

160

128

92

72

60

44

32

24

18

14
12

80
50
34
29

Name.
I oz

1/2

2

2^

3
4
6

8

TO
12

14
16
18
20
22
24

TACKS.

I^ength.
. \4, inch

;'i6

.Hie

.1
. I V16

■ i/s

Number
Per Lb.

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

The Longest and

Name.

Amazon

Nile ..

Missouri, to its junction with the

Mississippi

Missouri, to the sea, forming the

longest in the world

Mississippi, proper

Lena

Niger, or Jobila

Obe

St. Lawrence

Madeira

Arkansas

Volga

Rio Grande

Danube

St. Francisco

Columbia

Nebraska

Greatest Rivers in the World.

Miles. Name. Miles.

3,600 Red River 1,200

3,000 Colorado in California 1,100

Yellowstone 1,000

2 ,900 Ohio 950

Rhine 950

4,100 Kansas 900

2,800 Tennessee 800

2,600 Red River of the North 700

2,600 Cumberland 600

2,500 Alabama 600

2,200 Susquehanna 500

2,000 Potomac 500

2,000 James 500

2,000 Connecticut 450

1,800 Delaware 400

1 ,600 Hudson 350

1,300 Kennebec 300

1 ,200 Thames 233

1,200

Food for
Plants

204

Number Brick Required to Construct any Building.

(Reckoning 7 Brick to Each Superficial Foot.)

Superficial Feet
of Wall.

I.

2.

3-
4-
5-
6.

7-
8.

9-

TO.
20.

30
40.

60.

70.

80.

90.
100.
200.
300.
400.
500.
600.
700.
800.
900.
I COO.

Number of Bricks to Thickness of

4 inch.

7
15
23
30

38

45

53
60

68

75
150
225
300

375
450

525
600

675
750
1,500
2,250
3,000
3.750
4,500
5.250
6,000
6,750
7.500

8 inch

12 inch

15
30

45
60

75
90

105
120

135
150
300
450
600

750

900

1,050

1,200

1,350

1,500

3,000

4.500

6,000

7,500

9,000

10,500

12,000

13,500

1 5 ,000

23

45

68

90

H3

135

158

180

203

2^5

450

675
900

1,125
1.350

1,575
1,800

2,025

2 250

4,500

6,750

9,000

11,250

13.500

15,750

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

i5,coo

18,000

21,000

24,000

27,000

30,000

20 inch.

38

75

113

150

1 83

225

263

300

338

375

750

1,125

1,500

1,875
2,250
2,625
3,000

3.375
3,750
7,500
11,250
15,000
18,750
22,500
26,250
30,000
33,750
37,500

24 inch.

45
90

135
180
225
270

3'5
360

405
450
900
1,350
1,800
2,250
2,700

3,150
3,600

4.050
4,500
9 000
13500
18,000
22,500
27,000
31.500
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 II 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 lOO 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.

Cement i bushel and sand 2 bushels will cover 3^ square yards one inch
thick, 4.^ square yards f inch thick, and 6f square yards ^ inch thick. One
bush, cement and i of sand will cover 2^ square yards i inch thick, 3 square
yards J inch thick, and 4^ square yards, ^ inch thick.

Weight of a Cubic Foot of

Article. Pounds.

Alcohol 49

Ash wood 53

Bay wood 5^

Brass, gun metal 543

Blood 66

Brick, common io2

Cork IS

Cedar 35

Copper, cast . 547

Clay J20

Coal, Lehigh 56

Coal, Lackawanna 50

Cider 64

Chestnut 3^

Earth, loose 94

Glass, window 165

Gold 1,203%

Hickory, shell bark 43

Hay, bale 9

Hay, pressed 25

Honey 90

Iron, cast 45°

Iron, plates 4^^

Iron, wrought bars 486

Ice _ 57'A

Lignum Vitas wood 83

Logwood 57

Lead, cast 709

Earth, Stone, Metal, Etc. Food for

Article. Pounds. "lantS

Milk 64

Maple 47 ^

Mortar iio

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 625^

Steel, plates 487^

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
become personal property.

If there be any manure in the barnyard, or in the compost heap on the
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

Food for possession is not to be given until some future day, in which case the crops or

Plants 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.

Beets, white silesia 669

Turnips 469

Rye-Straw 429

Clover, Red, Green 373

Carrots 37 '

Mangolds 368>^

Potatoes, kept in pit 350

Oat-Straw 347

Potatoes 360

Carrot leaves (tops/ 135

Hay, English loo

Articles. Pounds.

Lucern 89

Clover, red, dry 88

Buckwheat 7^)4

Corn 62^

Oats 59

Barley 58

Rye

Wheat 44 >^

Oil-Cake, linseed 4-^

Peas, dry 37"^

Beans 28

53 J^

Weights and Measures for Cooks, Etc. -

I pound of Wheat Flour is equal to i quart

I pound and 2 ounces of Indian Meal make i quart

I pound of Soft Butter is equal to i quart

I pound and 2 ounces of Best Brown Sugar make i quart

I pound and i ounce of Powdered White Sugar make .... i quart

I pound of Broken Loaf Sugar is equal to i quart

4 Large Tablespoonfuls make ^ gill

I Common-sized Tumbler holds ^2 pint

I Common-sized Wine-glass is equal to ^ gill

I Tea-cup holds. i gill

I Large Wine-glass holds 2 ounces

I Tablespoonful is equal to yi ounce

Capacity of Cisterns for Each 10 Inches in Depth.

25 feet
20 feet
15 feet
14 feet
13 feet
12 feet
II feet
10 feet
9 feet
8 feet

n diameter
n diameter
n diameter
n diameter
n diameter
n diameter
n diameter
n diameter
n diameter
n diameter

holds,
holds,
holds,
holds,
holds,
holds,
holds,
holds .
holds,
holds.

3059

1958

IIOI

959
b27

705
592
489
396
3>3

gallons
gallons
gallons
gallons
gallons
gallons
gallons
gallons
gallons
gallons

7 feet in

6h feet in

6 feet in

5 feet in

4J feet in

4 feet in

3 feet in

2i feet in

2 feet in

diameter
diameter
diameter
diameter
diameter
diameter
diameter
diameter
diameter

holds. . 239

holds. . 206

holds. . 176

holds. . 12?

holds. . 99

holds.. 78

holds. . 44

holds. . 30

holds. . 19

gallons
gallons
gallons
gallons
gallons
gallons
gallons
gallons
gallons

Surveyor's Measure.

7.92 inches i link, 25 links i rod, 4 rods i chain, 10 square chains or 160
square rods i acre, 640 acres i square mile.

Sizes of Boxes for Different Measures. Food for

Plants

A box 24 inches long by 16 inches wide, and 28 inches deep, will contain

a barrel, or three bushels. 207

A box 24 inches long by 16 inches wide, and 14 inches deep, will contain
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 sijuare, 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 halt
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 — W ill support a battery ot artillery, with carriages and
horses.

Ten inches thick — Will support an army; an innurrterable multitude.

Amount of Oil in Seeds.

Kinds of Seed Per Cent. Oil. Kinds of Seed. Per Cent. Oil.

Rapeseed 55 Oats 6%,

Sweet Almond 47 Clover hay 5

Turnipseed 45 Wheat bran 4

White mustard 37 Oat straw 4

Bitter almond 37 Meadow hay 3^

Hempseed 19 Wheat straw 3

Linseed 17 Wheat flour 3

Indian corn 7 Barley 2^

Results of Saving Small Amounts of Money.

The following shows how easy it is to accumulate a fortune, provided
proper steps are taken. 1 he 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 ot six per cent:

Daily Savings. The Result. Daily Savings. The Result.

One cent $ 950 Sixty cents .$57,024

Ten cents 9,5'J4 Seventy cents 66,528

Twenty cents 19,006 Eighty cents 76,032

Thirty cents 28,512 Ninety cents ^5,537

Forty cents 38,015 One dollar 95,041

Fifty cents 47, 520 Five Dollars 463,208

Food for Nearly every person wastes enough in twenty or thirty years, which, if

^^^"^^ saved and carefully invested, would make a family quite independent; but
208 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 $i, from One Year to Fifteen Years, with
Compound Interest Added Semi-Annually, at Different Rates.

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.

03
06
09
12
16

19
23
26

30
34
38
42

47
5'
56

Four
Per Cent.

$1 04

I 08

I 12

I 17

I 21

I 26

I 31

I 37

I 42

r 48

I 54

I 6n

I 67

I 73

■I So

Five
Per Cent.

$1 05
I 10
1 i.S
I 21

I 28

I 34
4'

48

55

63
I 72

X 80
I 90

1 99

2 09

Time at which Money Doubles at Interest.

Rate. Simple Intete.st. Compound Interest.

Two per cent 50 years 35 years, i 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, 20S days 20 years, 54 days

Four per cent 25 years 17 years, 246 days

Four and one-half per cent 22 years, Sr days rs years, 273 days

Five per cent 20 years 15 years, 75 days

Six per cent 16 years, 8 months r i years, 327 days

One Dollar Loaned One Hundred Years at Compound Interest
Would Amount to the Following Sum:

One per cent $ 2.75 Twelve per cent $ 84,675.00

Three per cent '9-25 Fifteen per cent 1,174,405.00

Six per cent 340-*JO Eighteen per cent 15,145,207.00

Ten per cent 13,809.00 I'wenty-four per cent. 2 ,55 1 ,799,404.00

Fertilization and Cultivation of

Food for
Plants

Corn and Cotton. ^°9

Bulletin of North Carolina Department of Agriculture.

By DR. B. W. KILGORE, Raleigh, N. C.

Corn

It unquestionably pays well to thoroughly Culture
break and broadcast harrow land for corn.
Using a two-horse plow and running it 8 to lo inches deep,
and afterwards harrowing with large smoothing harrow,
puts the land in nice condition. It is also well to run a small-
tooth harrow across corn rows about the time the plants are
coming up, and even after they are several inches high, slant-
ing the teeth of the harrow backward. Harrowing in this
way saves after-cultivation, and is a quick way of getting
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 soils p, ...
of the east, reports of which have been made . Pqj._
previously, has progressed far enough, we
feel, to draw some conclusions m 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

Food for States with similar soil and climatic conditions, are given as

Plants 1 r ^ ^^..„ .

good ones tor coin:

2IO

For Corn on Land in Fair Condition.

Acid phosphate, 14 per cent, phosphoric acid 1,045 't)^-

Cotton-seed meal, 6.59 per cent, nitrogen, 2.5 phos-
phoric 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.).

Acid phosphate, 14 per cent, phosphoric acid 965 lbs.

Cotton-seed meal, 6.59 per cent, nitrogen, 2.5 phos-
phoric acid and 1.5 potash 75° lbs.

Nitrate of Soda, 1 5 per cent, nitrogen 1 10 lbs.

Kainit, 12.5 per cent, potash ^75 "'s.

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.).

This material is quick-acting because of its
Nitrate of Soda, 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

211

blood. Nitrate of soda is frequently used as a top dressing ^<^*^^ ^'^^
for corn and is a valuable material ior 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 centre 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- a ,• •

soil the fertilizer should be applied in the ^^ ^

J n ^ ■ ^ u I' 1 ^ -u .uU ^ Fertihzers to

drill, at or lust before planting, at the rate

'J Corn

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

good start, and the balance of the fertilizer as a side-dressing

when the corn has begun to grow well.

Cotton.

The remarks regarding the preparation ^ ,,

and cultivation of corn also apply with equal

force to cotton, unless it be the part regarding breaking the

land well before planting. Some doubt the necessity of this

for cotton. 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 advantage will lie, we

think, with flat culture.

The preliminary remarks regarding fertil- Fertilizers

izers for corn also apply to cotton, the follow- r„ r-^**^

1 I • ' ^rr J -1 J ^°^ Cotton,

ing formulas being offered tentatively and

as the result of our best judgment, after studying the best

obtainable data on the subject:

For Cotton on Land in Fair Condition.

Acid phosphate, 14 per cent, phosphoric acid i>oi5 H^s-

Cotton-seed meal, 6.59 per cent, nitrogen, 2.5 phos-
phoric acid and 1.5 potash 415 lbs.

Nitrate of soda, 15 per cent, nitrogen 180 lbs.

Kainit, 12.5 per cent, potash 390 lbs.

2,000 lbs.

Food for
Plants

212

Brown Cotton.

Without
Manure.

4 Cwt.
Kainit.

12 Tons Farm-
Yard Manure.

-,,lg,^«p»,f***^ '"'**l&

'fe.

— _.«<

*&%l?av '^

4 Cwt. Superphosphate.
2 Cwt. Nitrate of Soda.

2 Tons of
Poudrette.

5 Cwt.
Superphosphate.

Abbasi White Cotton, Lower Egypt.

12 Tons Yard
Manure.

4 Cwt.
Kainit.

Without
Manure.

5 Cwt
Superphosphate.

2 Cwt. 4 Cwt. Superphosphate.

Nitrate of Soda. 2 Cwt. Nitrate of Soda.

Results on Cotton Grown in Lower Egypt.

Food for

213

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, 7.6 per
cent.; potash, 2.7 per cent.; nitrogen, 2.7 per cent, (equal to
ammonia, ^.^ per cent.).

Acid phosphate, 14 per cent, phosphoric acid 955 lbs.

Cotton-seed meal, 6.59 per cent, nitrogen, 2.5 phos-
phoric acid and 1.5 potash 605 lbs.

Nitrate of soda, 15 per cent, nitrogen 90 lbs.

Kainit, 12.5 per cent, potash 350 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,
7.4 per cent.; potash, 2.6 per cent.; nitrogen, 2.6 per cent,
(equal to ammonia, 3.1 per cent.).

The remarks under corn regarding ^^^^^^ g^^^ ^^^
these two materials apply also to cotton, as j^ji-j-^tg of Soda
do the suggestions concerning the change
in the quantity of nitrogen-supplying materials in the for-
mulas, should cotton follow peas or any other leguminous
crop. In Formula No. 3 one-fourth of the Nitrogen is sup-
plied by Nitrate of Soda, with the view of giving the crop
a quick start, and in No. 2 one-half of the Nitrogen comes
from this source. On light lands it will be good practice to
omit this Nitrate from the mixture and apply it as a side-
dressing about the middle of June. Good results 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 fertilizers are
used which contain only a moderate amount ot 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 ridee is thrown out the nitrate will be . i:^^+:^„ „*

o . - , , Application 01

thrown on two sides of the row. Fertilizer to

The fertilizer should be applied in the r.^^^.^^

J 11 • L r 1 • ^-ru ■ Cotton,

drill at or just before planting. 1 he quantity

used for cotton varies from 200 to 1,000 pounds per acre.

^°piaSs Fertilizers for Tobacco.

2U There are few products whose quahty and quantity are

more affected by kind of soil and fertihzer than is tobacco.
For bright tobacco, the main kind grown in this State, the
fine and deep sandy loam with yellow-colored sandy clay
subsoil is the type of land most largely used and the one
which grows the best grade of this character of tobacco.
Generally, the kind of soil that is suited to the production of
tobacco is better understood than the fertilizer that should
be used on it. Evidence of this is seen in the great variation
in the composition of fertilizers sold in the State, especially
for use on the tobacco crop. In 1901 there were registered
with the Department of Agriculture one hundred and eight
(108) special fertilizers for tobacco. It is interesting in this
connection to note the wide variation as well as the average
composition of these fertilizers. The highest amount of
available phosphoric acid guaranteed in any of them was
9.25 per cent., the lowest, 5 per cent., and the average 8.12
per cent. The highest amount of ammonia guaranteed was
10 per cent., the lowest 2 per cent., and the average 2.73 per
cent. The highest amount of potash guaranteed was 5 per
cent., the lowest i per cent., and the average 2.64 per cent.
These wide variations in the amounts of the valuable fer-
tilizer constituents indicate that the fertilizers themselves
must have had very varying effects on the quality and
quantity of the tobacco crop.

A study of the experiments in tobacco-growing and a
consideration of the experiences of good tobacco growers
show that the amounts of ammonia and potash in the aver-
age tobacco fertilizers, as stated above, are not as large as are
needed to give the best results. It would appear that the
largest amount of ammonia (10 per cent.) in any of these
"specials" is greater than is required for bright tobacco,
while the maximum quantity of potash (5 per cent.) in any
of the 108 brands is less than is used by numbers of our best
bright tobacco growers, especially in the eastern part of the
State. A considerable number of these growers either mix
their own tobacco fertilizers, or else have them put up
according to formulas of their suggestion. Below are given
five formulas for mixing fertilizers for tobacco. The grade
of those fertilizers will be higher and they will, of course,

cost more than the goods that are o-enerally used in the State ^'^^^ ^^^

. • • Plants

on tobacco, but I feel confident that the increased yield will

more than justify the additional expense. In The Bulletin ^^^
of the Department of Agriculture and in our correspondence
with farmers we have been recommending formulas of about*
the composition of these for a number of years, and evidence
is accumulatincr which shows that the character of tobacco
fertilizers is undergoing quite a considerable change.
No. I—

Cotton-seed meal 900 lbs.

Nitrate of soda 100 lbs.

High-grade sulphate of potash 250 lbs.

Acid phosphate, 14 per cent 75° ^^s.

2,000 lbs.

This mixture will contain: available phosphoric acid, 6.3
per cent.; potash, 6.9 per cent.; nitrogen, 7,."] per cent, (equal
to ammonia, 4.5 per cent.).

No. 2—

High-grade dried blood 500 lbs.

Nitrate of soda 125 lbs.

High-grade sulphate of potash 310 lbs.

Acid phosphate l>o65 lbs.

2,000 lbs.

This mixture will contain: available phosphoric acid, 7.4
per cent.; potash, J.J per cent.; nitrogen, 4.3 per cent, (equal
to ammonia, 5.2 per cent.).

No. 3-^

Fish scrap 725 lbs.

Nitrate of soda 100 lbs.

High-grade sulphate of potash 300 lbs.

Acid phosphate 875 lbs.

2,000 lbs.

This mixture will contain: available phosphoric acid, 7.2
per cent.; potash, 7.5 per cent.; nitrogen, 3.8 per cent, (equal
to ammonia, 4.6 per cent.).

N0.4—

Dried blood 500 lbs.

Nitrate of soda 100 lbs.

High-grade sulphate of potash 400 lbs.

Acid phosphate 1,000 lbs.

2,000 lbs.

Food for This mixture will contain: available phosphoric acid, 7
^"^^ per cent.; potash, 10 per cent.; nitrogen, 4.1 per cent, (equal
216 to ammonia, 5 per cent.).

No. 5-

Cotton-seed meal 700 lbs.

Nitrate of soda 100 lbs.

High-grade sulphate of potash 300 lbs.

Acid phosphate goo lbs.

2,000 lbs.

This mixture will contain: available phosphoric acid, 7.2
per cent.; potash, 7.7 per cent.; nitrogen, 3.1 per cent, (equal
to ammonia, 3.8 per cent.).

Four hundred to one thousand pounds of these mixtures
should be used to the acre.

The mixtures made from formulas Nos. 2 and 3 are some-
what more concentrated than that from No. i, on account
of cotton-seed meal containing less ammonia than fish scrap
and dried blood. The three formulas are given to enable the
use of any one of the three main organic, nitrogenous mate-
rials— dried blood, fish scrap and cotton-seed meal. In the
coast sections, fish scrap and meal are both easily obtained;
some distance inland meal is more accessible, while in the
more western end of the tobacco belt it will be found con-
venient to use dried blood. All three are good sources of
ammonia for tobacco. The other materials — nitrate of
soda, sulphate of potash and acid phosphate — are the same
for all mixtures.

Occasional requests are made for formulas furnishing
as much as 10 per cent, of potash, and No. 4 has been
arranged to meet needs of this nature. It is known that
excellent tobacco, in quality and quantity is grown by the use
of fertilizers of this class, and some of our farmers greatly
prefer them to others containing less potash. It takes con-
siderable observation and experimentation to determine the
best practice in matters of this kind.

A limited quantity of stable manure is very beneficial to
tobacco and it succeeds well after peanuts. These materials
add ammonia to the soil, and where heavy applications of
fertilizers are to be made in connection with manure, and on
peanut land, it would be well not to have so much ammonia
in the fertilizers as is used in the ones employed on land not
having other ammonia materials put on them. Formula

2r7

No. 5 is destined to meet cases of this kind. A good many ^°od for
Eastern tobacco growers plant tobacco after peanuts, and
some of them grow peas between the hills of tobacco, plant-
ing them with hoes and putting six to ten peas in a place the
latter part of June or early in [uly. This improves the soil
for after-crops, but tobacco grown after tobacco and peas
is said not to be of good quality; though, as would be
expected, the growth is very large.

Good results will come from the use of high grade fertili-
zers, such as are suggested above, or similar ones, and we
believe that when once tried there will be no inclination to go
back to the lower grade ones now so largely used.

Fertilizing Hay Crops.

The experiments with fertilizers on hay crops, begun in
igoi, were continued during the season of 1902-3. ' During
the season of 1901-2 it was found that the use of Thomas
phosphate slag and sulphate of potash with Nitrate of Soda
did not pay as we 1 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 last year that there was a possibility that the in-
soluble slag phosphate would become more available the
second season after applying it. The plots used in the
1 901-2 experiments were subdivided and given different
applications of Nitrate of Soda used alone and in combina-
tion with sulphate 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 season of 1902-3 than it was in
1 901-2. This difference is undoubtedly due to an unfav-
orable season. The late spring rainfall failed almost entirely,
and to this no doubt must be attributed the decreased yield.

An inspection of the summary of results tabulated below
shows that the heaviest yields of hay on both red and

2lS

'Food for granite soils and the largest money returns per acre were
Plants • . • ...

obtained from the plots which were fertilized with phos-
phate during 1901-2. On red soil with oats 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, 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 gain
was only $5.74 per acre.

The heaviest yield of hay and the largest profit per acre
in 1903 were obtained with 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 $21.50 per acre in 1902; and as the application
of nitrate was larger than was used on any other plot, the
increased returns were at least partly due to the increased
supply of the nitrate. Through some misunderstanding,
there was no no corresponding wheat plot on granite soil
with nitrate only.

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.

RHODE ISLAND EXPERIMENT STATION. ^ood for

Plants

What Percentage of "Water Does Hay Lose
During Storage ?

Hay which had been stored during the summer of iQOi
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.

RESULTS IN NEW YORK.

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-iood 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.
Nitrate 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 materials,
whether complete or incomplete, the plant-food usually costs
more than in unmixed materials.

When purchasing mixed fertilizers, farmers are ad-
vised to purchase only high-grade goods, and then to make
a commercial valuation to compare with the selling price.
Even in high-grade goods, the selling price should not exceed
the commercial valuation by more than $^.

For greatest economy, farmers are advised to purchase
unmixed materials and do their own mixing; or, in the case 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:

219

Food for Long Island (Counties of Nassau, Queens and Suffolk) ;^i,24i,28o

Plants Monroe County 214,000

220 Erie County 1 86,370

Cayuga County 131,260

Oneida County 112,630

Onondaga, Ontario, Wayne, Ulster, Chautauqua, each from

$102,000 to 1 10,000

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 have the following table:

Composition of Different Grades of Fertilizers.

Class of Fertilizers.

Low-grade

Medium-grade

Medium high-grade.
High-grade

In 100 Pounds of Fertilizer.

Pounds

of
Nitroeren.

1 .22
1 .70

2.47
4.00

Pounds

of Available

Phosphoric

Acid.

8.18

9. 10

8.82

8.36

Pounds

of
Potash.

2.60

3-48
6.02

7.22

Pounds

of Total

Plant-food.

12.00
14.28

I7.37
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
fertilizer 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 i, 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

Nitrogen.

Available

Phosphoric

Acid.

7

5 5
3-5

Potash.

2
2

2-5

1.8

Food for
Plants

221

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 Phos
phone 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.r
II. I

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

51

8.1

6.4

4-4
6.9

5-4

High
Grade

Cents.

26.0
19.6

425

7-9
6.0

3-4
6.7

50

From these data, we readily see the truth of the following
statements:

1. The cost of one pound of plant-food, whether Nitrogen,
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.

Food for
Plants

222

Cost of Nitrogen in Nitrate of Soda.

In the samples of Nitrate of Soda examined by us in
1902, the percentage of Nitrogen varied from 15.21 to 16.20,
averaging 15.77. The selling price varied from ^42 to
S48.50, averaging $44.12. The commercial valuation varied
from $45.63 to $48.60, averaging $47.30, which was con-
siderably in excess of selling price. The cost of one pound
of Nitrogen in this form varied from 13 to 15 cents and
averaged 13.9 cents. This was much cheaper than the cost
of Nitrogen in the form of complete fertilizers.

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

14.8
II. 5

13

. I

•4
. I

•25
•3
•4
. I

Highest.

Cents.
36.8
28.3
26
26
22.9
32
15

II . I

8.6
8.1

7-9
19.5
II .0

8.6

9

7
6

6

16

4

•5
•3

•9
•7
■5
•9

Average.

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 ^''ood for
Nitrates — that is, in combination with alkaHne base, such ^^^
as Hme or sodium. 223

The Nitrogen contained in all fertilizers, with the
exception of Nitrate of Soda, must first be nitrified — that
is, converted into Nitrate — before the plant can take it up.
This nitrification is always attended with greater or less
loss of Nitrogen.

A sufiiciency 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 nodules found in their roots. Leguminous plants, in
the early stages of their growth, avail themgelves ot the
Nitrates in the soil. Nitrate of Soda has been very profit-
ably 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 Nitra'e of Soda will, to a certain extent, serve as a sub-
stitute 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.

*to

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, Inroad Beans,

176.32 lbs. 117-03 lbs. 143-9^ lbs- 181. 16 lbs.

STRAW.

Oats, Barley, Wheat, Rye,

26.4 lbs. 26.4 lbs. 3306 lbs. -9-31 'bs.

Rape Seed, Peas, Vetches, Broad Beans,

29.75 lbs. 118.35 lbs. 112.40 lbs. 79.34 lbs.

Food for Distribution of Nitrogen in the Principal Root Crops.

Plants
Nitrogen per Two and One-Half Acres.

"^ ROOTS.

Sugarbeet, Beetroot, Swedes, Carrots, Potatoes,

105.79 ^^^- ^38-85 lbs. 165.30 lbs. 145-46 lbs. 112.40 lbs.

Tubers.
LEAF.

^ugarbeet, Beetroot, Swedes, Carrots, Potatoes,

52.89 lbs. 80.66 lbs. 55.1 lbs. 168.60 lbs. 15. 11 lbs.

Shaws."

The figures in this table show how many pounds of
Nitrogen are withdrawn from two and one-half acres of
ground by an average harvest. The table shows clearly
that the principal quantity of Nitrogen is always in that
portion of the crop that is sold, only a small quantity of
Nitrogen being 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.

POINTS FOR CONSIDERATION AS TO
PRICES OF FARM PRODUCTS
' AND NITRATE PRICES.

** T~^ROM the farmer's point of view, a reduction in cot-
r1 ton and produce prices is to be deplored, but the
point to be considered 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 pro-
ductivity, and as its productivity is not affected by its price,
an increase in the latter justifies abandonment of the fer-
tilizer only when its productivity ceases to be profitable.
The profit to be reasonably expected from the use of fer-
tilizer, although somewhat less than when it was cheaper,
is not so materially mterfered with by any rise in price of
Nitrate as to economically justify any substantial reduction
in its consumption."

GRADES OF HAY AND STRAW. ^^^^ f°^

Plants

^ i "^HE following are the rules and regulations adopted 225
I by the Chicago Board ot Trade for the inspection of
hay and straw:

Choice Timothy Hay: Shall be timothy not mixed with
over one-twentieth of other grasses, properly cured, bright,
natural color, sound and well baled.

No. I Timothy Hay: Shall be timothy. mixed with not
more than one-eighth clover, red-top, and other tame grasses,
properly cured, good color, sound and well baled.

No. 2 Timothy Hav: Shall include all timothy not good
enough for No. i, not over one-third mixed with other tame
grasses, fair color, sound and well baled.

No. 3 Timothy Hay: Shall include all hay not good
enough for other grades, sound and well baled.

No. I Clover Mixed Hay: Shall be timothy and clover
mixed, with at least one-half timothy, good color, sound
and well baled.

No. 2 Clover Mixed Hay: Shall be timothy and clover
mixed, with at least one-third timothy, reasonably sound
and well "baled.

No. I Clover Hay: Shall be medium clover, not over
one-twentieth other grasses, properly cured, sound and well
baled.

No. 2 Clover Hay: Shall be clover, sound, well baled,
not good enough for No. i.

No Grade Hay: Shall include thieshed timothy and all
hay badly cured, musty, stained, or in any way unsound.

Choice Prairie Hay: Shall be upland hay, of bright color,
well cured, sweet, sound and reasonably free from weeds.

No. I Prairie Hay: Shall be upland, and may contain
one-quarter midland, of good color, well cured, sweet, sound
and reasonably tree from weeds.

No 2 Prairie Hay: Shall be upland of fair color or
midland of good color, well cured, sweet, sound and reason-
ably free from weeds.

No. 3 Prairie Hay: Shall be midland of fair color or
slough of good color, well cured, sound and reasonably free
from weeds.

No. 4 Prairie Hay: Shall include all hay not good
enough for other y-rades and not caked.

Food for Jsj-Q grade Prairie Hay: Shall include all hay not good

^" ^ enough for other grades.
226 No. I Straight Rye Straw: Shall be in large bales, clean,

bright, long rye straw, pressed in bundles, sound and well
baled.

No. 2 Straight Rye Straw: Shall be in large bales, long
rye straw, pressed in bundles, sound and well baled, not
good enough for No. i.

Tangled Rye Straw: Shall be reasonably clean rye straw,
good color, sound and well baled.

Wheat Straw: Shall be reasonably clean wheat straw,
sound and well baled.

Oat Straw: Shall be reasonably clean oat straw, sound
and well baled.

All certificates of inspection shall show the number of
bales and grade in each car or lot inspected and plugged;
and when for shipment the final inspection and plugging,
in order to ascertain the sound condition of each bale, shall
take place at the time of shipment.

The fees for inspection shall be i$3.oo per car, to be
divided equally between the buyer and seller.

GENERAL DIRECTIONS FOR
STAPLE CROPS.

THE use of Nitrate of Soda alone is never recommended,
except at the rate of not more than one hundred
pounds to the acre. It may be thus safely and profitably
used ivithout other fertilizers. It may be applied at this rate
as a Top-Dressing in the Spring of the year, as soon as
vegetation begins to turn green; or, in other words, as soon
as the crops begin new growth. "" At this rate very satisfac-
tory 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.

When it is desired to use a larger amount than one
hundred pounds per acre of Nitrate of Soda as a Top-
Dressing, or in any other way, there must be present some
form of Phosphatic and Potassic Fertilizer, and we recom-
mend not less than two hundred and fifty pounds of either

Acid Phosphate; or Thomas Phosphate; or fine ground Raw Food for
Rock; or Peruvian Guano; and two hundred and fifty pounds ^^^"^^
of some high-grade Potash Salt, preferably the Sulphate. 227
jd much larger amount than one hundred pounds of Nitrate
per acre, when used alone on staple crops, is generally sure
to give an unprofitable and unbalanced food ration to the
plant. For Market Gardening Crops, 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.

Generally, on the Pacific Coast, nitrate may be applied
as a top-dressing after the heavy spring rains are over, but
before crops attain much of a start.

The statement fraudulently made that Nitrate of Soda
is a stimulant, is false and misleading, as the Nitrogen
(which is the essential element for the growth of all plants)
is the same in Nitrate of Soda as it is in stable manure,
and has the additional advantage that it is thirty times as
abundant and of a hundred-fold greater immediate avail-
ability. Its after effect is also marked in subsequent sea-
sons, owing to the energy and increased size and feeding
capacity which it imparts to the roots of plants. It also
has a sweetening influence on sour lands, and hence is of
direct as well as indirect benefit to the land. As a healthy
plant tonic it has no equal, and owing to its complete
digestibility as a plant-food there is absolutely no roughage
or raw matter in it.

Food for
Plants

228

FERTILIZERS.

Contributed by J. L. Hills, Vermont Experiment Station.

Average cost of a pound of plant food in low, medium
and high grade (Vermont, 1903.)

Mtrogen

^ra^

Available

Fhosphoric

Acid

L?,.i.) -

i-i-i , '■■I.J-

Fotash

LOW GRADE
MEDIUM "
HIGH

Food for
Plants

229

FERTILIZERS.

Contributed by J. L. Hills, Vermont Experiment Station.

For $30 there was purchased in Vermont, in 1903, in
average high grade, medium grade and low grade fertihzers
the following amounts of actual plant foods:

Nitrogen

LOH'GRADE
MEDIUM "
HIGH "

i!. ,'l:.

CSS Ofe>.c

Available
Phosphoric
Acid

d:^© DfeSo

mm~. ..

.4

Q©© ijfe

Potash

%1I Dfeg„

Food for
Plants

230

PLAN FOR TOP-DRESSING EXPERIMENTS.

The above simple plan for Top-Dressing Experiments
has been in satisfactory use in Europe for several years. The
plots may be of any size from a square 20 feet x 20 feet,
and upwards. The squares marked O are not fertilized, and
serve as check plots. The Nitrate application recommended
for a square 20 feet x 20 feet is one pound, which is equiv-
alent to one hundred pounds to the acre. For further
details, see General Directions for Staple Crops.

Index.

Abbasi White Cotton, Lower Egypt (Illus.) 2I2

Acid Phosphate, Use of loi

Adaptability of the Onion to All Soils ' 33

Alkaline Soil Necessary for Grass 74

All Three Elements Indispensable 99

Always Use Chemical Fertilizers for all Market Garden Purposes,

Without Fail 54

Ammoniates 146

Ammoniates, Higher, Other 143

Amount of Barbed Wire Required for Fences 194.

Amounts of Manure Produced by Farm Animals. From Bulletin 27,

Cornell University, Agricultural Experimental Station 176

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) 190

Amount of Oil in Seeds 207

Amount of Ration of Plant Food for One Tree 40

Analyses of Commercial Fertilizing Materials 180, 181, 182

Analyses of Farm Manures (Taken Chiefly from Reports of the New

York, Massachusetts and Connecticut Experiment Stations 183

Analyses of Fertilizing Materials in Farm Products; Analyses of Hay

and Dry, Coarse Fodders 183, 184, 185, 186, 187

Apples, Nitrate of Soda on 61

Application of Fertilizer to Corn 211

Application of Fertilizer to Cotton 213

Apply and Mix Nitrate of Soda and Other Fertilizers, How to 19

Applying Fertilizers for Potatoes 24

Are the Farmers of Little Europe More Intelligent than Those of

America ? 12

Asparagus 19, 40, 41, 123

Availability of Nitrogen in Various Forms 26

Availability of Nitrogen 149

Average Annual Rainfall in the United States 193

Barley 56, 57

Barley and Oats 15

Basic Slag Phosphate, or Thomas Slag Phosphate Powder 57

Beets 43

Beets (Table) Grown on Nitrate, Ready for Market Sixteen Days

Earlier 43

Beets, Onions and Carrots 25

Best Returns from Use of Nitrogen are Obtained when Applied to

Good Soils Well Prepared for Crops, The 118

Best Use of Nitrogen Requires an Abundance of Phosphoric Acid and

Potash in the Soil, 'Ihe II J

Better Quality Resulted as Well as Saving in 1 ime and Increase in

Crop 42

Brown Cotton (Illus.) 2i2

Buckwheat 58

Business Laws in Brief 197

Cabbage 44

Cabbages, Corn and Cauliflower 22

Cantaloupes 52, 155

Capacity of Cisterns for Each Ten Inches in Depth 206

Carrying Capacity of a Freight Car (This Table is for Ten-Ton Cars). 196

Catch-Crops 57

Cauliflower, Cabbages and Corn 22

Celery 22,45, ^3°

Centenarians 192

Certain Crops are Especially Benefited by Nitrate Nitrogen 119

Character of Plant-Food Required by the Onion 36

• Chemical Manures, Nature of 54

Chili Saltpetre or Nitrate of Soda 166

Chloride (Muriate of Potash) i6o

Clark's Grass Cultivation, Nitrate of Soda as Used in 78

Common Salt, Use of 38

Comparative Availability of Nitrogen in Various Forms 26

Comparison of Nitrate of Soda and Sulphate of Ammonia, Both With

and Without Lime 152

"Complete Fertilizers" and "Phosphates" the Most Expensive Plant

Food . 6

Composition of Different Classes of Fertilizers 220

Composition of Fertilizers in Different Grades 220, 221

Conclusions Pertaining to Nitrate of Soda 149

Corn 90, 209

Corn, Sweet 46

Corn, Cabbages and Cauliflower 22

Cost of Nitrogen in Nitrate of Soda 222

Cost of One Pound of Plant Food in Different Grades of Fertilizers. . 221

Cost of One. Pound of Plant Food to Consumers 222

Cost of Transportation of Fertilizers 108

Cost of Transportation per Ton of Material 108

Cotton 211

Cotton Fertilizing. . . .■ 27

Cotton and Fibre Plants 30

Cotton-Seed Meal and Nitrate Compared on Wheat 55

Cotton-Seed Meal Compared with Nitrate 55

Cotton Seed and Nitrate of Soda 213

Cows • 176

Crops Especially Benefited by Nitrate Nitrogen 119

Crop Was Saved From Total Failure, How a 43

Cucumbers 45, 130

Cucumbers, Squashes and Melons 26

Cultivation 37

Culture of Corn 209

Currants, Gooseberries, Raspberries 23

Defects and Losses in the Use of Ordinary Ammoniates 100

Directions and Formulas ^6

Distribution of Nitrogen in the Grain and Straw of the Principal

Cereals, Nitrogen per Two and One-half Acres 223

Distribution of Nitrogen in the Principal Root Crops, Nitrogen per

Tw^o and One-half Acres 224

Dollar Spent in Nitrate Returned $21.00 in Increased Crop 44

Early Cabbage 43, 126

Early Growth of Plants 103

Early Lettuce 47

Early Peas 49

Early Potatoes 49, 132

Early Table Beets 122

Early Table Turnips 127

Early Tomatoes 50, 124

Economy in the Purchase of Fertilizers. Home Mixtures i6g

Economical and Profitable Practice 76

Edible Value of Plant, Special Influence of Nitrate on loi

Effect of Nitrate on Quality of Hay 73

Egg Plant. 47

Eminent Scientists Well Acquainted with Value of Nitrate 63

Equivalent Quantity of Nitrate Food 105

Estimating Measures 202

Excess of Value of Hay Over Cost of Fertilizers 76

Experiments in England, Wheat 55

Experiments on Tobacco at the Kentucky Experiment Station 16

Experiments, Other Details of 180

Experiments, Summary of, on Farm Animals 1 80

Experiments with Fertilizers on Cotton 28

Experiments with Fertilizers on Sweet Potatoes 16

Experiments with Fertilizers on Tomatoes 18

Experiments with Forage Crops 139

Experiments with Nitrate on Cotton, South Carolina, 1904 29

Experiment with Nitrogen 148

Extraordinary Returns on Celery 45

Facts for Builders 204

Farm Sewage Disposal 157

Farm Values, Probable Stability of 143

Farmers' Bulletin, No. 107. Editor, W. H. Beal. Prepared in the

Office of Experiment Stations. A. C. True, Director. Page 7. . . 141

Farmyard Manure Compared with Nitrate 55

Farmyard Manure, Management of 157

Farmyard Manure and Other Products are Valuable, Why 99

Fertilizer Experiments on Meadow Land (Kentucky Agricultural

Experiment Station Bulletin, No. 23, February, 1890) 188, 189

Fertilizers per Vine, Omitting Nitrate Nitrogen (Illus.) 91

Fertilizers per Vine, with Nitrate Nitrogen (Illus.) 93

Fertilizers 147, 228, 229

Fertilizers for Corn 209

Fertilizers for Fruits (Bulletin 66, Hatch Experiment Station) 61

Fertilizers for Garden Crops 150

Fertilizers for Tobacco 214

Fertilizers for Vegetables and Small Fruits 25

Fertilizers in Use for Garden Crops, What 25

Fertilizers to Buy, What 27

Fertilizing 38

Fertilizing Cotton 27

Fertilizing Hay Crops 217

Figs 33

Financial Profit from Use of Nitrate 75-

Food Necessary for Plants 3

Food, Plant, Amount of Ration of. For One Tree 40

Food, Plant, Character of. Required by the Onion 36

Forage Crops, Experiments with 139

Forage Crops, Nitrate of Soda for 17

For Crops of Low Commercial Value 133

For Melons, Cucumbers, and Squashes 26

Formulas 172

Formulas and Directions for Mangolds 56

For Wheat, the Best Form of Nitrogen 12

Franklin's Words of Wisdom 199

Free Use of the Harrow and Pulverizer 37

From Bulletin No. 67. Maryland Experiment Station on the Culture
and Handling of Tobacco in Maryland. H. J. Patterson, Director

and Chemist. From Page 140 144

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 113

Fruits 32

Fruit Formula, General, per Acre 62

Fruits Generally, Nitrate of Soda for 62

Fruits, Nitrate on 103

Functions of Nitrate, Unusual 100

Gains from Use of Nitrate of Soda 137

Gain in Time Remarkable, Two Weeks in Advance 46

Garden Crops, Fertilizers for 1 50

Garden Crops, Market 22, 121

General Directions for Staple Crops 226

General Fruit Formula per Acre 62

General Points as to Methods of Application 155

Good Results Due to Nitrate 143

Gooseberries, Currants, Raspberries 23

Grain and Hay 133

Grains, Grasses, Root Crops, Pastures, Soiling Crops, Nitrate as a

Top-Dressing for 54

Grapes 92

Grass 1 56

Grass Growing for Profit 69

Grasses, Grains, Root Crops, Pastures, Soiling Crops, Nitrate as a

Top-Dressing for 54

Greenhouse Plant Food 85

Growth (Early) of Plants 100

Guano, Phosphatic 168

Harrow and Pulverizer, Free Use of the 37

Hay 135

Hay and Grain 133

Hay, How Nitrate Improves the Quality of the 73

Highland Experimental Farms (Illus.) 59

Hints for Right Use of Nitrate 53

Home-Mixing 145, 171

Hops. A Record of Four Years' Experiments with Hops 8g

Horses 178

How a Crop was Saved from Total Failure 43

How All Ammoniates are, of Necessity, Nitrated, and Slowness of

Process 103

How all Crops Grow 54

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 194

How Grain Will Shrink 194

How It Pays 75

How Money Crops Feed 98

How Much Shall be Applied 135

How Nitrate Benefits the Farmer 62

How Nitrate Increases Wheat Crops 54

How Nitrate Improves the Quality ot the Hay ']t^

How Nitrate May be Aided by Phosphoric Acid 102

How Nitrate May be Supplemented by Potash 102

How Nitrate Neutralizes Soil Acids and Sweetens the Soil 75

How Nitrate Saves Time, Money and the Crop 103

How Supplemented with Profit 102

Howto Apply Nitrate 125

How to Apply Nitrate of Soda to Wheat 14

How to Apply Phosphatic Fertilizers 25

How to Copyright a Book, Map, Chart, Etc 191

How to Make Commercial Valuations 159

How to Measure Corn in Crib, Hay in Mow, Etc 195

How to Mix and Apply Nitrate of Soda and Other Fertilizers 19

How to Preserve Eggs 202

How to Remove the Smell of Paint from a Room 197

How to Rent a Farm 1 99

How to Save Humus 158

How to Save Money on Fertilizers 8

How to Top-Dress 104

How to Treat Sunstroke 197

How to Use Chemical Fertilizers to Advantage. Abstract of Lecture

by Dr. Dyer 54

Ideal Formula for Oats 59

Ideal Formula for Wheat 61

Increase in Crop and Better Quality Resulted as Well as Saving in

Time 42

Increase of Crops from Same Quantity of Nitrogen from Different

Sources 26

Increased Yield on Turnips and Swedes 56

Indispensable, Why Nitrate is 3

Intrinsic Values of Ammoniates 100

Kale 154

Kind of Crop an Important Factpr in Determining the Agricultural

Value of Nitrogen, The 118

Late Carrots (Illus.) 51

Late Potatoes 50

Late Spinach (Illus.) 52

Lawns and Golf Links 96

Length of Navigation of the Mississippi River 195

Lettuce 1 54

Lime and Thomas Slag, Use of 38

Litter 156

Losses and Defects in the Use of Ordinary Ammoniates 100

Making Two Blades of Grass Grow Where One Blade Grew Before. . 71

Management of Farmyard Manure 157

Margin of Profit Greater 142

Mangolds 56

Manures 156

Market Garden Crops .' .22, 121

Market Gardening with Nitrate 41

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 152

Massachusetts Experiment Station 150

Materials Used in Making Commercial or Chemical Manures 166

Melons 88

Melons, Cucumbers and Squashes 26

Methods of Application .126, 127-131, 136, 141

Methods of Practice 125, 128, 129, 132, 133

Methods of Using Nitrate 1 23, 1 24

Mix and Apply Nitrate of Soda and Other Fertilizers, How to 19

Mixing, Home 145

Mixing Raw Materials 162

Modern Agriculture, Position of Nitrate in 63

Moisture in Soil, Necessity of _ 36

Money Crops, Results of Nitrate on 104

Muriate of Potash (Chloride) 160

Muskmelons 129

Nature of Chemical Manures 54

Natural Plant Food, Sources of 102

Nearly Always Deficient, Nitrate 4

Necessity of Moisture in Soil 36

Neutralizes Soil Acids and Sweetens the Soil, How Nitrate 75

Nitrate 4

Nitrate, Its Uses Ought to Increase 66

Nitrate on Fruits 10.5

Nitrate for Experiments 156

Nitrate Nearly Always Deficient 4

Nitrate a Pre-digested Ammoniate 99

Nitrate in Plant Nutrition, Part Played by 106

Nitrate Compared with Farm-Yard Manure 55

Nitrate Test at Kentucky Experiment Station 15

Nitrate of Soda as Used in Clark's Grass Cultivation 78

Nitrate and Cotton-Seed Meal Compared on Wheat 57

Nitrate as a Top-Dressing for Grains, Grasses, Root Crops, Pastures,

Soiling Crops 54

Nitrate of Soda 3, 137, 159, 210

Nitrate of Soda, Amount to Apply 138

Nitrate of Soda, How Used 167

Nitrate of Soda on Apples 61

Nitrate of Soda for Forage Crops 17

Nitrate of Soda or Chili Saltpetre 166

Nitrate of Soda for Fruits Generally 62

Nitrate of Soda Nitre in Fertilizing. (Bulletin 24, California State

Mining Bureau, May, 1902.) By Dr. Gilbert E. Bailey 66

Nitration or Nitrification 158

Nitrogen Should Receive Special Attention 114

Number of Nails and Tacks per Pound 203

Number of Years Seeds Retain Their Vitality 193

Number Bricks Required to Construct any Building (Reckoning Seven

Bricks to Each Superficial Foot) 204

Nursery Stock '. 87

Oats 55, 58

Oats, Ideal Formula 59

Of Generallnterest 191

Onions 48

Onion, Adaptability pf the, to All Soils 33

On Uncultivated Clay Loam 189

On Uncultivated Light or Medium Soils 189

On Uncultivated Pasture Land 189

On What Crops Nitrate Should be Used 24

Orange Groves 86, no

Other Ammoniates Higher 143

Part Played by Nitrate in Plant Nutrition 106

Pastures, Soiling Crops, Root Crops, Grains, Grasses, Nitrate as a

Top-Dressing for 54

Peaches 61

Peppers 131

Philosophical Facts 200

Phosphates 147

Phosphates, Potashes loo, 147

"Phosphates" and "Complete Fertilizers" the Most Expensive Plant

Food 6

Phosphoric Acid 4

Phosphatic Guano l68

Phosphoric Acid and Potash Differ from Nitrogen 1 16

Phosphoric Acid, How Nitrate May be Aided by 102

Pioneer Farmers' Wasteful Methods 63

Plan for Top-Dressing Experiments 230

Plant Food Needs of Crops 105

Position of Nitrate in Modern Agriculture 63

Potashes 4» H?

Potashes, Phosphates 100, 147

Potash and Phosphoric Acid Differ From Nitrogen 116

Potatoes ^9,154

Potatoes, Sweet 81

Potatoes, How to Apply to 20

Potatoes, Applying Fertilizers for 24

Practical Conclusions 76

Practical Suggestions as a Result of Experiments, i. For Crops of

High Commercial Value 121

Pre-digested Ammoniate, Nitrate a 99

Price of Farm Products, Rise in 142

Principal Elements, Nitrated Ammonia, Phosphoric Acid, Potash. ... 98

Probable Stability of Farm Values 143

Profit, Margin of 142

Profits from Use of Fertilizers 120

Profitable and Economical Practice 76

Profitable Fertilization of Grapes. Summary of Experiments of Prof.
Paul Wagner, Director of Darmstadt Agricultural Experiment

Station, Darmstadt, Germany 94

Profitable Onion Cultivation 33

Profitable Use of Nitrates, How Careful Cultivation May Aid in the. . 78

Pulverizer and Harrow, The Use of the 37

Purdue University, Indiana Agricultural Experiment Station, Lafay-
ette, Ind., C. R. Plumb, Director. Bulletin No. 84.) Growing

Lettuce With Chemical Fertilizers. By Prof. William Stuart. ... 149

Quantity (Equivalent) of Nitrate Food 105

Quantities Required and Time to Apply 33

Raspberries, Currants, Gooseberries 23

Raw Materials, Mixing 162

Ready for Market Sixteen Days Earlier, Table Beets Grown on

Nitrate 43

Relative Value of Different Foods for Stock 206

Results (Good) Due to Nitrate 143

Results in New York 219

Results of Nitrate on Money Crops 104

Results of Saving Small Amounts of Money 207

Results on Cotton Grown in Lower Egyp t 212

Result, Slight Added Cost per Acre and per Ton of Fertilizer.- 143

Results in an Unfavorable Season with Low Prices for Products .... 41

Returns on Celery Extraordinary ; 45

Rise in Price of Farm Products 142

Root Crops, Pastures, Soiling Crops, Grains, Grasses, Nitrate as a 54

Top-Dressing for .

Rotation on Crops . 191

Rules for Business Farmers 196

Ryt 59>i39

Save Humus, How to 158

Save Money on Fertilizers, How to 8

Savings Bank Compound Interest Table, Showing the Amount of ;^l.

From One Year to Fifteen Years, With Compound Interest Added

Semi-Annually, at Different Rates 208

Saving in Time and Increase in Crop, as Well as Better Quality

Resulted 42

Sewage (Farm) Disposal 157

Sheep 1 78

Sizes of Boxes for Different Measures 207

Slight Added Cost Per Acre and Per Ton of Fertilizer, Result 143

Small Fruits 84

Small Fruits and Vegetables, Fertilizers for 25

Snap Beans 42

Sodas 147

Soiling Crops 84

Soiling Crops, Root Crops, Pastures, Grasses, Grains, Nitrate as a

Top Dressing for 54

Some American Rotations 191

Some Practical Hints Regarding Nitrate 153

Sources of Natural Plant Food 102

South Carolina Agricultural Experiment Station. From Bulletin No.

56 147

Special Crops 24

Special Functions of Plant Food 100

Special Influence of Nitrate on Edible Value of Plant lOI

Spinach 151

Spirits of Turpentine a Valuable Remedy 198

Squashes, Cucumbers and Melons 26

Stable Manure and Artificial Fertilizer Upon Fruit Trees 39

Stability (Probable) of Farm Values 143

Strawberries 22, 83, 1 1 1

Strength of Ice of Different Thickness 207

Sugar Beets 83

Sugar Cane 82

Suggestions for Top-Dressing Crops 107

Sulphate of Ammonia I 59

Sulphate of Potash 1 59

Summary of Increased Yields. From Application of One Hundred

Pounds Per Acre of Nitrate of Soda 142

Surveyor's Measure 206

Sweet Corn 46, 1 28

Sweet Potatoes 81,132

Sweetens the Soil and Neutralizes Soil Acids, How Nitrate 75

Swine 170

Table Beets Grown on Nitrate Ready for Market 1 6 Da3'S Earlier 43

Table of Analyses and Guarantees 173

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 187

Table Showing the Number of Pounds of Nitrogen, Phosphoric Acid
and Potash Withdrawn Per Acre by an Average Crop. (Con-
tinued) 188

Table Showing Prices of Nitrate of Soda on the Ammoniate Basis.
Figured on Basis of 380 Pounds Ammonia in One Ton of Nitrate

of Soda 112

Tabulated General Summary 222

Terms Used in Discussing Fertilizers • H^

The Amount to Apply 138

The Alfalfa, Cow- Pea and Clover Question ■ 107

The Best Form of Nitrogen for Wheat I2

The Best Use of Nitrogen Requires an Abundance of Phosphoric

Acid and Potash in the Soil 117

The Great Canals of the World 195

The Kind of Crop an Important Factor in Determining the Agricul-
tural Value of the Nitrogen 118

The Longest and Greatest Rivers in the World 203

The Most Expensive Plant Food, "Phosphates" and "Complete Fer-
tilizers " 6

The Quality of Manure and Fertilizers 99

The Use of Nitrogenous Fertilizers on Vegetables 154

The Unit System 1 66

The Various Potash Salts and Their Composition 190

Thomas Slag and Lime, Use of 38

Time at Which Money Doubles at Interest 208

Time to Apply and Quantities Required 33

Time Required for Digesting Food 198

Time Required for the Complete Exhaustion of Available Fertilizing
Materials, and the Amounts of Each Remaining in the Soil During
a Period of Seven Years. (From Scottish Estimates.) On Uncul-
tivated Clay Loam 189

Tobacco 16, 80, 144

Tomatoes 1 8, 79, 1 54

Top-Dress, How To 104

Top-Dressings 64, 103

Top-Dressing Experiments 104

Top-Dressing Grass Lands 76

Top-Dressings of Nitrate of Soda 120

Top-Dressing for Grains, Grasses, Root Crops, Pastures, Soiling

Crops, Nitrate as a 54

Turnips and Swedes 56

Two Good Home Mixtures 17^

University of Arizona Agricultural Experiment Station. Timely Hints

for Farmers, No. 31. Prof. W. W. Skinner 148

Unusual Functions of Nitrate lOO

Use of Acid Phosphate lOi

Use of Common Salt ' 38

Use of Legumes 107

Use of Thomas Phosphate Powder and of Lime 38

Use Ought to Increase 66

Valuation 1 74

Value of Nitrate, Eminent Scientists Well Acquainted With It 63

Vegetables and Small Fruits, Fertilizers for 25

Wasteful Methods Pioneer Farmers 63

Weight of a Cubic Foot of Earth, Stone, Metal, Etc 205

Weights and Measures for Cooks, Etc 206

What a Deed to a Farm in Many States Includes 205

What Crops Take Out of Soils 105

What Fertilizers to Buy 27

What Food Is * 98

What Fertilizers to Use for Garden Crops 25

What Housekeepers Should Remember 201

What Machinery Accomplishes 192

What Nitrate Has Done for Crops 143

What Nitrate is in Agriculture 62

What Nitrate Looks Like; Its Chemical Properties 62

What Percentage of Water Does Hay Lose During Storage ? 219

What was Shown by the Analyses 172

Wheat • .55, 60, 137, 147

Wheat and Oats, Rye and Barley. (Bulletin 44, Georgia Agricultural

Experiment Station.) 57

Wheat Crops, How Nitrate Increases 54

Wheat, Cotton-Seed Meal and Nitrate Compared on 55

Wheat Experiments m England 55

Wheat, How to Apply Nitrate of Soda to 14

When to Apply Nitrate 38

Where It is Found 63

Where and How to Buy Fertilizing Materials 23

Why Farmyard Manure and Other Products are Valuable 99

Why Nitrate is Indispensable 3

Yield of Cured Hay Under Different Rates of Nitrogenous Fertilization. 72
Yield of Vine Fertilized Omitting Nitrate Nitrogen, 1.13 lbs. of

Grapes (Illus.) 95

Yield of Vine Fertilized with Nitrate Ration, 5.45 lbs of Grapes

(Illus.) 97

Yield of Forage Crops Per Acre 140

'"•law •

O

The McWhorter Manufacturing Company
Riverton, New Jersey

The above machine is recommended for Top-Dressing Nitrate,
and has been found to do excellent work in practical trials.

For specific information, write to the above address.

.M^

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