vol. xxxn.\g/^>
INDIANAPOLIS. IND.. APRIL 3, 1897.
NO. 14
EXPERIENCE DEP
FERTILIZERS.
Where   Can   Commercial  Fertilizers
be Economically Used and How?
1st Premium.—The elements of fertility
whioh are soonest exhausted are phosphoric acid, nitrogen and potash. All
others are abundantly supplied ln the
sol). The growth of the plant will bein
proportion to the abundance of these
three elements of fertility. A farmer
should experiment with small amounts
of fertilizers, containing different proportions of ingredients on small plats of
land, and ln this way learn what his
soil lacks.
Remember we must supply this laok
with commercial fertilizers. They can
he used on almost all soils with a big
profit, and more especially so on clay
lands. On gravelly and sandy soils the
fertilizer leaches too quickly and ls lost.
I don't think a fertilizer can be used with
good profit on a soil of tough, wet, waxy
nature until itis pulverized by tile draining, and a free application of lime.
Nitrogen and potash are the growth
producers. If the soil is very poor nse as
much as you can getln a fertilizer. And
if it is only medium poor don't use quite
so much, and if it is rich use scarcely
any, or you are liable to get too rapid
growth and straw falling. Nitrogen is
soonest exhausted. Phosphoric acid is
the ingredient tbat brings forth a well-
developed head and large grains, and can
be used abundantly on almost all soils.
The above applies, more particularly to
wheat crops, and for corn ' a farmer
shonld reverse the ingredients and use
abundantly of nitrogen and potash, and
not too mnch phosphoric acid.
The -soil absorbs the ingredients and
stores them away for future use. So It
depends on the season and the crop to be
raised as to how we should nse commercial fertilizer. I always drill it, along
with the wheat, with a two horse fertilizer drill, A fertilizer is dissolved more
readily in the fall and winter season
than in the summer, because we usually
have more moisture. But for corn it
would be better to drill it evenly over
the ground, because the corn roots
reaches farther ont than wheat. (The
wheat drills are not so far apart as corn
Mr. P.   Ed.) C. M. Patterson.
Brown Co.
2d Premium.—My experience with commercial fertilizers has been limited to two
trials. The first was five or six years ago
with corn, which was a complete failure.
The second was on wheat,sown in '95, and
was a partial success, getting a fair crop
ol wheat and a splendid stand of clover.
I am sure we would have had a much better yield of wheat had not the spring and
early summer been so dry, and of course
the fertilizer could not be blamed for this.
I am very sure in this instance that the
fertilizer used more than payed for itself.
I havo noticed that the men who have
had success with commercial fertilizers
on wheat, have taken pains to have the
ground in good condition before sowing
and to sow at the proper time, while the
failure?, whioh are many have been with
farmers who have done bnt little toward
preparing the seed bed, sowing among
clods, eto. Now the question Is, is the fertilizer responsible for the better yield in
the first instance, or is it the fining and
Preparing of the seed bed? Many successful wheat growers in this vicinity use
commercial fertilizers in large quantities
and are satisfied that it pays them; while
many unsuccessful wheat growers use it
and say It does not pay. I believe that
the successful growers owe as muoh or
more to the careful preparation of the
seed bed as to the fertilizer. A mistake
many farmers make ls buying a fertilizer
containing expensive ingredients which
their land does not need, and in purchasing nitrogen which ls very expensive,
when as every one knows It oan be had
Dy growing clover and other leguminous
P. ■_■*• * believe on farms where much
stock is kept, that if all the manure was
»avod and applied, and the soil carefully
Prepared, broken deep, worked flne, tilled
wen and a rotation ot crops practiced giv-
f°8,the land to clover every third or
«mrth year, that most of our Indiana
:°u.8»ould need but little commercial
jertlllzer, and the farmer could raise Just
™ much grain per acre. The'farmer
must buy just as little to run the farm as
*s COnnlaton. *_.!.!. hn_-.«.«^n.r.l., «n-i
an*! management he can grow as
Sat « an acre without buying commer-
__»■ Iertll-!"ers as he could.by.doing so he
a.V_ ,ed -*rom two to three dollars per
■wre, which often is all the profit he gets,
O. P. Macy.
3d Premium.—Having worn out one
fertilizer drill,and having lived in a community (Western Reserve) where almost
every farmer used some kind of fertilizer
my experience as well as many others is,
that for wheat and timothy pure bone ls
the best, or if seeded to clover and plowed
down the following summer and reseeded
to wheat and timothy you will get good
results for several years. The at>ove refers to a hard clay soil and treating it as
above left it mellow as ashes. Phosphate
is better for spring crops, oats, corn, etc.
1 also found that we got better results
from it on sandy or gravelly loam than
from pure bone. Phosphate contains
more animal matter. The plant absorbs
the strength more rapidly and produces
a more vigorous growth. For corn, if
drilled use a planter with a fertilizer attachment. If planted in the hill, drop
about a tablespoonful, kick over it a little
dirt. If a cheap home made fertilizer for
corn is wanted use one-third hen-manure
two-thirds leached ashes, one handful in
each hill. The largest corn I ever cut
was upon a hard clay soil, where there
had been no corn the year before. When
cut in the fall the ground was mellow as
ashes. There is no fertilizer equal to
good barn-yard manure. The amount of
fertilizer to use to the acre is according
to the condition of the soil, from 150 to
400 pounds. A continual use will ruin
the soil. W. H. Z
Probably the only orop upon which the
average farmer can profitably use commercial fertilizers, is wheat, when followed by olover or other grass. In this
section it pays only to fertilize clay land.
In September 1891, I drilled bone meal
with wheat, ip corn. The, ground was
quite poor, as the corn yielded less than
20 bnshels per acre. Four or five acres of
the - best- ground was. left unfertilized,
and in consequence of dry weather and
hessian fly, but little was worth cutting
In sowing,! varied the amount sown from
perhaps 50 to 200 pounds per acre. The
more fertilizer there was the more wheat.
Where applied heaviest the yield was at
least 20 bushels per acre of exlra quality
wheat on the very thinnest ground. Adjoining this were a few rows without
fertilizer which made nothing. A neighbor who cut the wheat said that no one
could have made him believe that auy
fertilizer could have made such a difference. One could tell to the inch where it
stopped. His own land, that produced
two or three times as much corn per acre
as mine and which was naturally good
wheat ground made about six bushels
per acre of very inferior wheat. Last
year the fertilizer which I sowed did not
pay me in the wheat crop because of
drouth and insects, bnt I think the increased growth of clover will more than
make up the loss. J. G. W. Beard.
Wayne Co.
I think in our part of the country It
would be of little use to plant a crop
without the use of some fertilizer. Our
land is clayey and very broken and it
appears to me that the farmer that nse3
the fertilizer the heaviest has the best
crop. I generally nse from 100 to 150
pounds per acre with very good results.
It makes better crops on the hills and in
the basins. If the crop be wheat or oats
or rye it strengthens the straw and makes
the grain stand better and fill better.
And as to how it should be nsed, in our
part of the country, it is always drilled
in with ths seed, but I think It would be
a great deal better if people would take
the time to thoroughly mix it in the soil
before planting, especially if it is used
freely. And for all root crops, suoh as
potatoes, onions and the like, I am satis-
tied lt is much better to mix the fertilizer
in the ground well before planting, otherwise the tubers may be rough and have
waxy-like patches on them.       David.
Corydon.
There is no doubt many here use commercial fertilizers without deriving any
profit. There are annually unloaded at
Freetown and Kurtz, two small stations
in this townshlp.between 400 and 500 tons
of fertilizer, which at least shows our
faith in the "stuff.1' And I believe I am
safe in saying half of this is used at a loss.
Many do not properly prepare their
ground. They carelessly put in the seed
or only half cultivate the crop.' The result is not enough grain to pay the "bone
dustbill."
We have'always had the best results
from using fertilizer on wheat, (and
tslover). Our land'is clay. Some years
an application of 150 pounds per acre has
more than doubled the yield. ■■
Until the present year, (and it looks
now like our wheat was completely frozen out) we have always made tne" increase pay the fertilizer bill, leaving the
benefit to clover a clear profit. We find it
helps the growth Of clover considerably.
We drill ln with the wheat about 150
ponnds of some reliable brand offertili
zer, containing a large per cent of phosphorlo acid. We use about 100 pounds
per acre in corn with good results.
We have failed in making It bring a
crop in "clay banks." There mnst be
some humus in the soil If you expect fertilizers to pay. Use the Darn yard manure on these barren spots, if you have
any such spots. No commercial fertilizer
will ever take the place of home made
manure. But by the use of clover and
fertilizers we can bring up our land
much faster than by the use of manure
alone. F. S. Cross,
Jackson Co.
%nxv Qzpnxtmznt.
Elmer E. Stevenson, attorney, Indlanapolla.
Commercial fertilizers can best be used
on clay soils. If they are used on sandy
soils they are apt to leach away badly,
especially when sown in the fail. Phosphorlo acid and potash will not prove of
much value when used as top dressing
during the growing season. They should
he applied ln the fall, as they don't leach
through the soil. We sow about 200
pounds of bone meal per acre with wheat
and about 100 pounds with oats and 200
pounds with corn drilled on with the
wheat drill after the corn comes up. For
potatoes we generally use hog and stable
manure, and only about two or three hundred pounds of phosphate per acre. What
manure is left we put on the poorest spots
in our oats and corn fields. I think fertilizers prove to beof as muoh value when
used on our meadows as in any other
crop, perhaps of more value. A little fertilizer is also good on the garden.
Cordon.  B. W.
My experience, which is limited, is that
commercial fertilizers cap be most economically used on my farm by being kept
in bottles, with labels properly displayed
and use all natural products at the proper
time when most fertility will be retained,
and nothing lost. O. O. O D.
REVIEW.
I have been very much interested in
onr chatty letters of experience on this
subject. They surely smack of personal
field work. My conclusion is that there
is muoh soil ln Indiana that cannot be
farmed without commercial fertilizers.
And that on much of our best soils it will
not pay.
1 don't like to see a man with black soli
four feet deep turn up his nose at fertilizers and imply that there is a screw loose
in the bead of the farmer who uses them.
Let me name the two sides whioh are
suggested in reading these paper.
1. We are at all the expense every way
of growing a crop, use of land, taxes,
labor, teams, tools, fences, drainage and
all, and if by tonching up with some lacking kind of plant fooa we can materially
increase our income we are acting wisely,
and may also expect benefit to future
crops.'
2 If the season is too dry to dissolve it,
or fly or frost kill the crop we are out
both expenses and fertilizers, except possible future good.
With every investment there comes a
risk, let us however remember that to
"pay" the average years must bring more
than merely an "increase;" they must
add a payiog increase. At the institutes
I noticed in the discussions that many
find one application on wheat pays big,
in giving a bouncing cloyer crop. Then
they try to let clover dolts best and avoid
buying more. Don't let anybody put the
stuff on a cloddy seed bed. Be sure tillage Is clear up to date, and then I believe
there are many of our brother farmers
who had better use it.
1. A rents B's farm on the shares. The
meadow is cut and divided equally. Who
gets the second crop, or pasture?
2. A pays B money for certain privileges, bnt moves away before his time expires of his own choice. Is A required to
pay the full amount of his obligutions, it
being a disadvantage to B to have him remove? T. S. W.
Henry Co,
1. The pasture belongs to both parties
alike. If B cannot use it it is his loss. He
ought to have stated in the contract that
the meadow was not to be pastured.
2. A ought to pay the full amount he
agreed to, since it is not B's fault that he
removes.
No. 57, April 10. The best fenoe post and
how to preserve it.
No. 58, April 17. Best material for roofing. Experience in painting roofs. Material.
No. 59, April 24. Renovating an old orchard.
No. 60, May 1. Mistakes and failures of
recent years.
In writing don't fall to note new points
not generally known; also other points
of real experience. Address all copy 10
days before publication.
Let our subscribers write their experience. The purpose of the department is
not exaustive articles but brief, pithy,
Eradical experiences.  A sort of heart to
eart talk, suoh  as you enjoy with  a
neighbor.
: Read our excellent articles on this subject. .. We were favored with some 30 let
ters.', Those we are able to publish contain most of the points made. Address all
copy to E. H. Collins.
Carmel.
-Oue readers will wonder how we manage, to make "shallow boxes 20x36 inches
deep,'v' as stated ;in our horticultural department last week. That wonld be hard
to do, hut we wrote "5 or 6 inches" before
"deep.'.'' By some mistake the clause was
omitted.
A buys a farm of B, there being some
tile stacked on the farm at the time A
buys the place. There was nothing said
concerning the tile at the time the deeds
were made, lt has been nearly seven
months since the trade was made. Now
has B a right to take said tile or not?
Also has B a right to take hayfork?
Clinton Co. A Farmer.
It would be a question of fact to be determined by all the evidence as to
whether B had abandoned the tile. As a
general rule of law, B could remove the
tile. If the hay fork Is not a fixture, the
same rule would apply.
A.rented his farm to B and sold B a
dinner bell which hung on a post ln the
yard. Some time after this A sold the
farm to C. Nothing was said about the
bell by A or C, at the time the farm was
sold. When B was moving from the farm
C forbade him from moving the bell.
Had C any right to do so? It B moves
the bell can C sue A for it? Has C any
right to the bell?        Old Subscriber.
Grant Co.
There is no well defined and final rule
by which the legal character of such
property can always be determined. The
authorities are not harmonious as to
when a given thing should, even undor
the same circumstances, be treated as a
fixture. Fixtures in law are those things
personal in their nature, which become
realty by reason of their annexation to
that which is realty. In our opinion B
had a legal right to remove the bell. It
B had a right to remove the bell, then C
conld not recover from A, unless A had
made some misrepresentations concerning the bell to C's Injury.
What is a lawful fence for a partition
fence? If the land owners on adjoining
farms objects to barb wire would I be liable for damage if I built line fence of
barb wire, in case his stock should get
hurt on it? If so, conld I put fenco a
foot or two on my land, and not be held
liable?   Success to Farmer.      J. W. T.
Banta, Ind.
A lawful fence is a straight board,
or a straight wire, or a straight board
and wire, or a picket, or a hedge
fence four feet in height, a straight
rail fence four and one-half feet high and
all fences of every structure and sufficiently tight to hold hogs, sheep, cattle,
mules and horses.
It seems to be the law in Indiana that
the act of a land owner ln erecting a
barbed wire fence does not in itself render him liable to one who sustains an injury therefrom, bnt there may be a liability if the fence is constructed and
In a manner as to constitute negligenoa
and a breach of duty owed to others, or to
the community.
Would you Inform me where I can get
osage orange sprouts or seed, and also tha.
proper time to plant or set them for
nedge fence? • J. CH.
Volga.
Who knows where the seed can be got?
They should be planted as soon as possible. The seedsmen do not advertise them
of late years.
In last week's paper a subscriber wishes
to know what day of the week that cold
New Year's was on, in 1864.
Elkhart Co. Subscriber,
It was on Friday.