VOL. LXV
INDIANAPOLIS, APRIL 2, 1910.
NO. 14
THE    QUESTION OF    CHEAP    FERTILIZERS.
This subject referred to in our editorial on "No Danger of Nitrogen
Famine," in last number is more fully
considered In a letter sent us by the
same Mr. Bowker whom we there
quoted. Mr. Bowker is at the head of
the well-known fertilizer company of
that name.      He writes:
Of course, we shall succeed sooner or
later, in tapping the great reservoir of
nitrogen in the air. I believe the enterprise is now a commercial success,
both in Italy and In Norway, and It
will be a success here when we can get
cheap and abundant electricity, but perhaps we may hit upon some other less
expensive method. At the same time,
we are getting a great deal of nitrogen
from plowing in leguminous crops, by
the use of catch crops and also by the
utilization of enormous quantities of
by-products which contain nitrogen
and which the station men have got to
recognize as valuable sources when
properly treated. In a paper which I
read to the New England Station Directors last March on the Utilization of
Home Resources of Fertility, I had the
following to say:
"The only known source of soluble
potash is in Germany. If Germany
should put a prohibitive export tax on it
or be involved in war, we should be put
it for an immediate supply. Therefore
it stands this country in hand to find
some way of rendering available the
vast amount of potash which we have
in our feldspar rocks, in case we cannot find here a deposit similar to that
in Germany. Vegetation tests should
be made to determine if fine grinding
of feldspar rocks will not render potash actually available. Moreover, our
methods of fertilizer analysis, and fertilizer laws, should be so reformed as
to give credit for the potash which is
present in organic forms in mixed fertilizers.
Pardon me if I speak plainly, but it
seems to me that the Station methods
for testing for availability of nitrogen
and potash have not been brought up
to date. Is it not of paramount im-
porance, and, like English in our college curriculums should it not be constantly studied by every Station in the
land? It is probably wise for the Stations to specialize in their work in order not to unnecessarily duplicate experiments, but the plant food problem,
especially the availability of nitrogen
and potash, should receive the untiring
effort of every Station.
Finally, in the matter of nitrogen is
it not imperative, in fact your first
duty, to do all in your power to utilize
all the home sources such as coal and
the by-products of industries, not only
to directly help the industries, but
chiefly to save some part, if not all, of
the $6,000,000 which now goes abroad
for nitrogen? Should you not, as economists and agricultural chemists, encourage the chemical fertilizer industry to gather nitrogen from all known
sources and render it available, thus
increasing the sum total and keeping
down the price?
The world will not want for nitrogen.
The introduction of atmospheric nitrogen as a commercial product is now a
settled fact. Lime nitrogen, or nitric
nitrogen, is now being obtained from
the air on a commercial scale, but the
by-product   nitrogen   of  our   industries
and sanitary departments should all be
utilized before we take on new products or send our money abroad for
chemical  nitrogen.
THE   USEFUL   FARM   LEVEL.
Among the minor equipment of the
up-to-date farm are many comparatively inexpensive tools which are fully as
necessary as the larger and more extensive implements. In fact, it often
happens that to the intelligent use of
the smaller tools in economizing in the
way of labor and repairing expense, the
farmer is enabled to materially increase
his annual income. A very desirable
and useful tool which is not found on
all   farms  is  a  level.     Such  an   instru-
constructing walks and drives. The
farm level with telescope attachment
is also frequently needed in running
farm lines, lining up fence posts, buildings, etcetera. It offers quick and reliable service in laying out lands, dividing and measuring fields, and many
other little jobs about the farm whieh
are so productive of better results in
more efficient and profitable farm
management.
A good farm level costs little compared with its worth and usefulness.
Frequently it will pay for itself in one
using, as lt admits of economy in both
labor and time and may save additional expense in providing the assurance
that the work will not have to be done
Farm Home of Peter Horn, Kosciusko County.
ment often comes in very handy and in
many cases is a necessity if the work in
hand is to be properly done. In ditching some kind of level must be used.
Going "by guess" will never assure the
proper working of a land drain. And
depending upon the improved makeshifts which are sometimes resorted to
is little if any better than mere guessing so far as practical results are concerned. The human eye, when there is
nothing to guide it, is very susceptible
to error. Many a farmer who has
tried to get along without a good level
because of a trifling expense or trouble
in proucuring such an instrument has
learned this to his sorrow. Faulty
constructed drains are never satisfactory and they eventually have to be re-
laid. This necessitates double expense,
as the relaying requires as much time
and labor as at first.
But with a reliable level the matter
of proper drain construction becomes a
very simple operation. One is assured
at the start that the grade desired will
be had and there is no chance of future trouble in its working properly.
Proper drainage is frequently the key
to successful crop growing, and the use
of a good level is the basis upon which
such  success should  be  founded.
But the use of the level on the farm
does not end with tile drainage. It has
very many other practical applications.
In fact, its uses are so varied and at the
same time so important that oven the
farmer who has no ditching to do cannot afford to be without one. They are
often wanted in extending a water pipe,
locating a tank, providing for surface
drainage, land grading, laying cement
floors, stable gutters, yard  paving, and
over again. We value the level as one
of our most important farm tools, and
would not like to try getting along
without it.
TO ROLL OR TO HARROW WHEAT?
Editors Indiana Farmer:
Some growers say roll your wheat;
some say harrow it; some say roll and
harrow it. Down on theEastcrn Sho'
of Maryland we always rolled ours. I
can see myself now perched up on the
big home-made log roller driving up
and down the two wheat fields of the
farm. Father said it did the wheat
good to roll it, and I believed him, being at the time but 9 years of age; but
I still believe it. And I am glad now
to know that the people out at the
Nebraska Experiment Station think the
same way and that those over at Uncle
Sam's Department of Agriculture do
too, because the latter are going to republish a portion of one of Nebraska's
bulletins on the subject. The Nebraska
people carried on, for several yours.
comparative tests of harrowing and rolling winter wheat, sown both broadcast
and with a press drill. Some of the
plats were harrowed in both fall and
spring, others were harrowed only in
tho spring, while a third set was rolled.
It was quite evident from the tests
that no benefit was derived from tho
harrowing. In fact "harrowing broadcasted wheat resulted in an average
loss of almost three bushels per acre,
wliile harrowing drilled wheat resulted
in a loss of nine-tenths of a bushel per
aero."
The results from rolling wore conclusive. In no year did it fail "to give
nn increased yield, tho average increase
being 5.1 bushels per acre."
The rolling was done early in the
spring soon after frost was out, and
about the time growth started. Harrowing after rolling was not as good as
rolling alone, probably due to loosening
up the plants again after the roller had
pressed them firmly into the soil.
"Early spring rolling of winter grain,
pressing the earth as it does firmly
about the roots, produces good results.
When frost comes out in the spring it
is very apt to leave the soil filled with
small cracks or checks, especially
around the plants. If those checks are
examined closely, it will be seen that a
large number of roots are thus exposed,
and if the weather continues dry they
are killed or at least injured. If the
soil is not wet at the time of rolling—
and it should never be rolled when wet
—rolling aids in no small degree to
form a surface mulch and thus conserves moisture." G. E. M.
COOT AM) YIELD OF FIELD CROPS.
The New Jrrsey Experiment Station
bas made some tests to determine J'itt
whore tho farmer "gets off" by producing field crops. The more successful
soiling crops with their yield per acre
in tons and thoir cost per ton for growing and harvesting, according to the
Now Jersey experiments, were as follows:
Rye, 6.38 tons at $1.02 per ton;
wheat, 5.3 tons at 79 cents per ton;
oats and peas, 8.79 tons at $1.41 per
ton; Japanese barnyard millet, 7.05
tons at $2.59 per ton; barnyard millet
with silage, 6.95 tons at $1.85 por ton;
thoroughbred White Flint corn, 10.5
tons at $1.32 per ton; rowen (green) 78
cents per ton; cow peas, 4 tons at $2.94
per ton; and cow poas and Kafir corn,
2.75 tons at $4.07. Oats and Canada
field peas were regarded as the most
successful  forage  crop  except  alfalfa.
On seed-corn plats Keid Yellow
Dent produced at the rate of 70 bushels
per acre. Improved Learning 68.57
bushels. Silver King 71.8 hushels and
Boone County White 84.6 bushels on
the tasseled rows. Tho detasseled rows
produced yields from 3 pecks to 4
bushels in excess of these figure, except for Reid Yellow Dent, for which
the  two  yields were  exactly equal.
In an experiment (fertilizer) with
silage corn, 8.86 tons por acre were
produced on plats fertilized with 300
pounds basic slag, 2 00 pounds tankage,
and 100 pounds muriate of potash per
acre. On plats fertilized with 120
pounda of tankage, 100 pounds ground
bono, 250 pounds acid phosphate and
100 pounds of muriate of potash per
acre, 8.4 tons wero produced, and 8.5
tons on plats fertilized with 200 pounds
of Peruvian guano, 100 pounds tankage, 200 phosphate and 100 pounds of
muriate  of potash  per acre.
Ex-President Roosevelt has returned
to civilization, in good health and
spirits. He said to one of the correspondents at Khartum: "My health has
been marvelous. I have had no attack
■ if fever for six months, and this I attribute to the groat care I took in regard to water and diet. I drank no alcohol on the march." Before he left
Washington his enemies industriously
circulated the tale that he had contracted the liquor habit. The nation
is to be congratulated that he has adhered strictly to hit? temperate principles all through.