BONE MANURES

Lake County Press, Issue 2738, 13 June 1918, Page 7

BONE MANURES

A few years ago there was a tlisp-osi , lion on the part of agricultural analyst 1 and professors to depreciate tho fci ' tilising value of dissolved bon manures, and to express the opinioi that mixtures of superphosphate o lime with a little sulphate of animonh or other nitrogenous material could b depended on to produce equally gooc results at a less cost. Greater expori ence, however, has shown that th( old-fashioned preference of man; farmers, practical and intelligent men for a bone manure is not without it; justification, and can bo defended ever from a purely scientific point of view A greater knowledge of the action oi bacteria teaches us that these useful organisms flourish best when there is a supply of organic substances in the soil, and it is this organic character of bone manures which makes them more valuable than simple mineral compounds, and as superphosphate and sulphate of ammonia or nitrate of soda. A pure dissolved bone fertiliser, in which tlie bone material has only been partly dissolved by acid, or a bone compound manure containing a considerable proportion of tho bone structure softened and rendered triable by tho action of tho ;.cid, possesses fertilising qualities which might with advantage to agriculture bo more widely "ppreciatcd than they are by farmers. Vhe plants may ho regarded as. the bestjudges as to what is good for them, and the luxuriant appearance of pastures dressed with such manure or turnips to which they have been applied, is significant of their value. I CULTIVATION OF MAIZE. i Maize is a crop that might with ad I vantage receive more attention in this country than it does. It yields a bulk of wholesome fodder not surpassed by I any other green crops, and although I not very rich in nourishment, it supplies a wholesome food. The most j suitable soil for its cultivation is a loam, but it will grow on light or heavy ; soils so long as the former is not too , pool 1 , and the latter not very sticky , and wot. An important point is that j tho land must be well supplied with 1 plant food. A good dressing of farm- . yard manure should be given in autumn t or early in winter, and besides there j should he an application of artificials, j The crop makes a big demand on phos- t phato of lime and potash as well as : nitrogen. An expert recommends 12 to j 15 tons of dung per acre, with two to t three hundredweight of superphosphate ( at tho time of sowing, followed by one : hundredweight of nitrate of soda as a j top-dressing, and we suggest that a hundredweight of muriate of potash might with advantage ho mixed with ; the superphosphate. The crop is a potash-loving one, as shown by t analysis; it extracts 4311). of nitrogen, • 181b. of phosphoric acid, and 361b. of i potash, and the supply of the three , chief plant foods should be given in , full measure. j