Talks on Manures: A Series of Familiar and Practical Talks Between the Author and the Deacon, the Doctor, and Other Neighbors, on the Whole SubjectHarris, Joseph
Science
Talks on Manures: A Series of Familiar and Practical Talks Between the Author and the Deacon, the Doctor, and Other Neighbors, on the Whole Subject
Harris, Joseph
Fertilizers; Manures
“The Doctor is right,” said I, “and in point of fact, our best farmers
are doing this very thing. They are making more manure and buying more
manure than ever before; or, to state the matter correctly, they are
buying artificial manures; and these increase the crops, and the extra
quantity of straw, corn, and clover, so obtained, enables them to make
more manure. They get cheated sometimes in their purchases; but, on the
whole, the movement is a good one, and will result in a higher and
better system of farming.”
I am amused at the interest and enthusiasm manifested by some of our
farmers who have used artificial manures for a year or two. They seem to
regard me as a sad old fogy, because I am now depending almost entirely
on the manures made on the farm. Years ago, I was laughed at because I
used guano and superphosphate. It was only yesterday, that a young
farmer, who is the local agent of this neighborhood, for a manure
manufacturer, remarked to me, “You have never used superphosphate. We
sowed it on our wheat last year, and could see to the very drill mark
how far it went. I would like to take your order for a ton. I am sure it
would pay.”
“We are making manure cheaper than you can sell it to me,” I replied,
“and besides, I do not think superphosphate is a good manure for
wheat.” --“Oh,” he exclaimed, “you would not say so if you had ever used
it.” --“Why, my dear sir,” said I, “I made tons of superphosphate, and
used large quantities of guano before you were born; and if you will
come into the house, I will show you a silver goblet I got for a prize
essay on the use of superphosphate of lime, that I wrote more than a
quarter of a century ago. I sent to New York for two tons of guano, and
published the result of its use on this farm, before you were out of
your cradle. And I had a ton or more of superphosphate made for me in
1856, and some before that. I have also used on this farm, many tons of
superphosphate and other artificial manures from different
manufacturers, and one year I used 15 tons of bone-dust.”
With ready tact, he turned the tables on me by saying: “Now I can
understand why your land is improving. It is because you have used
superphosphate and bone-dust. Order a few tons.”
By employing agents of this kind, the manufacturers have succeeded in
selling the farmers of Western New York thousands of tons of
superphosphate. Some farmers think it pays, and some that it does not.
We are more likely to hear of the successes than of failures. Still
there can be no doubt that superphosphate has, in many instances, proved
a valuable and profitable manure for wheat in Western New York.
From 200 to 300 lbs. are used per acre, and the evidence seems to show
that it is far better to _drill in the manure with the seed_ than to sow
it broadcast.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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