They Proved The Value Of Fertilizers

The Jackson Patriot of recent date j contains the following interesting ] ligence : ( Conolusive evidence of the value of barnyard nianure could be seen by visiting the farms of J. M. Root and Col. Shoem&ker, just west of the city. Last year, before plowing for wheat, Mr. Root had 15 acres, except an acre and ] a half, covered with coarse manure and plowed under. All the land was plowed at the same time, seeded at the same time, and, except the fertilizer,received identically the same treatment. The unfertilized strip will not yield over five bushels per aore, while the fertilized land on three sides of it promised an output of 35 to 80 bushels. The difference between a fine erop and almost no corp in this instance is simply a matter of fertliization. No better test can be fonnd. On the unfertilized strip the wheat was more than a week later than the first in ripening. On Col. Shoemaker's land, south of Washington street, is a field of several acres of corn. The east part, where the land is highest and dryest, received a liberal topdressing of barnyard manure, while the west part which is lower and natnrally better adapted to the production of a good erop in a dry season, received no mannrp Thfi non trast is fullv as marken' as in Mr. Root's wheat field. On the 'manured portion the corn is reraarkably strong and healthy, standing as high as the fence, perhaps 500 per cent. better than that in the same field which received no fertilizer; and seldom is a better stand seen on the first day of July auy where in Michigan. Some 15 acres of new meadow on Mr. Root's farm which was well fertilized, cut fully two and a half tons of timothy hay to the acre this dry season, while an old unfertilized meadow yielded not much over half a ton. Onr observations during a short ride show that lack of manure on exhausted soil is more apt to be the cause of poor crops than is dry weather even.