Patented- NQY_-_ 9, 1926.
. 1,606,015
UNITED STATES .PATENT
OFFICE.
HENRY F. BLACKWELL, OF HIGHLAND, NEW YORK.
METHODS OF MAKING PLANT FOODS.
‘No Drawing.
Application ?led April 21, 1922. SerialNo. 555,880.
This invention relates to methods of mak
ing plant foods. The invention aims to sup
terial being in‘ a more or less disintegrated
condition but chemical decomposition notv
ply the various elements required by plants having taken place. The decomposed sur
in available water-soluble form such that face material which has lost its water-soluble
they ‘may be immediately absorbed and as substances I ?ndv to be, useless for the pro
similated by the plants. A further object duction of available plant food according to
is to provide the various plant foodelements my invention. 3 Such material may be termed
separately in such available form so that by “spent humus”. The material taken from
feeding to the plant different selected food such peat or humus beds for use in pr0duc-‘
substances the growth of the plant may be ing my plant food must be “unspent humus”
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taken from below the spent/surface layers,
ing certain desired plant functions or lines that is, material inv which cellulose is found
of growth or development, stimulating the in su?icient quantity. In place of humus
resistance of the plant to certain plant dis material from such'beds or deposits of de
eases, etc.
cayed vegetable matter, I may ruse other
I have discovered that by inoculating peat more or less decayed or ?nely divided cellu
- controlled in various ways, as by stimulaté
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or other suitable cellulose material with cer
tain selected soil bacteria, i. e., the decom
posing bacteria, and incubating the inocu
lose-containing vegetable matter, such as saw
dust, the. waste from the screens of Wood
pulp mills, the bagasse of the sugar centrals,
lated peatv or other material until decompo cane ?eld waste of leaves and tips of canes,
sition has taken place, and then washing out tobacco stalks, cotton stalks, beet sugar pulp.
from the decomposed material the soluble waste, and other kinds of vegetable waste
products of decomposition of thematerial, obtainable-at low cost and in su?icient quan
there is obtained in the'wash solution ,cer tity. The lignite found in the northwestern
i tain vegetable acids which will combine with part of the United States is also available 80
various plant food elements to form water after some preliminary treatment.
soluble salts which are true plant foods, that
As stated, the wash water solution which .
is, which plants will absorb‘ and assimilate, I obtain from humus or cellulose containing
or if the cellulose material has mixed with it material decomposed by the action of bac
80 certain plant food elements the Wash water teria contains a number of vegetable acids 85
as separated from the treated material will or salts of such. acids. Such acids include
contain such salts. .
humicacid, and for convenience I have used,
I believe that in producing and supply and will hereafter in this speci?cation and
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ing to the plants these water-soluble salts, I in the claims use, the terms “humic acid” as
am following to a considerable extent tbhe applying to all such acids, and “humate
natural processes which occur in the soil and salts” as applying to all such salts. If the
as the result of which the natural soil con-, humus or cellulose material has combined
stituents and arti?cially supplied unavail with it one or more of the plant food elements
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able plant food substances are rendered when subjectedto the decomposing action
available for plant growth. In the‘deposits ‘of the bacteria, the water soluble substances
or beds of vegetable matter which are found washed out therefrom will contain humate
- in various places and known, generally as salts of‘ such elements. . If the material con
peat beds or humus beds, the humus material tains no such substances, then the wash wa
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in the surface layers of a bed which has been ter will contain humic acid uncombined with
cultivated for any considerable length of: plant food elements, and the humic acid so 100
obtained may be thereafter combined with
desired plant food elements for producing .
table matter containing little, if any, cellu desired. salts, such as potassium humate,
‘lose, the water-soluble substances resulting magneslum humate,>1ron humate, etc.
time consists principally of completely dis
integrated and bacterially decomposed vege
from the bacterial action on the cellulose ma
The direct production of the humate salts _
terial having been removed. In the under~ is the cheapest and best for producing prod
lying portions of the bed, however, where ucts for general agricultural use.‘ The indi- '
bacterial action has been prevented by the rect' method of ?rst producing the humic UI
presence of water, there is found the cellu
acid and then combining suchp-humic acid
lose of, the decayed vegetable matter, the ma with desired plant food elements to produce
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1,606,9%5
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f the desired humate ‘saltsihas the advantage some humic acid, or may contain merely the
of enabling the desired salts to be produced humate salt or salts and no uncombined
~ as wanted for experimental or other work
humic acid.
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For example,’ to produce potassium
without going through the whole process for
producing each separate salt or‘ combina humate directly, apotash salt, such as potas 70
tion of salts wanted for use, and it also sium carbonate, is added to the cellulose ma
makes possible the production of more de? terial; or wood ashes may be added, in
=nitely proportioned combinations of dif which case, aswood ashes contain lime and‘
silica, the wash‘ water will contain calcium
ferenthumate salts.
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In carrying out the process, a suitable and silicon humates in addition to the potas
quantity, which may be large or small as sium humate. If ground calcined bone is
desired, of peat or other suitable cellulose added to the ‘cellulose material, calciumv
' containing material inoculated with decom phospho humate will be produced, and if
posing bacteria'is incubated for a su?icient ground ‘raw phosphate rock is added, cal.
15 time to decompose the cellulose of the peat cium phospho humate and calcium humate
or other material. ‘ The material should be will be produced. The addition of a_mag..
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sufficiently moist for active development ofv nesium salt, such as magnesium‘ carbonate,
the bacteria but should not be so wet as to ‘will result in the production of magnesium
keep out air, and the temperature should, humate. The addition of lime will produce
most desirably, be maintained at about 80° calcium humate; sodium silicate will prp-'
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heat development. After about six days duction 0 iron humate.
To produce the humate salts indirectly
usually, if conditions are ‘favorable, the
as ?brous peat will have changed into a dark from humic .,,acid ?rst produced by the
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20
F. As heat develops, the material should be duce silicon humate, and the addition of
turned occasionally tocool it or limit the almost an iron salt will result in the pro
brown friable mass. Wash water is then bacterial decomposition of cellulose ma
added to dissolve out the soluble products of terial, the same salts may be used, or salts
decomposition, the water being allowed to of humic acid maybe madeto act on other
remain in contact with the whole mass for a salts to produce the desired humate salts by
30 su?icient short time to‘ take up the soluble double decomposition. By either the direct 95
products. The Water is then drained oif or the-indirect method, desired humate salts
into a settling tank or receptacle, and is may be produced separately or combinations
thereafter, most desirably, ?ltered to remove of two or more humate salts may be pro
suspended matter. Usually an amount of duced, but it is possible to produce more.
35 water about equal in volume to the moon-‘ de?nitely proportioned combinations ' of’ 100
lated material will be sui?cient for taking humate salts by the indirect method. Am
up substantially all the soluble productsof monium humate may be roduced by inocus
. decomposition,.but no exact proportionate
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lating the cellulose matenal with the various
amount of water need be used, and a larger nitro bacteria and ammonifying bacteria in
amount than indicated may be used if de addition to the decomposingbacteria. The
nitro and ammonifying bacteria produce
'=atom1zi-ng process, giving a product of acidyto produce the ammonium humate.
The bacteria which I use for decomposing
humic acid or humate‘salt in the form of a
45 dry amorphous powder which is- readily the cellulose material and which -I mean by
soluble, non-‘hygroscopic and permanent. the term “decomposing bacteria’t‘as ,used
. sired.
The solution thus obtained may be
evaporated, preferablyby the spraying or ammonia which combines with the humic
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The insoluble material remaining after the herein, are those bacteria which are found
’ soluble products of ‘decomposition-are thus in fertile soil and which act to decompose
washed out is a dark, nearly black, mass .con
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the cellulose of vegetable matter present in \
sisting largely of'carbon and being prac- the soil. Such decomposing bacteria will
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tically identical \with swamp muck or the" usually be found in peat or other cellulose
' .' spent humus above referred to, and‘ useful material suitable for, use in practicing my’
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for application tov land ~to improve‘ the invention, so that for developing the same
physical condition of the soil,’ or as a ?ller in the material‘ it may be sufficient merely to ‘
subject the materialfto suitable incubating '
for fertilizers and for other purposes.
If the peat or other cellulose material conditions of heat and: moisture, but it is
used does not contain plant food~elements frequently, if not usually,‘ desirable, and
which will combine with the humic acid prof .may' in some cases be necessary, to inoculate ‘
duced by bacterial action‘, the wash water ‘the material with ' the desired bacteria.
solution will contain humic acid Land will be This may be done by adding to the material 125
without humate salts, but if one or more of to-be’ decomposed a small quantityv of fertile
the plant food elements are resent in‘ soil containing considerable vegetable mat,’ '
greater or__ less quantity in the co lulose ma ter, such as the'partly spent soilor humus
terial being treated, the wash water will con from a peatbed or humus bed, or arti?cially‘ .
tain a humate "salt or salts in- addition to
prepared pure cultures of‘the desired bac-y
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1,606,015
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teria may be employed for inoculating the costs because of the greatly reduced weight
and bulk of materialto be transported and
material to be decomposed.
The humate salts or humic acid produced
handled.
by my method may be distributed in liquid
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What is claimed is:
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1. The method of preparing a water
form, in which case the liquid solution is‘
most desirably concentrated to a point just soluble humic acid salt plant food, which 65
a little short of a saturated solution. I con comprises adding to vegetable matter a basic
sider it better, however, to evaporate the plant food element unavailable to plants,
solution, preferably by the'spraying process, thereafter decomposing the vegetable matter
as before stated, and distribute the humate by means of decomposing bacteria whereby
salts or humic acid in the form of a ?ne pow humic acid is formed which combines with 70
der. Such powder may be used by applying the basic plant food element to form 'a
the powder to the surface of the soil or by water-soluble humic acid salt, and removing
making a solution and sprinklingthe same the water-soluble product of .such decom
on the soil. If kept in a concentrated solu
tion form, the solution is used bysuitably
diluting and spraying on the soil. The solu
tions of the humate salts and humic acid‘are
permanent and do not ferment or putrefy.
In powdered‘ form the salts and the acid
form dry amorphous powders which are
permanent-and non-hygroscopic, and may be
distributed in fabric bags. The humate
position, and combination.
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2. The method of preparing a water-solu 75
ble humic acid salt plant food, which com
prises decomposing vegetable matter by
means of decomposing bacteria, adding a
basic plant food element unavailable to
plants to the vegetable matter to combine
with humic acid formed by the decomposi
tion, adding water to the decomposed mate
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salts are stable and are not decomposed by rial to form a solution of the water-soluble
products, and separating the solution from
- substances usually present in the, soil.
Important advantages of the present in~_
the insoluble material.
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3. The method of preparing a water-solu
vention are that lant foods are provided
which are imme iately available to the ble humic acid salt plant food, which com
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plants and highly concentrated, and that by prises decomposing Lvegetable matter by
using such foods it is possible to supply means of decomposing bacteria, and combin-.
plants and crops with desired food sub ing the water-soluble product of such de
stances
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in
readily
regulated
amounts. composition with a basic plant food element
Chemical fertilizers, such as the so-called
commercial fertilizers and the separate
chemical plant food substances. when sup
plied to’ the soil are not immediately avail
able as plant food. Before the potash,
unavailable to plants to form a water-solu
ble humic acid salt available to plants.
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4. The method of preparing plant food
consisting of a mixture of water-soluble salts
of humic acid, which comprises decomposing
phosphorus, lime, magnesium and other ele vegetable matter by means of decomposing
ments. can be absorbed and assimilated by bacteria, adding a plurality of selected basic
.i the plants they have to undergo chemical plant food elements‘ unavailable to-plants to
changes in the soil which take greater or less the vegetable matter to combine with humic L00
time according to the condition of the soil, acid formed by the decomposition to produce
, and more especially its condition with re-‘ a mixture of water-soluble humic acid salts
spect to its bacterial-content; and they-are of said selected elements, and removing the
consequently to a considerable extent leached
water-soluble product. of such decomposition
down from the upper soil layers before such
and combination.
change takes place, with resulting waste of
fertilizing material. ‘The plant foods pro;
duced according to the present invention are
immediately available to the plants when
supplied to the. soil, and it is‘ possible to‘
of humic acid,‘ which comprises decomposing
vegetable matter by means of bacteria, and
combining the water-soluble product of such
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5. The methodv of preparing plant food
consisting. of a mixture of water-soluble salts
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_ supply more exactly any desired quantity of decomposition with a plurality of selected
any given food element. In addition to the basic plant food ‘elements unavailable to
direct advantage of having the material im plants to ‘form a mixture of water-soluble
mediately available to the plant, there re humic acid saltslof said selected elements.
In- testimony whereof I have hereunto set
sults also from this immediate availability
‘ a greater saving in material.
The new plant
foods of the present invention also effect a
large saving in transportation and handling
my hand.
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HENRY'F. BLACKWELL.
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