The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1877-05-03
Ask Questions Of Your Soil.

| What a wonderful help it would be to
| every cultlvat0r, if he could suy to this
soil and that one, tell me what YOU are
made up OF; what is lacking in your com
| position to make You grow good crop
of this or that kind p and the soil should
| answer: ~ lack potash" or ~ lack phos-
phorlc acid" or Il lack lime" etc. With
such answers we could go right to work
and supply the deficient element or ee-
mcntS, Now it is guess work We put
on stable manure, and as that generally
contains all kinds OF needed elements. it
produces good results Yet, in doing this,
We often add Il great deal that is not
needed, as soils usually lack only one OF
| TWO elements. Stable manure, if pur-
chased, is one of the most costly fertilizers
III fact, or would be, ii WelneW Just what
else to buy. In all the older States we
need, or could very protitably use, much
more manure than can be obtained.
Now comes The all-ilnportant question.
}rhU shah We use what will he the
cheapest and best paving fertilizer! For
! mcrlN agricultural chemists proposed to
anaIyIr our soils and tell us what WAS
lacking; hut they now know that in the
present state Of agricultural chemistry,
at least, that this is not placticable. The
fertilizer manufacturers come along, and
tell us each IN turn, that his article is
Just the thing we need We try this one,
and then that one, at Il great deal of cX-
penS,'. sometimes with good results. and
sometimes quite otherwise. In the former
case We go on and buy and Use more \
ncl9hbor, hay ing Il different soil. follows
our example, and fails. and is disguStcd,
not to SAY discouraged. # we fail in our
first trials, We too are diSguSted, and pro
nounce all artificial fertilizers, and agri-
cultural science itself. a humhug. Bat
even when We succeed, we are not sure
that We have got the best OF cheapest
fertilizer. Something else might have
furnished our soil With Just What we
Wunted al half the cost.
Now the best WAY to oct at the root ut
he matter ia not to go into costly *
perimrnts, buying by the ton, or score o1
tons, a fertilizer that is highly commend
cd but to put Il few simple questions to
oar fields. iii The form of experiments that
amy ordinary cultiNator can carry on al
small cost which, ii made carefully, will
afford Il large amount OI most important
Information. In an average field. lay oil
Il few l"n4 plots. and try on one plot
4 single fertilizer. another on The next
plot. and 50 on using various mix
lures of the fertilizers on some plots
Across these plots plant or SOW several
leading crops, and watch carefully the
effects upon each OF the different tertiIi-
zcrs. \ single trial OF Il season. will give
!; great deal OF information: while repeat
ctt trials will be nf still greater value.
| Thus ;tsceltaining what will pay best, We
can, IN future, buy and USE largely Just
| that icrtilzing element, and only that
one or only those which are needed If
potash is the thing, we shall not have t0
buy and pHy for I lot Of other things, to
get what we want. The chemists can
tell us accurately What is in this OF that
fertilizer, and whether we get what we
pay for. OF intended 10. The culiyators
who make these experiments who thus
;rsk direct questions OF the soil will be
the most successful, and they should be
begun at once. Agrculturist,