The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1879-02-19
Bone Fertilizer.

=" W., VI IAlS pldCSj nave eS"
tabllshed warehouse at Rossiter's
landing for the sale of fertilizers most
needed by our fruit and vegetable
growers. A correspondent of the
Pacific R,tral Press says of bone fer
tilizers:
But still the extraordinary quail
ties ofbone fertilizers are so notorious
to all who possess the most elemen-
tary ideas on scientific agriculture,
that the Indifference to their use, by
our California farmers seems almost
ludicrous. Our farmers take crop at.
ter crop, year after year, from their
farms, never giving themselves a
thought about the exhaustion of the
soil, or that they are robbing them
selves and their children of their fu-
tu"e substance, till their land at last
will refuse to pay the expense of cul-
tivation. They lose sight OF the SIM
pie fact that for the development of
their crops not only must the soil be
prepared for the seed, but the soil
itself must contain certain mineral or
earthly matter which enters into the
structure of their fruits and cereals.
When the soil contains sufficient
quantities ofthis the farmer will be re-
Warded for his labor-otherwis not.
1t is this substance that comes out of
the soil that constitutes his profit.
Every crop removed from the soil re-
moves certain percentage of its fer
tility, and if the process were contin-
ued without renewing the fertility,
nothing is clearer than that the soil
would soon be exhausted. When the
farmer sells bushel OF grain, OF a
ton of hay, he sells so much of the
mineral wealth of his land. These
mineral constituents are generally
distributed on the surface in limited
quantities. The carbolic acid, nitro
gen aud ammonia compounds are con-
stantly being returned to the soil
through the atmosphere, by nature
herself. according to the immutable
laws OF circulation. But the phos-
pilates and potash of the soil are rap
idly exhausted, and these must be re-
turned to the soil by the agricultur-
.ist himself.
The phosphoric acid from our
farms is carried away in grain bags,
fruit boxes and animal frames on our
railroads to our large cities. where it
is lost; or is taken in ships to Eng
land. Says Professor Warning {:
"Phosphoric acid forms about one
half Of the ashes of wheat. rye, corn,
buckwheat and oats; nearly the same
proportion of those of barley, peas,
beans and linseed; an important part
of the ashes of potatoes and turnips !;
the cultivation of our whole country
has been such as to take away phos-
phoric acid from the soil without re-
turning it. Every hundred bushels
of wheat sold contains about 60
pounds OF phosphoric acid. For ev-
cry COW kept on pasture in the Sum-
mer, there Is carried off in veal, but
ter and cheese, not less than SO
pounds Of phosphate of lime Ozone
earth) on an average. This removal
OF one OF the most valuable constitu-
ents of the soil has been the cause of
more exhaustion OF farms and more
emigration in search OF fertile dis
tricJs than any other acts OF injudI-
ciuus farmers"
No inference can be palmer from
these facts than that the present
methods OF farming in use in Caliror-
MIA will prove ruInous IN the end.
Since this loss TO the land which we
have spoken of must be retained to
the SOIL by the farmer himself, it fol-
lows that the next thing to look at
Is the best means OF effectlng this
end. All know that bones are the
most available source of phosphoric
acld-ordlnary bone meal containing
from "A per cent to 25 per cent. Of
phosphorlc acid, besides other desira-
bic tertillzIng qualities. Professor
}. L. w. Johnson I'm Agricultural
Chemistry says: "few substances
have of late years done so much to
increase the agricultural produce OF
various parts OF England, as the use
.ot ground bones ior manuring the
land"
England imports thousands of tons
of fertilizers every year, in addition
to which every narlIcle of material
valuable as manure-all the excre-
ments of the large ciLles-is saved.
The fertility OF our soil goes not only
to feed English mouths, but to in
crease her harvests too.
In the same part of the 'report"