Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1882-05-11

Dailp kfnnrbsr Journal.
A Talk on Fertilizers,

If there is any portion of farm business
where the farmer should exercise his
Judgment and intelligence, it is in the
purchasing and application OF commercial
fertilizers. What the planter first wishes
to do, if he is TO buy economically. is to
ascertain what elements of plant life. viz.
nitrogen, phosphoric acid and potash, (the
price charged for fertilizer being always
based on the quantities of these substances
that ii contains the soil that is to give
his crops may be deficient in. To do this
he must be acquainted with the condition
of his soil, for if the land has been under
cultivation for long series of years it
would necessarily, unless very heavily
manured. be deficient in all the elements !;
or had not a sensible system of rotation
been followed, the soil would probably be
deficient in one element while the per-
centage of the others would be nearer the
normal. For instance; Land which had
been regularly planted to corn would be
poorer in nitrogen, while that which pro-
duced potatoes would lack potash. provid-
ed an amount equal to the loss had not
been returned to the soil The native
stock of nitrogen is drawn upon to con-
siderable extent, not only where no
manure is put on the soil. but even under
ordinary systems of culture and manuring.
Several years ago part of "A field of
apparently uniform character, which had
been long time in pasture. was estimat-
ed on the basis Of analysis of the soil to
contain 800 pounds of nitrogen in the
uppermost nine inches, and 2,2O0 pounds
in the next nine inches; the other
part. which had for many years
been under cultivation. contained
but $500 pounds of nitrogen in
the uppermost Is inches. The differ
ence represented nitrogen carried off by
tillage and cropping. 1t would take at
least 90 tons of ordinary bone meal, cost
ing at $50 ton S2,lO0, to supply this nj
trogen. Is it any wonder that we cannot
bring our farms upp Year in and year
out our farms have been cropped until the
stock of natural elements in the soil has
been reduced very low, yet by spreading
on light coat of manure and with dress
ing of superphosphate in the hill, we ex-
pect to raise good hoed crops, and after
wards abundant crops of hay.
The planter should, besides being posted
upon the condition of his soil, know what
elements and how large percentage of
each the crop that he proposes to raise
will use, and meet it by a corresponding
application of the same to the soil, there
by keeping the land from running out and
also producing good crops. A crop of
so bushels of Indian corn would make a
heavy demand on the nitrogen supplied to
it. for 1t removes 4S pounds of this element
while it carries less than one-half as much
phosphoric acid, and only fourth as
much potash. Accordingly the amount of
these constituents in the fertilizer applied
should be equal to that required
by the corn. A wheat crop of 25
bushels would remove from the soil
30 pounds of nitrogen, less than half
as much phosphoric acid and eight
pounds of potash. Potatoes draw largely
on the potash supply, requiring some 50
pounds to every $50 bushels. Certainly
many soils may produce considerable
number of good crops without any addi-
ton of iertiizing materials, but the ulti-
mate exhaustion of such soils by failure to
replace the matters removed by crops. is
certain and only matter of time. 1t is
time that more attention was given to the
simple truth that the soil must furnish
proper food for the plant, just as the farm
er must furnish proper food for his ami
mails.
Not alone must he feed his crops but he
must also be careful and not purchase ele-
ments in the fertilizer which his farm does
not need. for the buying of such is money
thrown away. Perhaps there may be an
abundance of potash in the soil or a full
supply of nitrogen compounds, for the
crops TO draw upon. In either case it
would very evidently be unwise to add
additional amounts to the soil.