St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1884-10-04
Fertilizers ON Rich Lands.

A subscriber sends an INQUIRY in no
iation to the continuous use of fertilizers
on new rich lands, and further desires
to know if in using commercial fertiliz
ers exclusively, the land will not finally
become impoverished of vegetable mat
ter, ETC.. and further, whether II good
barn-yard manure, cotton seed and
acid phosphate are also supplied, the
land will not continue to produce an in
definite length of time. The quantity
of vegetable mater in the soil will de-
pend very much more upon the kind
of crops grown than upon the kind OF
fertilizer applied to it. II the land is
kept constantly, or even most of the
time, in crops that require clean eulti-
walton, it will gradually lose its supply
of hunus, no matter what kind of ma
nure is applied The quantity of veoe-
table matter in the few loads OF com
post applied to an acre would never
keep up the supply of that substance
1t must be kept up mainly by letting
the land rest from the plowshare,
which, opening the soil repeatedly,
causes the air 10 enter freely and de-
composition OF vegetable matter to pro-
coed rapidly. There is 2 sense. how
ever, in which the character of the fer
tIllzer applied influences the supply of
the vegetable matter in the soil. Those
fertilizers which produce the largest
crops will indirectly contribute the
largest amount OF debris from those
crops to the soil. The hea gier the crops
OF grain the larger the quantity Of stub
bic lett on the land, and So of other
crops. The pith OF the matter turns
rather upon the relative capacity of or
binary commercial fertilizers and of
composts for growing large crops,
present and prospective. TIE supply
OF vegetable matter is factor, and an
important one, but not the only thing
involved. Commercial fertilizers orig
lnally furnish to the soil phosphoric
acid, lime, ammonia, and sometimes
pc<ash-the last two in comparative
ly small quantities. Everything else
needed by plants must be fur.
nshed by the soil. Now, where
ordinary commercial fertilizers are APP
piled year after year, the large crops
Compared with the natural yield)
which they produce draw heavily upon
ingredients of the soil not furnished by
the fertilizer, or furnished only in small
quantity, and may temporarily exhaust
them. From this cause crops may de-
crease finally under the use of ordinary
commercial fertilizers. but in naturally
strong soils very long time would be |
required to bring about this state Of !
things. Even if the land were kept con-
stantly in grain, and full supply of |
vegetable matter thus kept up, the same |
results would finally ensue. At this !
point comes in the advantage Of com
posts over the ordinary commercial /
fertilizer. The former supplies larger
number and greater quantities of the |
elements needed by plants. Hence they
supplemented some of the substances
IN which soils are deficient and prevent
their exhaustion rapidly, even when
heavy crops are grown. in this partic-
ular they have marked advantage
over ordinary commercial fertilizers.
Whether the two manures combined !
could permanently keep up the fertility
OF soil which was heavily crippled,
depends in part upon what ingredients
enter into the compost and the original
Of the soil in mineral sub
stances. In case of naturally fertile
soil, its productivencss might be pro
tonged indefinitely by liberal appfica-
bfonSf good composts. 1t is frequently
urged that good farming consists in
'ach management as will produce rath-
er mere than average crops from season
@ season and keep the land in its origin
81 productive state-in other words, not |
Q let the land run down. If growing
crop OF one kind Of produce
With abundant application of feed in
he shape Of fertilizers does not accom-
dish this result, then it would not be t
good policy to continue such crop to t
he deterioration of the soil, but a t
:hange of crop should be grown, or the 9
and should be given rest It is easv 2
o determine when the power of the soil
5 failing.-Sa's francisco Chronicle, a