St. Landry democrat., 1885-10-17
PHOSPHATE FOR WHEAT.

Application of Commercial Manures Inc
dispensabIe to the success of the Wheat
Crop.
Surprise has often been expressed at
the remarkable results from applying
200 pounds or even less of commercial
manures to the acre with wheat The
good effects ofsuch manures. are in part
due to the phosphate that they should
contain. No grain crop is more exact
ing in its demands for phosphate than
wheat. And as phosphate is the least
plentiful of all mineral plant food,
Wheat-growing must become more and
more expensive as the natural supplies
in the soil become exhausted. But an
other reason for the good effects ofeon1-
mercial manures is that with fertilizer
drills they can. he deposited in direct
contact with the seed, A very small
manuring thus goes a great way, as it
gives the plant a vigorous start and thus
prepares it to forage foritself to wider
extent than it could otherwise do. Not
infrequently we find strips left through
the field where phosphate was either
accidentally or as an experiment
shut off. Invariably these strips
will be so poor as to suggest the
idea that the fortified rows on
either side have robbed them OF fertiI-
ity. Such is very probably the true eX-
PLANTATION. The wheat plant sends its
roots much beyond the seven inches
between the drill rows before the crop
has been month soWn. 1t IS quite
possible that wheat roots may before
harvest extend three feet on either side.
thus occupying the space to the full
width of the drill.
IL is in the spring when the good eff
fects of commercial manures soWn on
wheat are most fully seen. Wheat will
grow in the fall on any fair land, but a
little commercial manure is necessary
to enable it endure the winter. L
| think this is due to the fact that the
fertilizer being applied with the seed
causes a mass of fibrous roots to form
near the surface, and thus the plant IS
| self-protected against the effects OF
freezing. 1t is possible that any klnd
| of rich manure that will cause mass
| of roots to form about the seed will be
| as helpful as the commercial phos-
pilates. I have known of excellent re-
suits from drilling q mixture OF hen
manure with ashes; but the difficulty
with this mixture is in getting it III con-
dition to be easily distributed by the
| drill. The hen manure. however fine,
is too light to 60 through the drill
/ readily. and the ashes must only be
mixed with it just before being applied,
not only to prevent loss of ammonia,
but to prevent the absorption of mois-
ture by the ashes, which in damp
/ weather will soon convert the mixture
into 8 sticky mass.
AS good a. way as any to use her
manure with wheat is thoroughly t.
mix in compost heaps OF cow or stable
manure. and then apply it with the
manure-spreader. In this way this fine
I manure may be spread over q muct
larger surface and more evenly than i
| can be with q shovel from q wagon
And if possible the field should be har
rowed lightly several times after TIL
manure is spread, so as to incorporatt
/ it thoroughly with the surface soil. /
the ground is moist, every particle o
manure so applied is more than doubles
in value, as it generates fertility in thu
soil itself. Where such top-dressin!
has been given, the wheat roots vii
naturally Keep near the surface, ant
this is always accompanied by spread
| ing growth OF the plant above ground
| Nm. u Fo2Uler, an N. 7. ErGHqS'aeT