St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1888-03-10
SOUTHERN AGRICULTURAL.
Nature the Farmers Partner.

Nature acts with the farmer as .
wise and benevolent man might act
with some one whom he wished to
help. but ut the same time to encour-
age to do the best he can for himself
Nature says to the farmer: If YOU
will sec that 1s5 pounds Of material is
provided for this crop from the soil. l
will furnish 1000 pounds of my own
bounty; but if you cut down your con-
tribution l will cut down mine in like
proportion"
Not only must the plant have the
right amount Of material from the
soil. but ii must have the right kinds.
and the right proportions of each kind.
1t will no more substitute one kind OF
mineral food for another than it will
substitute any other kind of food Tor
mineral food. Roughly. we may
say that the material, the plant
needs from the soil are phosphoric
acid. nitrogen and potash. Other ma
terials are needed. and their deficiency
is equally fatal TO the production OF a
CROP but As they are usually abund-
antly supplied. they may be ignored
in these calculations. The plant must
be able to get it's due share Of each one
of these. and if one is lacking it will
not make up by taking more Of one Of
the others that may be in supcrabund-
ance. If the plant is short on nitro
gen. it will not make up the
deficien y by taking more phosphoric
acld-if that be abundant-but it will
take Just as much less phosphoric acid
rs it is compelled to shorten its supply
of nitrogen. So that a shortage Of a
single item of plant food will make the
crop short in all. To illustrate: A good
crop of wheat requires from the soil
about 45 pounds Of nitrogen. 22
pounds Of phosphoric acid and %
pounds of potash. II the crop can
only get IL pounds Of phosphoric acid.
it will only take 224 pounds of nitro
gen and "a pounds Of potash. and will
only take half the usual amount from
other sources. SO that the whole crop
will Ike cut down onc-half because it
could not get IL pounds Of phosphoric
acid that it wanted. So that we see
. deficiency of IL pounds of some
needed material in the soil may make
a deficiency Of 1000 pounds in the
crop
The conditions that Nature lays
down. then. on which she shall be-
stow her bouniies. are these: The
plant must he furnished in the soil
with sufficient supply Of all the ma
terial it needs to obtain from that
source. H. that breaketh one point Of
this law brcaketh them all.
This material must not only be in
the soil in sufficient quantities. but il
must be in form suited to the use Of
the plant A dry bone weighing one
pound contains enough mineral ele-
ments to supply the wheat crop ON a
square yards of ground; but that bone.
while it remains a dry bone. would not
supply the food needed by . single
plant OF wheat.
The material must not only be
present in the soil. and in such cOndi-
ton that the plant can use it but it
must DO mixed all through the soil
The bone before named. If dissolved and
prepared for the use of the plant. and
mixed with one square yard of the soil.
would he of no benefit to the
plants in the other thiriy.nins
square yards The plant absorbs
its food through its roots. and
this food must be in direct contact with
the root; therefore it is necessary that.
as far rs possible. every particle Of
soil should contain its due proportion
Of available plant food.-R s Thon,p-
con. in Farm and Fireside.