The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1889-06-26


Oats, % bus. @ itic- the price that
yellr---... -.--.... -t ~
Nhsai. - os4s. @ 81 the prise
that year ........ .........--...-.. ..... Ij 90
Hay. tons in years d $40 per
.......-.--.- % %
Total value OF tlie pro,inct per acre. SID 20
Deduct sis.S0 cost Of fertilizers. and
youhave a net prcducfof Si0l.s7. What
proportion Of this amount would have
been raised without the use Of any fer
tiiizers. or by applying the lime only. as
it was applied to the last grain crop,
am Of course unable 10 tell bus thar the
amoun; expended for fertilizers has made
a good return 1 do not for moment
doubt.
In conclusion would say that be-
lieve that 70 secure the best results from
commercial Fertilizers, We must be sure
10 use sufficient quantity. As already
stated, four-hfths Of all plant food that is
needed, nature furnishes without trouble
or cost to the farmer, but in the growth
ofalI plants each Of the constituent ele-
ments they contain is taken up or utiliz-
ed in its proper proportion hence # your
soil should possess enough OF all the eie-
ments it needs except one. you will fail
as completely as though all were want
ins. 1t is but one Of the applications ma
ture makes Of the immutable law, that
TTa ,.sh., rfF..r,.l. L., ..,,.. ,.-..f =, ia. .
Of the whole" That may be understood
upon this point let me use an illustration
that will make it plain to all. Yeu have
a machine that yon wish 10 run by
steam. Your engine stands ia lhe
proper place, and the belt from driv-
ing wheel 70 puiley is properly ADJUST
ed. The boiler of The engine is filed
with water, and the end Of the hose
connected with the automatic pump is
dropped into the tank from which the
boiler can be replenished with a full snp-
ply Of water as it is needed. The coal
and wood containing the heat absorbed
from the sun in the ages past, are lying
in the fire pan but although You have
all the agencies you need except one, and
that one not direct agent, but an indi-
rect one, will your engine move, or your
machine run? No All the power that
lies locked up in that water and coal aud
wood, viii continue to lie there as inact-
i've as an Egyptian mummy until YOU
apply the fire, by which the heat contain
Ell in the coal and wood Is ssetfree. which
In its turn converts the water into steam.
and your engine moves. And to carry the
illustration further; suppose the woodland
coal TO be applied in quantities inadequate
to thecapacity OF the boiler and the Guam
tity OF water it tcontains, will the excellent
condition Of your enoine, or the abund-
ant supply or water on hand avail any
thing You may have sufficient fire or
heat to emit steam enough TO produce
feeble motion Of yonr engine, or the ma
chine it is to run, but if you had the
water Of the OCEAN at your command, It
would not help, unless you had the
amount Of heat necessary to utilize it or
turn it into steam. You win have no
in applying this illustration.
If you have IN your soil less nitrogen
than is needed, a superabundance Of the
other elements can not make up this
The soil will produce only
so much Of crop as can find enough Of
this one element TO support it, and al
else that your soil contains must lie there
inactive
One word as to how you shall pur-
chase your fertilizers, and am done.
Never buy fertilizer without knowing
what it contains If you buy irom an
agent, ask him, instead Of showing You
one Of the sweet smelling bottles con
tanning a sample Of the goods, which
you nor no other man could tell from
that much ground coal ashes, 10 show
you one Of the latest reports Of ile
analysis made Of the different phos-
pilates sold in our STATE, by the Stale
Chemist See first that il contains n good
per cent Of phosphoric acid, potash and
available nitrogen or amonia and next
examine the commercial value, which in
most cases viii be pretty fair test Of
what it will be worth to your crop. Buy
from FIRST hands ii you can, and if you
can not, buy as cheaply as you can from
the agent. If there is anything that the
farmer needs to buy without middle
mems profits being added to the price. il
is the fertilizer he applies to his soil