The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-05-26
Commercial Fertilizers.

No doubt there are very large number
of farmers who have used commercial fer
tilizer on their lands without receiving
much benefit from its use. In thousands OF
instances altogether it has been like throw
ing SO much money into the fire where such
fertilizers have been ignorantly bought and
injudiciously applied to the soils. The fail
ure to receive benefit from its use has arisen
from the use of worthless material, or from
using good article of its kind, but with
the wrong dominant element, or from ap-
plying it to land that was utterly destitute
of humus, or it may have resulted from a
wrong manner of application. One or all
of these influences combined may have rem
dered his expenditure for fertilizer utterly
profitless. In numberless instances that
have come under our own observation, in
stead of beneftting the first crop to which
it was applied, it has proved decided in
jury to it-lessening instead of increasing
the crop. This injury resulted from apply
ing the concentrated fertilizer'in a narrow
deep drill on land perhaps almost destitute
of humus. The plant, usually cotton, was
induced to throw out an excessive quantity
of roots and rootlets in the narrow space
enriched by fertilizer, strong in sulphuric
acid, usually. A short dry spell exhausts
the moisture about such mass of roots,
and the consequence is prompt firing or
shedding of the foliage and fruit if the
dry weather continues. There is certain
proportion of roots to every plant, and If
they are excessively developed in one direc-
ton they are deficient in another. An ex-
cess occupying limited place must soon use
I'D the moisture that surrounds them, and
the plant cannot thrive when forced to de-
pend on the limited number that has formed
outside of the manure line. Where the
roots were much crowded if the dry
weather continued they became dormant,
then diseased and finally died. We have
examined many cotton roots that have been
fired and found the result always about the
same thing-dead and insect infested
roots, the latter the result of root disease
In droughty years the damage from this
cause has been great, the cotton yielding
less than it would have done without ma
nure at all. The fault was not with the
fertilizer, but arose from the wrong manner
of applying.
Then again, farmers have thoughtless1y
bought potassic fertilizers when potash was
not the element that the land needed. Am
moniacal fertilizers were bought for black
lands oftentimes where phosphate or potash
or perhaps both were the element needed.
Commercial fertilizer of the right kind is
good thing, but it cannot accomplish won
ders.
Plenty of worthless fertilizer has been
palmed off upon unsuspecting farmers;
there is no question of that; but at the same
time it has happened many time that good,
honest fertilizer has been injudiciously used
and received unjust blame.
If farmer is induced to buy fertilizers
from unknown and unreliable dealears and
gets hold of a worthless article, he should
not visit on good fertilizers his disappoint-
ment.
To show what E1en will do or attempt to
do in the way OF swindling farmers COM
pany in Vermont advertis9s a material
called Coral fertilizer, and describes it as
follows:
This fertilizer ranks with the best in the
WORTH. LII 10 iuOTc utCcoodiJ W pIo ooAi
than phosphates or bone 1t will destroy
potato bugs, and is sure death to all worms
and insects. Sold by all firsu-class dealers
everywhere at SIS per ton."
Prof. johnson of Yale made an analysis
of this wonderful fertilizer and found it to
consist of 95 per cent of carbonate of lime
ground limestone), and the other per cent.
of matter insoluble even in acid. 1t was
worth no more than so much air-slaked
lime. and on most soils would have no effect
on any crop.
Farmers can safely buy pure rawbone and
the high grade phosphates made from it
cotton seed meal, dried blood, potosh salts,
nitrate of soda and the like when bought
from reputable dealers, but they cannot af-
ford to take the word of any as TO the
quality. Chemical analysis must prove the
value of the article if the fertilizer fails to
prove itself by It's effects on the crops.
If they bought for for cash they would
not buy SO much worthless material
s. A. C.