The Lebanon express. (Lebanon, Linn County, Or.) 1887-1898, 1890-11-21
Harm RofrB.
Fer.ilIsers in california.

from Professor Hilgard's recent bulletin
ON the use OF fertilizers In California,
issued from the university of California,
and is worthy of careful study: In order
To fertillze lntelligentiy we must know,
first OF all. what ingredients OF tho soil
are chiefly drawn upon by the crop sold
of the land; secondly. we must know
which OF these ingredients are so abund-
antly present ia the soil Tor Irrigation
water, as the case may bel as TO render
their replacement unnecessary, for the
present mt least. Nitrogen, potash, phos-
phoric acid and lime are the only ones
Of which the replacement need ordinarily
be considered A thousand pounds OF
fresh grapes contain pounds OF pot
ash. oranges ATS pounds pears 1.s plums
l.72. apples 3.
or phosphorie acid 1000 pounds OF
grapes contain l.52 pounds, oranges 81,
pears $, plums "A. apples 3.
or nitrogen grapes have IL pounds In
1000. oranges 2.69. pears g. plums AZ.
apples g.
The oranges referred to are seedless.
It viii be seen for equal parts OF these
fruits grapes take from the soil by far
the largest amount of mineral matter
one-half OF II potash. They also carry on
the largest amount OF phosphorie acid
For seedless grapes the latter Item would,
however. be considerably smaller. Next
In the total drain of mineral matter
come oranges. They draw quite heavily
upon the potash and nitrogen In the
soil, but less than grapes upon the phos-
phorie acid. Pears come next. but draw
only lightly ON nitrogen. Piums, In
cluding prunes, are conspicuous chiefly
for their heavy draft ON the nitrogen OF
the soil. The difference between apples
and pears In respect to son exhaustion
for an equal weight OF fruit Is quite
striking, the amount OF potash In apples
being less than half and the phosphorle
acid only tri1e over half a. much as
In the pear, while nitrogen Is equal In
both and quite low as compared TO the
orange, which has four times as much
and must therefore be accounted rela-
lively much more nourishing To man. a.
we'll as more exhanstIng 70 the soil.
Few soils are about evenly constituted
with respect to the four important plant
food substances; there Is In most eases
one or several OF these present in super
abundance. so that TO replace the small
amount carried or by the crop would be
as useless as carrying Goals To New.
castle" at least for the present. The
analysis of soils and irrigation waters Il
necessary To gain information ON thest
points.
Whatever Is dissolved Ia Irrigation
vater is absolutely available TO vegeta.
tion. AS regards soils, the indications
given by chemical analysis are not SC
definite. because they acids used In the
laboratory are more powerful than those
at the command OF the roots Of plants
Here experience must be our main guide
and that has shown that practically soil.
containing. as shown by analysis. more
than certain percentage OF given sub
stance may be considered as abundantly
supplied with the same, while IL the per
eentage falls below certain other polni
such Ingredient may be considered al
being deficient The crucial test In
/ either case Is the experimental use o
the fertilizer on the soil In question.
Nearly all the soils of this state may
be considered as abundantly supplied
with lime. The chief exceptions occur IL
the higher portions of the foothills
where the rainfall Is high and summer
rains occur. In all the valley soils lime
is abundant.
The great majority of soils in Califor
MIA contain an abundance of potash. Th'
exceptions are the rainy belts OF tn,
Sierra and the northwest coast. In case.
of intense culture In vegetable garden.
and berry patches the draft upon tn,
soil ingredients il so heavy that In 1
few years all require replacement.
Phosphoric acid is one of the substance
TO be first suspected of exhaustion II
the non-alkaline soils of California.
The ordinary measure OF nitrogen il
soils is the vegetable mold. the presenc
OF which is generally manifested, an,
outside OF "red soils Is fairly measured
by the more or less blackish tint whel
wetted. Vegetable mold is rarely abund
ant in the upland soils of the state, an,
this is especially true of the mesa soil
of the south-those best adapted for th
growth OF the citrus fruits-hence 1t
reasonable TO suppose that a lack OF nj
trogen will be among the first things t,
be apprehended when those fruits shrinl
In size and production falls ON thes
soils.
Elsewhere stable manure is the ord
nary source of this as well as of tn
other plant foods, but 1t Is less availabl
in the dry climate OF California and
produced in but small quantities in hoI
ticultural communities. The most cor
venient and cheapest source of nitroge
at the command of the farmer Is Chi
saltpeter. which contains about 16 pc
cent of nitrogen in its most effeetiv
form. From $50 to 400 pounds an aer
is the usual dose. Sulphate of ammoni
is the other most available source Of n
trogen. A good commercial article cor
tains 20 per cent and over of nitrogen