Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1891-11-13
Experimenting with TertiIIrers.

Farmers in the older states are spending
millions of dollars annually for CONNER
cial fertilizers. In this country ~ in
Europe they have become IN absolute
necessity on worn.out soils; but TO make
them profitable it il necessary that they
should fit the wants of the soil and crops
for which they are used If the farmer
buys potash for land which abounds in
potash but needs phosphoric acid, ho OF
course loses. The fundamental principle
in the u'e of commercial fertilizers is Ia
select those materials winch supply in the
best forms and Mt the lowest cost the plant
food which the crop needs and The soil
fails to furnish.
In order to enable farmers TO find out
the wants of their own soils and the beat
way Of supplying them, and mt the same
time TO get light upon the properties OF
soils in different sections of the country, a
number OF experiment stations are in
PRODUCING soil tests with fertilizers, which
are largely conducted both by the stations
and also by individual farmers on their
own farms. OF course many OF the eXprr-
imenls are failures, but many practical
men who have engaged in this work have
declared that they have thus learned a
great deal which is practically useful and
highly instructive.
The results of these tests in general show
that "soiIs vary greatly in their capnbili.
ties of supplying food 10 crops. Different
ingredients are deficient in different soils,
The best way 10 learn what materials are
proper in any given case is by observation
and experiment. The rational method for
determining what Ingredients Of plant
food soil fails 20 furnish in abundance.
aud how these unfinished materials can
be most economically supplied, IL 10 put
the question 10 the soil with different
iertilzlne materials, and get the reply in
the crop produced The chief use of fer
tlizers is to supply plant food. 1t is good
farming to make the most Of the natural
resources Of the soil and Of the manures
produce on the farm, and TO deperd upon
artificial fertilizers only TO furnish what
more il needed. II is not good economy
to pay high prices on materials which the
soil Itself may yield, but is lacking one in
another way"
Probably the most valuable practical
work that these experiment stations have
has been 10 anat ~ these various CONNER.
cial fertilizers which are offered for sale
10y manufacturers. In some OF the stalo.,
New Jersey, for instance, the fertilizer
are analyz d, and the qualities OF chemi
calls found in each sample compared with
what the manufacturer claimed that the
composition contained So az 10 make
this perfectly plain. the money value Of
the chemicals found in each sample is
noted, and compared with the price
c borQed by the manufacturer Some
startling results have been shown. One
fertilizer selling, say, al as per ton would
be found b. have a value Of s28; another
selling at s40 ton, would be found TO be
worth opIy Sl5 and in one instance re-
call the manufacturer CHARGED si3 a ton
for his complete fertilizer. and the chemist
found tnat iis actual value wa. only 81 so
Bulletins like these have certainly dore
great good, for they have warned farmers
from buying inferior chemicals, and they
have compelled manufacturers to keep
their compositions up TO the advertised
standard. When there is more universal
education among the farmers IL will only
be necessary 10 express the values OF
fertilizers in chemical terms. We have