Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1892-08-30
NIrRooeNoUs FERTILIZERS.


HirnbtlitN on ttAss.
Thecomparative effectiveness Of nitro.
renons aud mineral fertilizers has been
the subject Of a special experiment az
the storrs' School agricultural expert.
mcnt station, concerning which the fol.
lowing statements occur ia recent bul.
lctiu.
Few n any Of our ordinary farm
crops mako quicker and more profitable
response 10 commercial fertilizers than
grass. II Is frequently the case ia srow.
Ing farm crops that tho best results ARE
obtained by the use OF stable manurcs
together with some commercial form u
plant food that serves 90 meet the
special requirements Of tho crop or soil
Grass responds readily 10 soluble nitro
gen compounds. A medium heavy ap.
plication Of stable manure ia the fall or
winter, followed by n light application
Of nitrate Of soda or sulphate Of ann
mon.a abont the first Of MAY, Is often
found TO give tho most profitable results
on gmrs.
Tho object OF this experiment Is 10 oh.
serve tho effects of niirogpuous fertil.
izers upon grass rs shown by the yield
/ per acre. the financial results aud tho
chemical composition Of the hay. II -
similar to the special nitrogen cxptri.
ments upon corn that hayo been con.
/ Quoted by the station In previous yeurs.
l The field had boon in grass for several
/ years. and the soil was considerably ro.
ducod In fertility, Mineral fertilizers
(phosphotic acid in dissolved bono.
black and potash In muria.cj was ap.
| Piled to all the plots except two. which
wcrc left unmanurcd. TO an tho ma.
nurcd plots except TWO, nitrogen In the
/ form Of nitrate Of soda or salphate o.
ammonia was applied at the ratio OF
| twenty-five, iifty and soycnty-fyepounds
| per acre. Tho experiment has been car.
rigd through two year,, and 50 to be con.
tinuod.
Tho addition Of minorl fertilizers IN.
creased the yield Of clover very marked.
! ly In 1880 aud somewhat 20 m 1891. but
did not seem 10 increase worry decidedly
tho yield Of grass. Tho yield Of hay On
1890 increased with the quantity o,
.ni,r0goH supplied, whether 70 was up.
. piled boo tho form Of nitrate Of soda og
. uulpiUiu Of ammonia, lu 1891 tho
largest yield Wa obtained on tho plot
on which nitrate OF soda was applied %.
the rate Of fifty pounds per acre The
mineral fcitilizeia IN both years, when
used alone, were applied Mt q financial
I loss. The bost financial returns, gain
/ If five dollars per acre, Woru obtained
I in both seasons from the use per acre OK
Jau pounds OF nituto Of ,0la tdfty
/ pounds Of nitrogen IA addition TO the
mixed minerals. The drought IN tho
early part Of June mudo tho season o.
1891 an unfayouble one for fertilizer
experiments uf grasso8.
The application Of heterogeneous fer.
tiiizlrs increa oi The percentages of pro,
icin nitrogen multiplied by G.2jJ Ina the
/ grussps. and sOiuC what IN proportion Ia
the amounts applied. This is in accord
/ with OhseNntiuno made ~ the station
upon the relation Of tho protein Ia corn
and slower TO tho nitrogen applied In
/ tho fertilizers. Since protein, which
| makes blood, bone, muscle and milk, IA
/ most important ingredient Of food,
aud II apt to be deficient In our feeding
fiuiis, this increase OF protein from tho
use OF nitrogen i- an important matter.
While clover aud other legumos may bl
. called nitrogen collcctors," the grasses,
such az timothy. rcdtop, ETC., must bu
/ classcd with the "niitogm consumers.
Fertilizers containing potash or phu3.
phoric acid without available nitrogen
are usually much less effective COR gra.s
than " they have nitrogen IN addition.
IL would seem desirable that fertilizer
for grass land should. therefore. con,
tain considerable quantities Of nitrogen
"a readily available form. Their usa
has the twuiold advantage Of increasing
the total yield and tho feeding value OF
the crop.