Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1892-02-23
REFRESHMENTS WITH faaTILizres'


'N'""fnt stations Are Doing ~.
we Farmers ~ the Country.
Farmers 10 the older states are st,enJ,,.,.
n''iiiohs o. dollars annually for comrns,'
en- frtiiizers- In this country 81 I,
europe they have become an absol,,ta
necessity on worn out soils. but 10 rnats
enem profitable it Is necessary thai fhsv
snouiu NJ The wants Of the soil and cro,.s
'or which they are used. II farmer I'm -
potash Tor land which abounds IN notasi,
put nseds phosiyhoric acid, he az co,,,ss
loses, Ihe fundamental principle IN tbs
use OF commercial feltilizers is to selsc,
.nose materials which supply in the hest
forms and at the lowest cost the plant food
~hich the crop needs and the soil faiis ~
furnish 'oh ia'is 70
- order 70 enable farmers to find ont
the wants OF their own soils and the hest
way OF supplying them, and at the 81 mo
Time 70 get light upon the properties IN
soiis ~ inherent sections Of the country. n
number OF experiment stations are intro.
uuc'hg SOIL tests with fertilizers which n re-
iarseiy conducted both by the stations and
a'so ny Individual farmers on their own
i'ns' vi course many OF the experi-
nen,s are Failures, but many practical men
VINO nave engaged in this work have IA.
ciared that they have thus learned = preat
| uehi winch is practically useful and highly
Instructive. 's"'s
| me results OF these tests In general
snow mat soils vary greatly in their ca pa-
p'iities OF supplying food to crops. Differ
n. ingredients are deficient In different
SOILS The best way to learn what mate
ria's are proper in any given case Is by OBJ
eervation anu experiment. The rational
'ne.nod Ior determining what ingredients
=, p'ahe 'ood soil fails to furnish in
a'."uiuce' ana now these unfurnished
,s a',r.ais can De most economically sup
p ,.su, IS 10 put the question to the soil with
inherent iertiiizing materials, and get the
| reply 10 the crops produced. The chief use
q iertiiizers Is to supply plant food. 1t is
soou FARMING TO make the most OF the
NATURAL resources OF the soil and OF the
nianures produced on the farm, and to de-
pend upon artificial fertilizers only 10 fur.
h'sh what more is needed. 1t is not good
economy to pay high prices for materials
which the soil itself may Weld bnt II il
good economy to supply the lacking ones
In the cheapest way"
| Probably the most valuable practical
| work that these experiment stations bovs
done has been to analyze these varions
commercial fertilizers which are offered
Tor sale by manufacturers. In some of the
states, in New Jersey, for instance. the
fertilizers are Analysed, and the qualities
OF chemicals found in each sample com
pared with what the manufacturer claimed
that the composition contained. So As tc
make this perfectly plain, the money value
OF the chemicals found in each sample Is
noted and compared with the price charged
by the manufacturer. Some startling re
suits have been shown. One fertilizer sell
| ing, say, at twenty-five dollars per ton
| would he found to have Il value of twenty
eight; another, selling at forty dollars 4
| ton would he found to be worth only fit
/ teen dollars; and in one instance | recall
the manufacturer charged forty-three dol
lars ton for his complete fertilizer, ant
the chemist found that its actual value
was only $3.50.
/ Bulletins like these have certainly don;
great good. for they have warned farmer.
from buying inferior chemicals, and the,
have compelled manufacturers to keer
their compositions up to the ADVERTISED
standard. When there is more universe
education among the farmers it will only
he necessary to express the values of fer
| tilizers in chemical terms. We have the
authority of the United States agriculture
department for the statement that in the
states where experiment stations have long
| been established the greater number of this
farmers now need nothing more than these
chemical terms to guide them in selecting
| the special fertilizers needed in giver
cases.-John Gilmer Speed in Harper's
| Weekly.