The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-01-16
TEE USE OF FERT1L zsRs.
Stable Manure, Commercial ertilizers
and Green anuring.


By Dr. A. OEMLER.
Read before Truck GroDers' Association of
Chatham County.
Stable manure will always be the chief
reliance OF truck farmers aud should be Of
those who practice other branches Of agr-
culture wherever supply can be procured.
1t not only contains the three chief eIe-
ments OF plant food, nitrogen. phosphoric
acid and potash, but all the less important
ones found in all plants and
vegetable matter besides, which sup
plies the humus 30 essential to fertility
The quality and quantity of any manurial
application 10 frequently dependent upon
the physical character Of the soil more than
upon the abundance of its necessary con-
stituents- A deep alluvium of a swamp or
river bottom, containing an abundance Of
decayed and det aging vegetable matter
with its inherent greatest power OF i'm
billing and retaining moisture and of
condensing gases from the atnos-
phere and its least retention of heat {;
again a heavy clay with its greatest
capacity Of absorbing and holding matters
In solution, its least permeability to water
and least facility OF becoming warm; and
again. light sand deficient In humus with
its greatest permeability TO water, its readi-
ness TO become warm and its power to
retain heat and rapidity of evap.
GRAFTON, will each require different
treatment for the attainment of like results,
each having such diverse relations to the
physical forces of nature. Under certain
circumstances it may be preferable to uss
stable manure, or o commercial fertilizer
alone. but generally both together will be
more profitable than each alone. A stiff
clay may require the physical effect of the
delaying vegetable matter OF stable
manure to render the soil more
friable, but as the tendency of
clay is to delay chemical action, or decom-
position. which alone renders the elements
contained in the manure available ae plant
food. The addition Of q more quickly act
ing commercial fertilizer may become reoui-
site for quickly maturing crop. In the
stable manure they are LOGGED up with or
genic matter, while ia the commercial fer
tilizer they are all soluble and promptly
available. IL, on the othsr hand, a light
soil is deficient in vegetable matter,
store OF available plant food by
the continued and uninteligent use
Of commercial fertilizers alone and can no
longer respond to their stimulating effect,
then bountiful supply of vegetable matter,
through green manuring, or otherwise,
will first be indispensa BILE, or an application
may be made of well-rotted stable manure.
fertilizers alone on land as just described
would be more harmful than beneficial, for
II is an undoubted fact that commercial
fertilizers can only be applied to advantage
on land we'll supplied with humus,
and that the more fertile is the
land the more proftabls will be
their use. Obviously then a light soil so
supplied would derive greater aud more
prompt benefit from an application Of COM
mercial fertilizers, properly administered,
than one OF stable manure, although the
latter contained a greater amount OF plant
food. In general the cotton lands OF Geor-
Ria seem IN totally incapable condition TO
produce satisfactory crops of any kind by
the use OF commercial fertilizers alone,
and yet majority Of the cotton plant
ers seem either ignorant OF or in
different 60, the fact. Instead OF providing
the soil with humus commercial fertilizers
ha been res rted 70 alone. aiding Lhs
plants 10 use up the mo 0 available stores Of
food until they have become more ana
more exhausted When first brought under
cultivation, except ia the case Of svamps
aud river bottoms, nearly every acre had
already been despoiled Of all the vegetable
matter - indispensable 10 fertility. 20 tho
endurance OF drought. and 20 the profitable
use Of commercial fertilizers by the annual
firing usual under tbs antl-proRrossiye
fence laws. When We hear faem-
befs o. the State Agricultural Gociety. 10