St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1894-09-22
FARMER AND PLANTER
FERTILIZATION.


ing of their fertilizers for the cash
they would find It worth considerable
sum to them in the aggregate transac
tions Of several years In the matter
of fertilizers, especially the great bull
OF the sales for twenty years past, has
been made on . credit, and the price
the farmer has had to pay for plan,
food on this basis has been such rs t1
preclude the possibility of making
much. if any. profit out of the pur.
chase. In thousands Of instances, nc
doubt. he has paid more for his fer.
tilizer than he could in reason expect
it to return him back. For years. in.
deed, the farmer was the subject of the
most bare-faced swindle that is prac-
ticed in civilized countries. Stuff was
palmed OF on him At prices anywhere
from se5 to $50 per ton, the whole, OF
which, it applied to two acres, would,
not have brought him back even half
what he paid for it.
The state came to the aid of the
farmer and did away with the more
fraudulent features of the commercial
fertilizer trade. While the state con-
tinues to protect the farmer from ar
rant imposition with more or less sue
cess. still it can not furnish him with
the judgment to buy plant food judi
ciously. That is without its province.
The state can do nothing towards pre-
venting farmer from buying potash
fertilizer when he should have bought
phosphOric acid, or vice versa. Nor can
it stop him from buying heterogeneous
manure when It should be mineral
manure that it would be best for him
to buy. How to buy intelligently and
in accordance with the needs of his
soil must depend upon the farmer, up
on the use he has made of the vast
amount of instruction that has been
provided for him in respect to this
matter: It is true, there is a
large number Of farmers, white
and black. who are not able to make
use of the instruction, but we have no
doubt it Is true that there is q very
large number who can and vet do not,
who are not willing to undergo the
necessary trouble to get the most for
their money. These will oftentimes
take whatever comes easy to hand, and
oftener than not with the conviction
that they are not doing anything like
what they should do. We are always
careful not to condemn without some
qualification the various acts of our
average southern farmer that show .
lack of economy in his methods. He
can not buy for cash If he has not the
cash, and . large percentage of small
farmers have to 60 in debt for the very
food they eat, not to mention CONNER
cial fertilizers, which they are fire.
quently, and to their disadvan-
tage. tempted to buy. The deal
er in these articles will 60 out
of his way to look up q custom
er who will buy from him on credit;
preferring to Sell to : farmer Of average
on these terms than to sell
for the cash. The farmer, without
knowing i, oftentimes pays interest
ranging from twenty-five to seventy
five per cent. per year. We know
whereof we speak when we assert that
. farmer buying for cash from refianle
sea-board dealers or from th9s{ ID the.
large interior cities, exr8Q5fsg = Say,
one hundred dollars in the SSseraIefSs
mentary substance-ahd k5HSc1 nm:
we mean these substances that fnrynghs
only one element Of plantsfeetfGaf6t
little else than one. SuI1EsGbsoanljeesEl
rs nitrate of soda, floats ,act phQs-'
phate. one Or the other 06hvrkAA
salts, dried blood and the like
Well, with q hundred. dollars ne
can buy, year in and year out,
as much plant food as he will get
for one hundred and fifty or even two
hundred dollars, when buying from
some local agent whose only concern is
to make the largest profit possible out
of that transaction, conscious at the
time, in all probability, that his Gus
toner is not likely to make second
purchase from him. There are plenty
of sellers and manufacturers of cons.
,nercial fertilizers rs conscientious and
as honorable rs the best merchants in
any other line of business. but these
are aware OF the fact, and do not hesi-
tate to say that there have been very
and dishonest p1en on
gagged in selling commercial fertilizers
dishonest fertilizers that in 1any
Ases are even not worth hauling to the
farm.
So long as there are men who dosAof
hesitate to palm or adultcrated food
and medicine upon their felfow-men it
is not to be wondered At that there will
be found those who ire willing tomake.
money out of selling sdulterated fertil-
izerS.
While the state has done something
to mitigate the evil that was common
years ago. she has not been
able to correct it entirely: 1T is BE-
yond her power to do it. So long as
time lasts more or less adulterated
food medicine and fertilizers: viii be.
sold. in all probability, by some one.
So far as commercial fertilizers are
what is the remedy? Is
there q perfect and effective remedy?
Perhaps not.
But it viii help to buy only Of rep
utable dealers. In so far rs You can
buy the elementary materials and mix
your own fertilizers and to correspond
to the needs of your different soils, So
far as you may be able to determine
the matter. 4. !.
It is true that nitrate. Of soda, bone.
meal and like substances are found in
the market adulterated, but we believe
there are dealers who know what pure
ere, and who can procure
them for you. Do not wait until the
last minute before engaging in. the
proper inquiries d to- what you viii
need and where You will. get
the needed articles. Take the ini-
tial steps toward securing your fertili-
Eer two or three months in advance Of
the time when they will be needed for
nSe. as s"-
. In another chapter we will enumer-
lte the chief substances that enter into
the commercial fertilizers, the cost OF
the same and the manner Of mixing.
md applying.-Jabez j., in Southern
Farm !. 2
SORGHUM.
4 Valuable. Eseago P1aat-ComParsieo
WltA Oehor Plants.