Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1896-02-26
LETTER TO FARMERS.
Commissioner Whitehead Addresses The
ASrieulturiStS.
THE SUBJECT OF FERTrLrxEns.
some Good, Wholesome Words OF
Advice to the Planters as to How
They Shall Prepare for Their Sum-
mer Crops.
nier Crops.

|
truckers OF Virginia:
Commonwealth OF Virginia,
Department OF Agriculture.
To the Farmers and Truckers OF Virginia:
The season for preparing for the sum-
mer crops is at hand. and some words
OF advice as to fertilizers will not be In
Inappropriate. receive many letters every
season asking for formula by which to
buy or to make or mix fertilizers for use
by those who cultivate the various crops
OF the different sections OF the State. The
soil should be such as suits the plant TO
be grown. and the fertilizers such as will
be best suited for the plant and best
adapted to the soil. Where the cultivator
| has homemade manure, and wants to
supplement the amount OF plant-food, it
will pay him to buy material and prepare
his own fertilizer under chemical advice.
II he has no material, and his land Is
TOO poor TO produce a good crop, he
most probably needs advice as to the soil,
preparation. and constituent elements of
the fertilizer to be used. and can probably,
with such advice. buy from a reliable
|
can prepare for himself. Manures of
different animals are better suited, not
only TO different soils, but for different
crops Some people, but not many, make
the mistake OF using stable-manure for
| potatoes.
NO ALL-AROUND FERTILIZER.
I have had applications for a formula
! Tor the best all-around fertilizers" L
am free to say l have never found one.
] Every plant worth the trouble and cost
Of cultivation is worth the selection and
preparation Of fertilizer best suited TO
it. 1t is true that various plants belong
to the same family. and tiAt fertilizer
may suit all Of that family and promote
growth. but experience has shown that
even In such case differences in the
| species require notifications In the fer
tilizer applied. All the leguminous plants
| cannot succeed with the same fertilizer
lust and for the same reason that they
VIII rot succeed equally on the same
soil. Experience and science have also
| SHOWN that there is advantage in the
mode and application of fertlizers-some
| on top, some in the soil. some at one
time. and others at another-to produce
| the best results. The increase in the
! sale and use OF special brands, which
| began years ago north of us, where IL was
| all-important TO get the best results
| shows that experience in the field ana
| science In the laboratory are sustaining
the truth OF the suggestions / have made
In fact, the same amount of the same
element derived from different sources
show different results in many crops
Horn-meal. although yielding ammonia
in the same quantity in an analysis. is
| not near so valuable as that derived
from several other sources. So, from ac-
| tual experiment, / have found that the
same amount in dollars per acre Of
commercial fertilizer and. farm-yard ma
nure applied in full quantity, separated,
are not near so profitable as a smaller
amount In dollars OF a part of both ap-
piled together.
SOME GOOD ADVICE.
My advice 10 cultivators OF land, spe-
cially truckers and gardeners. Is. first
10 satisfy themselves Of the character and
condition OF the soil 10 be planted: find
out what per cent. Of fertilizing ingredi-
ents IS needed for the crop. and the
sources from which they are derived: Sc
cure formula from competent authority
| giving the quantity OF each necessary ele-
ment TO be applied TO an acre, and the
sources from which it should be de.ived,
then, by consulting the reports and bulle-
tins Of analysis Of this department, or
the department by letter. You can see
whether you can buy the same in brands
already on the market and tested, or
/ whether you should have a special brand
made. or whether you may not, with
some OF the mineral ingredients bought
| add various homemade manures and
prepare for yourself a valuable fertilizer.
| Don't trust to any mans "all-around fer
! tilzer." If You make corn, get a corn
brand. If you can find one, or make one;
so OF tobacco. potatoes. grain. grass, and
even your berries, and fruit-trees and
vines. All these things, like animals, have
have their special needs or tastes. and
they do better when you crafty them.
Every plant valuable for stalk and leaf
! must have nitrogen, every one valuable
for sugar must have potash. and the
| grains must have phosphoric acid; and the
sources from which the necessary .ngre-
| dents are derived are not the same, nor
Of Ike value or Ike operation. The de-
partment Will furnish 10 al farmers
truckers, and planters formula for
making fertilizers or advising as 10 what
Is required for special crops. Give the
department a correct description o, the
land to be cultivated and the crops to be
! planted. and II will furnish you the for
mula. Although the peas and the beans
belong to the same botanical family, they
/ differ much In their requirements OF eli
mate, soil, and fertilizlng ingredients to
| produce the best crop. Make experiments
for yourselves, both as to your soils and
your fertilizers, and get all the science
you can to- aid you, but when you have
experience stand by that.
EXEMPTED ARTICLES.
| One other important matter: Many arti-
Giles used for fertilizers are on the market
and sold to farmers that are exempt from
! registration. guarantee, or official inspec-
ton and analysis. Those exempted by
law are lime salt, plaster. ashes, and
tobacco-stems ground and unground); and
cottonseed meal, and certain marls are
regarded as outside the requirements OF
the law, one being sold as cattle-feed, and
the other as natural calcareous deposit or
| lime. The department receives many ap-
| plications to analyze these articles, and
Is asked to give them commercial value,
| but with the chemical force OF the depart
ment during the busy season, when there
| Is pressure TO notify the public at the
earliest time OF the purity and constituent
elements of the commercial fertilizers on
the market and for immediate use, 1t is
impossib to promptly give the necessary
information by making careful analysis,
and l now do the next best thing for the
farmers who buy these exempted ingre-
dents. for 1t is important they should
know before they buy or pay, because
some OF them range in value from 81 to
s0 per ton. give their commercial value,
minlmus and maximum. as found in this
department-to wit:
Tobacco-Stems- Minimum. Maximum.
Ammonia, LIS per CT. 80 per CT.
Phos. Acid. 80 per CT 200 per CT.
Potash. 3.76 per CT. $50 per Ct
Commercial value, from $40 TO 1914 per
ton.