The Somerset reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1868-1909, 1897-05-06
R ass. $780,
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a7 4sO GARDEN
MAINTAINING FERTILITY.

MAINTAINING FERTILITY.
Field Experiments With Fertilizers-Ths
Home Mixing of Fertilizers.
A bulletin from the Ohio station on
the maintenance of fertility reports
field experiments extending over eight
seasons on separate tracts of land in
different localities This report makes
1t appear that the highest efficiency Of
fertilizer for cereal crops or potatoes
Is only attained when it contains all
three of the chief constituents of fertili-
ty-nitrogen as we'll as phosphorio acid
and potash. In the absence of clover
Or other legumnous crops the maximum
increase has been produced when the
quantity of nitrogen applied was equal
to or greater than that of phosphorio
acid. The work has not yet gone far
enough to give definite information con-
ceruinR the effect of clover or other lie.
guminous crops in the rotation, but at
the present stage of the work it seems
doubtful whether clover can be relied
upon to furnish sufficient nitrogen for
maximum crops grown in rotations Of
five years or more.
1t appears that corn and possibly po-
tatoes have a far greater capacity for
obtaining plant food than wheat or
oats, the statistics of crop production
showing that an average crop of corn
may obtain nearly twice as large a to-
tai quantity of nitrogen, phosphorio
acid and potash as an average crop of
wheat or oats grown under the same
conditions of soil and climate.
Where the cereal crops have been
grown in continuous culture for seven
or eight years in succession the total re.
coyery of plant food applied in chem
ical fertilizers by the crops to which
they were applied has been about one
third the nitrogen and one-eighth the
phosphoric acid and potash. Where they
have been grown in rotation with clo-
yer 30 per cent more nitrogen was re-
covered in the increase than was ap-
piled in the fertilizer, but only one
sixth as much phosphoric acid and half
as much potash.
The immediate increase from barn
yard manure has been much smaller in
proportion to its chemical constituents
than from the chemical fertilizers used
in these tests, but the residual effect of
manure is shown to be much greater
than that from chemicals.
Nitrate of soda has been the most eff
fective carrier of nitrogen in these ex
periments, with sulphate of ammonia,
dried blood and linseed oil meal but
little inferior OF the various carriers
of phosphoric acid, dissolved boneblack,
acid phosphate and basic Stag seem to
produce practically equal results, pound
for pound of phosphoric acid contained.
In is shown that persons may save
from 80 to 80 per cent of the cost Of
their fertilizers ~ purchasing the mate
rails and mixing them .when mixing is
necessary at home.
A SO called natural plant food" ls
shown to be crude rock phosphate
With fertilizers rated at the prices
which Ohio farmers have been paying
for them, and with the increase valued |
at the average market prices Of recent !
years, the cost of the fertilizer has ney-
er been recovered al the direct increase /
when used on cereal crops, except in q
few Instances which have not been re-
peated in subsequent crops. When the
cereals have been grown in rotation
with clover, there has been large III
crease, from one-third to one-half the |
total recovery of plant food being found |
in the hay crops, and when fertilizers
have been used on potatoes there has
been good profit, with ordinary yields |
and average prices of potatoes.