St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1898-10-08
FARMER ANDPLANTER.
FERTILIz1NG WHEAT.
Address Before the Shelby County (Ky.)
Fsrmers' Institute By w. w.
Stevens, Of salem, lad.


er in growing wheat. Some do moth
ing more than to pillow under Glove,
and other green crops; some depend or
barn-ynrd manures, but the great ma
ority resort to commercial fertilizers
When we are not producing ON oui
lands something more than an average
crop one year with another, there is
something the matter with our soil,
that is If we give it fairly good Gull
tivation. II we are doing our bes,
to grow good crop and get
only - or Is bushels per acre
then we may know that our
kcrop needs to be fortified. The main
stay on the farm to maintain the ter.
tility Of the soil should be clover. We
can't grow grain crops on our lands
and keep them productive without
clover. 1t is the cheapest as we'll as
the best source from which we can de-
rive richness for our soil. In every
crop rotation, be it q two-year or q ten
year system, clover should come in
somewhere, or our system will fail to
give US the remunerative results we
hope for. But we can't always have
clover when we want it, ON account of
dry season and failures to get good
stands, 90 we fall back on barn-yard ma
nures. These we do not have in unlimit-
ed supply, and NEST frequently they
run short before we get over much
of our ground, perhaps just the poor
points Then the only resort is COM
mercial fertilizers, and these do pay NJ
in most of our wheat lands, and are
being used more and more each year.
The question most frequently pro-
pounded to us is what TO use. The
farmer who has not had considerable
experience in the Use of fertilizer, and
has not been q close observer as we'll,
invariably wants. to know when this
subject is brought up what is best
adapted to His land. No gen.
eral reply can be framed to
this question. So many different
kinds OF soil are found over the
country, and these are managed in 30
many different ways that no one can
tell just what is needed by looking
over the same or even by analysing the
| soil. The farmer himself must solve
the problem, by experimenting, by ask
ing the soil what it is deficient in, when
any sort OF grain or money crop is pro-
duced. II there isn't sufficient stalk or
stem to produce large crop then you
may know that the soil needs more ME
trogen; il the grain is deficient in
quantity or quality than phosphoric
acid is wanting. Most lands that are
naturally good for wheat do not
need much potash such rs our
limestone soil, with red clay
subsoil Potash applied on these soils
will show some good results, probably,
or slight increase of crop, but not
sufficient to justify the expenditure of
money for the same. In our expert
ments with potash we have never
found that it paid us, except on the
potash crop. 1t might pay on tobacco
also, but we have never grown to-
bacco.
The farmer should also experiment
and find ont where the profitable limit
is in the use of fertilizer. On my
land about 200 pounds per acre is the
profitable limit on wheat. A heavier
application will give an increased crop,
but not sufficient increase to
justify the outlay. want
for my use q fertilizer containing
from 10 to IL per cent of available
phosphoric acid, three per cent. am
monia and one per cent of potash. I
practice home-mixing; have been do
ing so for the past Eve years. 1 use
acid phosphate or phosphate rock un-
ndulterated and ground to get what
phosphoric acid need. A first-class
brand of this phosphate will contain
about IL per cent. of available phos-
phoric acid. The ammonia get from
tankage. cotton seed meal or castor
pomace-whicflever is cheapest. that |
Is, whichever will give me the most /
ammonia for the least money. For
wheat l use about 1,2OO pounds of the
acid phosphate, 700 pounds of the tank
age or cottonseed meal, and 100 pounds |
OF muriatc of polish. These amounts
can be raised, rs q matter OF course. to
suit the farmers notion as to what he
thinks his land requires. Fertilizers
bought from the retail dealer contain
ing the above per cent. of available
plant food will cost from SO to Sas per
ton. The farmer can mix it himself
for SIG to 8lS per ton. There il NO Sc
crct about the mixing; just pile it oil
up on the barn floor, and with shovel
, good hand will mix and bag 4 ton
in an hours time. Some may ask
where does this difference in
price come in. The eight or ten
dollars difference in price of ready
mixed goods and those the farmer can
make himself goes to pay local agents
their four or Ave dollars per ton profit,
salesmen's salaries, officers
extra freights. risks, etc.
Before the farmer attempts to mix
fertilizers for himself he should know
enough about the business to know
just. what he wants or what elements
II plsht food his soil is deficient in. j,
Unless he studies the question long
enough and carefuf enough to know
his, he had better buy complete fer
ilizer and pay the extra price for it.
Fertilizer manufacturers and their
ocal agents antagonize this idea
4 farmers mixing their fer
ilizers 1t home, but these are !
hAAsC0 w ACn SuV Aux kUCV muS6 save GAL | q
re can. avoid the spending OF ready !
ash in every way possible. If he is to
r0sper in life, and rs fertilizers are
low usually bought it is q very heavy :
AZ for as to pay. In buying get your
by the carload, else there !
'ill be very little saving in il to you.
you do not need = carload yourself,
Q in with your neighbors and buy
that you want. There are good, reli- G
BILE manufacturers who will sell di- I
ect to the farmer IL you only know
here to find them. In buying always b
ny on guaranty, that is, know Just T
hat per cent Of phosphoric acid or .
the material you are buying
II home-mixing contains, then you n
IN mix intelliRently, and your results o
harvest will be satisfactory. d
Hogs ON Small Farms.
We are OF the opinion that the own T.