The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1898-06-07

sG5 SCIENTIFIC NAMES. - sls
IL 6I1 0ns 8aaa aesz ~ zS1 $3.50 assst5
1T is within my personal knowledge
that very many intelligent farmers re-
gard the namesof the various elements
of plant food in q commercial fertilizer
as too hopeIesaly scientific in form ever
to seem familiar to them. In com
pounding q ration for q COW or horse
they feel very much at home using the
terms ''bran," s''oets" and corn, !" but
in compounding ration for plants the
names Of the elements, nitrogen, ?
s:sphosphorics acid" and potash, do
not become commonpI and easy. II
is no more scientific" TO call nitrogen
by its name than to call John Jones By
his name, and as the forms Of nitrogen
are much fewer than the forms Of
!. Jones, /" the former should be by far
the least confusing, Of the various
elements that plants must have in or
der to make .groWthgWe pay attention
to only four because these fOur-nitro.
gen, phosphoric acid, potash and lime
-seeIn to Be the only ones ever lacking
IA ordinary coils. If we were com!
PEELED to look after an the elements re-!
qaired In plant growth, the matter
would be confusing, but when there
are never more than four we should be
willing Co become pretty well &C
duainted with their names It is usual
60 pay 40 attention 10 the lime, as it's
supposed to be rarely lacking as an
actual element of plant food. and 60 We
have only three. The three are used
to- form q sseomplete fertilizer, ? but
that is q misleading team, as the three
may not be needed in order % complete
the supply in theBoil needed by plants
All the elements are dropped out oe
consideration except the four that have
been named, and of these four q soil
may need only one to complete ibs
power 90 produce good crops, or itnay
need two of the elements, Or three, or
all four When we buy and supply
an element thatis not needed We cut
down the profits from the use Of some
other element that we also supplied
and was needed The practical farmer
has two problems before him (t)
What element or elements must he
supply to his soil, CD in what form can
heiget the largest and most effective
quantity OF this element for. q given
amount of money! d5 s3aiie5i2a -
q The careful attention Of our readers
is called to the follow ing from the pen
Of Director Hilgarid, of the California
Station. The Director says: s'Were
the immediate return Of every thing
that the crops take away necessary
on every soil the possessor Of rich
land would have no advantage over the
/ owner of poor land ;for go soon as the
first flush Of fertility is exhausted in
the virgin soil. both would belequally
obliged to supply the fun n2amount of
ingredients WithdFawu from the goilby
each CROP But the experience Of cen
turies has shown that such integral
replacement is altogether unnecessary
on very many lands, and, as d result,
the use Of e. complete fertilizer is ID
Europe q rare exception. save as re-
CARDS stable manure Farmers buy
the individual ingredi dients, az furnished
in commerce, according to the suppose d
RI rrduireme0ts oe the land aH deduced
L either from its previous history, lor
from the known richness OF the eoil In
either one or the other ingredient il
Question. In the United States the
habit Of purchasing every thing ready
made prevails 20 an unusl1al extent,
and fertilizer manufacturers mostly
cater to this demand by supply ing
complete fertilizers,' compounded in
accordance with the known require
nents for certain crops therefor, on
the eupposition that the soil supplied
nothing Of itself. In purchasing these
complete fertilizers, the farmer is
therefore likely TO pay for one or per
hape two Ingredients which the soil
may not require at all 30 produce the
bmnst profitable crops, when his money
I would probably be much better spent
N procuring g larger amount Of one
1 substance specially needed. The enor-
nous waste Of money thus incurred Is
| now so well recognized ia Europe that
the manufacture and sale Of mixed
fertilizers he's been almost completely
superseded Ubys that of the samples
themselves. The farmer buys super.
phosphate, potash salts, OF ni6rog genous
FERTILIZER separately . in accordance
/ with a rational unc erstanding OF the
Ereduifemenbs Of his land; more par.
+ ticniafly with reference to the nature
/ OF the preceding crop, the amount and
/ kind eof, the draft made ON theoland
and the ocharact ctsFfof tbe later. Rf1 ssz.t