The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-08-07

Fertilizers are in effect the same thing
as farm-yard manures, says the Farmers
Review. Both supply, or should supply
the three necessary plant food ingredients
nitrogen, potash and .phosphoric acid
Farm-yard manures always contain all
three. but this cannot always be said of
fertilizers. As plants cannot grow if any
one of the necessary substances is lack
ing the importance of properly prepared
fertilizers is readily recognized.
The nature of fertilizers is very mate
rally influenced by local conditions. If
some particular fertilizer material is very
cheap due to local production or other
cause, a very large proportion of same is
quite likely TO be found in the fertilizers
offered for sale in that section, though
the resulting mixture may be very un-
economical from crop making point of
view An apt Illustration is the enormous
use of acid phosphate in the South, in the
vicinity of the phosphate rock deposits;
also the very free use of packing house
| fertilizer products in the West.
In the first Instances quoted, the fertilizer
material contains only phosphorc acid
while both nitrogen and potash are miss
ing Il is Impossible for plants to make
use of the phOsphoric acid unless the re-
0uisite nitrogen and potash are present TO
accompany it. In the second illustration
quoted the conditions are somewhat diff
forent. Packing house fertilizer materials
contain usually both nitrogen and phos-
phoric acid. but no potash. While only
one ingredient is missing this shortage Is
lust as vital as in the previously noted
case. A great excess of any one or of any
two fertilizer ingredient, cannot make w
for shortage of any one.
1t is true that the use of incomplete Zone
or two ingredient fertilizers). fertilizers
give considerable effect sometimes, bu,
| this is at the expense of the fertility of the
soil Thus used fertilizers become practt-
| cally a stimulant in that they stimulate
| the consumption of such supplies of the
missing ingredient the soil may contain.
| 1t is in this way that sterile soils are
made as a soil quite deficient in any one
| fertilizer ingredient is sterile.
Farmers should give attention to the ma
| ture of the fertilizers offered them. If a
| fertilizer material is offered very cheaply
for any reason, ii pays 10 buy II, and make
| up deficiencies with other materials. For
| example, acid phosphate contains only
! phosphoric acid; dried blood and muriate
| OF potash should be used with It,
The most commonly offered packing
| house products are as follows; Dried
| blood contains per ton about $50 pounds Of
| nitrogen; bone meal and muriate of pot
ash should be used with 1t.
| Concentrated tankage contains per tor
| about 225 pounds of nitrogen and % to q
pounds phosphoric acid. 1t is low in phoa-
| phoric acid and should be treated much
| the same as dried blood
| Taukage contains per ton about III
| pounds of nitrogen and 240 pounds of phos-
| phoric acid; muriate of potash should be
| mixed with this material
| Bone meal contains about rs pounds OF
nitrogen per ton, and 400 pounds of phos-
| phoric acid. Muriate of potash should be
| used with this fertilizer material
! The proportions wit. which the missing
| ingredients should be Incorporated with
the packing house materials, is a matter
of individual judgment The analysis oil
the crops che whole planO should sug-
| gest about what the crop actually requires
! Farmers should freely consult their state
! agricultural experiment station on such
matters