The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-06-26
Relation of Rainfall to Fertilizer.

out SOFA beans will remain with US.
Relation of Rainfall to Fertilizer.
Almost every one knows that when we
have abundant rains we have good crops,
unless the rains are too frequent and
heavy. writes H. E. vandeman in Indiana
Farmer. Although the reason for this
may not be apparent to all, it is not diff
cult of being understood, when the sub
ject Is properly considered. 1t is equally
well known that a drought shortens crops
of nearly every kind. This is the other
extreme and has corresponding reason.
The philosophy OF these simple facts
ought 10 be clearly understood by every
person who has 70 do with the working of
the soil; because the better We under
stand our business, the more successful
We ought 10 be.
These two leading principles of nature
should be very plainly understood at the
outset That plants feed mainly on the
materials of the mineral kingdom and that
they take their food in liquid and gaseous
forms.
Before I was five years old my mother
taught me that the vegetable kingdom
lives upon the mineral, the animal upon
the vegetable, and that the animals die
and return 10 the earth from which they
/ have since learned have been of more
use to me in life This endless round OF
changes has been going on since time
began, and so il VIII ever be. There are
but few slight exceptions and variations
from these rules. The whole structure of
agricultural science rests upon these foun-
dations principles.
There are more than dozen minerals
that are taken up by plants. Among these
are lime, potash phosphoric acid, iron
and silicon. From the air is taken car
bonic acid gas, from which The bulk or
the woody tissue is made. Some of the
nitrogen is taken from the ground having
been compounded with other elements and
in some cases a part of it comes from the
free nitrogen of the air. The true miner
ais are all found in the ashes where
piece of wood or any vegetable substance
is burned. This is dust returning 10 dust
again without passing through The ami
NAL kingdom.
But all Of these minerals must be dis
solved in water before they can be taken
up by the plants. Not an atom of any
of them is taken up In any other way.
They are dissolved in the soil, absorbed
by the roots and thus pess into the Girl
cula of the sap, which reaches every
portion OF every twig and leaf. How could
this be without water in which to dissolve
them? It matters not how rich the soil
may be in the best elements of fertility,
either naturally there or artificis .ly sup
piled, the all-important water must be
there or they cannot be of use to the
growing trees or plants. Thus we can
easily see how essential is a normal sup
ply of rain, except in the Far West. where
the irrigadng ditch takes the place OF
rainfall. We sometimes have seasons
that are not sufficiently rainy to dissolve
the fertilizers that are purchased at con-
siderable cost and applied to crops. They
Gre often condemned as being of little or
no value, when ii was lack of timely rains
that caused the ia lure. Sometimes they
may be Of little value on account of iguor-
ance of the purchaser or dealer, or by
reason of someone's dishonesty; but we
should be sure that we have applied them
10 the soil in time TO become dissolved be-
fore the crops need them
With potash and phosphoric acid there
is no danger of loss from lying in the
soil, and it is well. under some conditions
to give them months to become available.
With some heterogeneous manures il is quite
different, for they are usually very easy
10 dissolve. Such very soluable compounds
as nitrate of soda are best applied while
the crop is growing; for they are taken
up almost at once. In all cases the whole
matter should be thoughtfully studied out
before selecting and applying the fertiliz-
ers. Then patience and common sense
should be shown in regard to their action.
II. F.. VanDeman