The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1899-03-03
/ QUESTION oF huR

A QUESTION loF MANURES.
1AssDAatss. Rather TAaa Nitrssea.
Our DAA1nant Wheat EertiHser.
A critic of Sir William Crookes' re-
cent address. writing to The Country
Gentleman, raises an interesting point
and one which seems not to have re-
ceived much il any attention from 9th
ers who have differed from Sir Will
liam's views. This writer quotes what
he pronounces to be, for American
wheat growers, probably the most mis-
leading statement of the address and
comments upon it as follows:
lit is now recognized that all plants
require what is called a dominant ma
nure. Some need nitrogen. some pot
ash, others phosphoric acid. Wheat pre-
eminently demands nitrogen fixed in
the form Of ammonia or nitric acid
This is exactly the opposite Of Ameri-
can experience. and ! doubt If director
of q single experiment station in the
United States would confirm the state
ment that wheat p~re-eminently de-
mands nitrogen. The action Of nitrogen
is primarily that Of a stimulant to vege-
tative growth, and its effect is at once
visible in the dark green foliage and
rank growth which is made st the ex-
pense Of the grain. It is a characteristic
Of wheat grown on land very rich in
nitrogen to make a rank growth and
then lodge before ripe, and the heads
are poorly filled, and yet Sir William
Crookes tells us that tho average yield
of the world can be brought up to 30
bushels per acre through the increased
use of n~itrates. At the Cornell expert
ment station wheat grown on plants
that had been fertilized with nitrogen
to the extent recommended by Lawes
and Gilbert did not even head out. and
the crop vas q total failure.
The difference in the effect of nitratee
ON English and American soils is thought
to be largely due to climate. The Eng
lish climate is moist and damp with
much cloudy weather and nitriication
is delayed. In our country the bright
sunshiny weather and fairly dry condi-
ton seem to hasten nitrifcation. 1t has
been demonstrated time and again that
an excess of nitrogen in the land for
wheat is soon reached, and for us the
phosphates seem to be much nearer a
dominant manure for the wheat crop.
This is plainly shown by the numerous
wheat special brands of fertilizers
that are found upon the market whose
chief value is in the phosphoric acid
they contain.
Sir William further says that 'sa1l
other necessary constituents exist in
the soil. but nitrogen is mainly of at
mospheric origin" Professor Roberts
in his book, "The Fertility of the
Land gives the average analyses Of 40
soils from different portions of the
United States, and calculates the
amount of nitrogen, phosphoric acid
and potash in the first eight inches Of
surface soil: Nitrogen, 3,O53 pounds:
phosphoric acid. 4,219 pounds: potash.
Is, 317 pounds.
This does not show the nitrogen to be
very much below the p%hosphoric acid.
Besides this, nitrogen often seems more
available for plants than the phosphoric
acid or potash and an addition of these
elements will often give greater yields
than an addition of nitrogen. For
American soils at least it is fully as i'm
portant to add phosphoric acid as nitro
gen for the wheat crops.