The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1900-10-18
FARM AND GARDEN.
MATTERS OF INTEREST TO
AGRlCULTURlSTS
Some Up-to-Date Hints About Cultiva-
ton OF the Soil and Yields Thereof
Horticulture. vitioulture and Florioul-
ture.
Improving tho Farms Fer,ll,ty.


Charles A. Mooers, chemist Of the
Tennessee Agricultural College, says:
The average Tennessee farmer should
not hope permanently to increase or
even to maintain the fertility of his
land by means of commercial fertiliz-
ers alone. BY this is meant that their
continued use will be without profit
able returns unless aided either by lib
eral manures from some crop like
cowpeas or clover. To use only min
eral fertilizers, such as acid phosphate
or acid phosphate and potash, on very
poor land, is almost money thrown
away. The average so-called complete
or ammoniated fertilizer is little il any
better. The reason for all this is that
the excess of the mineral elements ex-
hausts the soil of it's nitrogen and Of
its partly decayed vegetable and ami
NAL matter, or humus, and this more
quickly than if no fertilizer were used.
The following considerations make
this subject palmer: The chemical an
alyses of our soils show that if we con-
slider the total amounts of plant food
lASy COuldlAS lAC IASlO6SA oapRAy
would be consumed first. next would
be phosphoric acid, and last of all pot
ash. If we consider the plant food in
the soil to the depth of one foot and
1t were possible to grow wheat year
after year at the rate of twenty bush
els to the acre, the average virgin soil
Of this state would be entirely without
nitrogen in about eighty years. The
phosphoric acid would be sufficient for
l76 years, while the potash would last
$40 years. One bushel Of wheat re-
moves in grain and straw more nitro
gen, both in pounds and in money
value, than the other elements COM
bined, as follows: 81 pounds Of nitro
gen, worth at low estimate rs cents;
O.6 pounds of phosphoric acid, worth
"a cents; 09 pounds of potash, worth
A cents. To furnish this amount of
nitrogen, one hundred pounds Of the
average complete fertilizer would be
necessary, which would supply enough
available phosphoric acid for fifteen
bushels and enough potash for two
would cost, at retail prices. about IS
cents; if home-mixed, about 60 cents.
1t is evident, therefore, that the COM
plete fertilizer can not be used by it
self to build up worn lands, or even
to maintain those already in fair con-
dition. 1t is still more evident that
the mineral fertilizers without nitro
gen will fall even further short of this
object.
The problem of improving our soils
most probably will be solved in most
instances by the judicious use of min
eral fertilizers, accompanied by stable
manure and the growing of cowpeas,
clover, or the like. The mistake must
not be made of moving these crops for
hay and not returning the manure,
under the wrong impression that the
roots contain the most Of the plant
food. Approximately one-ifth Of the
total nitrogen may be considered as
left in the roots, stubble, etc. A care
fully selected rotation of crops, in
which cowpeas play prominent part,
is the first essential to the lettering of
worn lands. Peas without mineral fer
tilizers will improve for years to come
much Of our land that is beginning to
run down; particularly that which was
naturally strongest and best, such as
our alluvial soils and our clayey lime
stone soils, which are richly supplied
with mineral elements.