The Grit-advocate., 1900-10-19
FARM AND GARDEN.
MATTERS or INTEREST TO
AoRIcULTURiSTs
homo Up-to-Date Hint. About Cultiva-
tion of the Soil and Yields Thereof
Horticulture, titieulture and Fl0riCul-
tar0.
Improving tho Farm. Fertility.

Improving tn0 Farmh Feftulty.
Charles A. Mooers, chemist Of the
Tennessee Agricultural College, says:
The average Tennessee farmer should
aot hope permanently to increase OF
even to maintain the fertility Of his
and by means sf commercial fertiliz-
ers alone. By this is meant that their
continued use will be without profit
able returns unless aided either by lib
sral manures from some crop like
cowpeas or clover. To use only min
sral fertilizers, euch 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 II any
better. The reaes for all this is that
The excess OF the mineral elements ex-
hausts the soil of its nitrogen and of
its partly decayed vegetable and AMI
NAL matter, or humus, and this more
quickly than II no fertilizer were used.
The following considerations make
his subject palmer: The chemical an
alyses Of our soils show that If we con-
sider the total amounts of plant food
they contain, the nitrogen supply
would be consumed first. next would
be phosphoric acid, and last Of all pot
ash. II 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 rNte 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 tba potash would last
$40 years. One brshel Of wheat re-
moves in grain and straw more nitro
gen. both In pounds and in money
value. than the other elements COM
0ined. as follows: IL pounds of nitro
gen. worth at low estimate rs cents;,
Dc pounds Of phonphoric acid, worth
"a cents; 0.9 poupSs of potash, worth
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; II home-mixed, about go 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 proftably will be solved in most
instances by the jvdicious use Of min
eral fertilizers, accompanied by stable
manure and the growing of cowpeas.
clover, or the like. The mistake must
not bs 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-fifth 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 bettering 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 az
our alluvial soils and our clayey lime,
stone soils, which are richly supplied
with mineral elements.