The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1901-09-17
Agriculture.
-,,Tr ADVANTAGES OF EXPERIMENT
WORK ON THE FARM.

,zorIedge of the needs of every
200 of land on his farm. Indeed,
o-r successful farmer will have
tbis knowledge to greater or less
.~tant 1t is all very we'll to study
.bo reouirements of crop and as
..-tsin what fertilizer it will need TO
a its best. But if you neglect to
.tudy your soil as we'll you are still
vorking at a disadvantage and can.
mott produce your crops in the most
economical manner.
Almost all large fertilizer concerns
manufacture special fertilizers.
Tbere are cotton fertilizers, potato
growers. wheat growers, and vege-
t.ble and tobacco fertilizers. These
ioods are prepared TO meet a number
of re0uirements. They must meet
tbe needs of the crop as nearly as
nossible. both from the standpoint
hanalysis and from that dictated by
srDerienoe. They must suit all soils
q nnearly as can be done, and they
must not be too expensive. Most of
these goods are what is called we'll
bslsnced fertilizers, that is, they
mutain three principal elements of
Dlsnt food, ammonia, phosphoric
scid and potash, in the right proper
fon to supply the needs of the re-
Dective crops for which they we're
ureDared and the general run of
land.
You can readily see shat it would
be impossible for these concerns TO
prepare a fertilizer that would suit
all the different qualities and condi-
Aons of soil, as these vary more
greatly even than the crops them
selves.
And 80 it is thatin using these fer
flizers we may be paying for and
applying material which our soil
already contains. Or, our soil may
be so lacking in some one element Of
plant food that the amount of this
clement contained in the fertilizer
fails to balance the plant food in the
Dil even though it may be we'll bal
nced in the fertilizer itself. The
result is that the crop produced will
not be as large as the land is capable
Of making with q fertilizer which
would properly balance the plant
food already contained in the land.
twill be understood that when we
speak of plant food as being balanced,
NEe mean that the three principal
dement's, ammonia, phosphoric acid
and dpotash, are present in the soil or
hrtlizer in the right proportion to
supply the needs of the crop we wish
hgrOw. If any one of these ele
a usnts is present in excess a part of
Rnust necessarily remain idle and
effect will be to produce an un-
healthy and unsymmetrical growth.
lae ability of crop to appropriate
PANT food is limited by that element
Ruoh IS in smallest supply. If am
4aoaia and phosphoric acid are plen-
Vul in the soil either naturally or
gN there there through a fertilizer
@potash is lacking, then the crop
WI be limited in a great measure to
mat little potash there is present is
@A0e Of producing. Thus, part of
@ phosDhorio acid and ammonia
Wi remain unused. So also it is
"a these other elements, any one
Them being lacking the crop is
~4ted 80 that extent.
on nearly every farm there is a
sSat variety of soil and the success
y fsrmer is the one who studies
~ acquaints himself with the needs
>SVery niece of land in his posses
a' This is where the value of q
a9 Experimental work comes in.
y must 90 TO the field with our
S"uons. They cannot be ans severed
@ultely N Office or laboratory. A
@%cal field test of the different
sN with different fertilizers con-
ag different combinations of the
~7ntS 9l plant food is the only
learn how to fertilize our
'Ss We'll as our crops. Here only
we obtain such practical infor-
h.s,. SUn as viii enable Us to use these
Sllers with profit and economy.
: 49,. ~ IDEA that guano is guano no
what its analysis or compost
> tnat it may be applied TO all
auu crops indiscriminately, will
90 with the successful and in