The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-11-11
How to Use Commercial Fertilizer

How to Use Commercial Fertilizer.
1t is we'll known that nitrogen in
soluble form rapidly teaches from the
SOIL but that the soil will hold on to
the phosphoric acid and potash till
some plant calls for it, says the Prac-
teal Farmer. We know now that we
can get all the nitrogen needed by a
grain crop through the previous grow
ing of legume crop on the land ana
that all that is then needed is to sup
ply whatever deficiency there may De
OF the phcsphoric acid and potash. As
nitrogen costs in a fertilizer Is or more
cents per pound, phosphoric ACID =
cents, and potash cents, 1t is easy 70
see that getting the nitrogen through
the growing of legumes saves a large
part of the cost of the fertilizer. NOW
as the legunes do not need artlnclai
applications of nitrogen, but are ape
to get it just in proportion TO the
growth they make, it is evident tnat
the larger growth we get OF the le
gumes the more nitrogen we will get IN
the form of organic matter IN the SOIL
But while peas and clover and other
legumes do not need nitrogen, they are
greedy feeders on phosphoric acfd ana
potash. and if these mineral elements
are not in sufficient supply IN the son
the peas and clover will not 90 as
much nitrogen gathering as they would
otherwise do, for the more extensive
fine root ramification the more OF the
/ nitrogen collecting nodules there Will
he Then too. the heavier the growth
of the meas or clover, the larger the
crop of forage we will get to enable US
to feed cattle and make ma
nure and thus add more miro
gen forming humus to the land. 80
when we look at the future OF Our
soil and the crops it is to produce, we
can easily see that the place where the
fertilizers will do more for the ouliolhs
IN of the soil is where the mineral ele-
ments, phosphoric acid ana potash are
supplied in a liberal quantity 10 en-
courage the growth OF the peas VI
clover. And applying these there we
car MT the same money value into
thep, that we would in a complete fer-
tilizer to make sale crop, and Will
get infinitely better results. Feed the
iepun,es literally, and you may depend
upon their doing all the rest. Ii you
give them more than needed TOT tneir
Immediate wants the following crop
will get the benefit of it, and you VIII
get in the stock feed and the manure
nile a liberal reward for the feeding
~ the forage crop through which the
soil is to be built UP and fed with ma
nure. Then in soil well stocked with
hurnus the mineral matters already IN
the soil become more rapidly aVallaoie
than in a soil where this humus IS
acking. We are thoroughly convinced
that in a rotation of three or four years
the greatest profit both in crops and
in the permanent improvement of the
soil. will come through the application
of the mineral fertilizers only to the
legumes in liberal amount, and the de-
pending on them for the production o.
the sale crops. The wise farmer will
feed the crops that feed his stock. and
through them the SOIL rather than
speculate on the chances Of immediate
profit from a complete application OF
a little fertilizer to the sale crop TO
go at once off the land. The Suthern
cotton farmer has now had two seasons
which illustrate the folly of depending
on cmmercial fertilizers for his sale
crops In 1900 the intense heat ond
drought caused an almost total loss of
the fertilizers because they were not
dissolved so that the plants could get
them. and in the following winter the
costly nitrogen departed from the bare
fields. The season of 1901 has been
marked by deluges of rain all through
the summer and the fertilizers have
been washed away out OF reach of the
plants, and farmers say that III slr
crops were drowned out on high, sandy
lands, when they were really starved
out Last season nitrate of soda was
unusually cheap, and the fertilizer men
used IL largely in their mixtures. IN
the rainy weather it rapidly washed
out Of the soil. and where there was
no humus nor organic matter of any
kind the plants starved. Had the nj
trogen been acquired by a literally fed
growth OF peas the year before there
would have been organic matter TO
keep up the supply even El such rainy
season. We hope that the Lessons OF
two diverse seasons teaching the same
thing, viii not be lost 10 the thiaking
farmer.