The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1902-04-24
SQtt. FERTILITY.
tn!ersAtfnG Conclusions From E1-
ReSiMeAts With Fertilizers.

The soil have been continued for num-
bs1 Of years at the Ohio station. The re.
suits of these experiments appear to
Justify the opinion that for the crops
and soils under test phosphorio acid is
at present the most important constitu.
ent of fertilizer, with nitrogen and
potash following in the order named.
Further conclusions drawn by the sta.
ton are:
The largest increase is only obtained
when the fertilizer contains all three OF
these constituents, but it does not as
yet seem necessary to use nitrogen and
potash in so large proportion, relatively
to phosphor;c acid, as would be indicat-
ed by the chemical composition of the
crops.
Apparently, phosphoric acid should
considerably exceed either nitrogen or
potash in quantity in fertilizer for
corn, oats or potatoes, while for wheat
the proportion Of nitrogen may closely
approximate that OF phospboric acid.
Nitrate Of soda is sapparently the most
effective carrier of nitrogen in common
use as fertilizer. but it can seldom be
used with economy in Ohio because Of
the relatively high cost of its nitrogen.
Slaughterhouse tankage, which is the
carrier of ammonia" in practically
all the factory mixed fertilizers sold in
this state, is probably less effective
carrier of nitrogen than nitrate of soda,
but the cost of nitrogen in unmixed
tankage, when due allowance is made
for the phosphoric acid carried by the
.ankage, is SC much less than in nitrate
of soda that tankage becomes much
more economical source of nitrogen to
the Ohio farmer than nitrate Of soda.
This advantage in taDka2e disappears,
however, when it is purchased IN tho
ordinary factory mixed fertilizer. since
the price at which such fertilizers are
generally sold brings the cost Of their
nitrogen to a higher figure than its
necessary cost in nitrate Of soda, while
the experiments reported in bulletin So
of this station indicate that the nitrogen
of the factory mixed fertilizer is not
more effective than that of ordinary
tankage.
Dissolved boneblack is apparently
more effective carrier Of phosphoric acid
than raw bonemeal or acid phosphate,
but dissolved boneblack, like nitrate
of soda, is seldom or never used in the
compromising Of factory mixed fertil.
izers in Ohio because of the lower cost
of phospho,ic acid in other materials
Acid phosphate, on account of its
comparative cheapness and large sup
ply, has become the standard carrier OF
fertilizer phosphoric acid. Our expert
ments indicate that commercial acid
phosphate, like slaughterhouse tankage,
is variable in composition, and both
mate rials should only be bought on
guaranteed analysis.
Our experiments fully support the III.
ference that the phCsphoric acid OF bone.
meal and tankage, when these materi-
ais are fnely ground is quite as effect
i've, pound for pound, as the available"
phosphoric acid of acid phosphate, and
that these materials, unlike boneb!ack
and Carolina rock, require no treatment
with sulphrric acid to make their phos.
phoric acid available, provided only the
grinding be done with sufficient thor
oughness. Investigations indicate that
there has been a decided Improvement
in grinding within recent years.
Basic Stag appears to stand next to
dissolved b.neblack in effectiveness as
q carrier Of phosphorio acid. Apparent
ly this result is in part at least due to
tie suIerior mechanical condition Of the
Stag meal, as it isan extremely fine pow.
der. This material is not treated with
acid.
These experiments show that the fer.
tilizing constituents of. harnyard. ma.
nure act more slowly than those of COM
mercial fertilizers, but as they cost
much less in manure it becomes the
cheapest fertilizer.
The advantage Of applying manure to
the surface instead of plowing it uuder.
is striki22ly shown.