The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1905-05-11
Wheat GROWING contlnued.

Wheat Growing Continued.
Here again we will go'bacll to the teach
ings Of the scriptures: Verify verify
say unto You, except corn of wheat
/ fall into the ground and die 1t abideth
alone. but If it die it brngeth forth much
fruit"
We stated before that the great Master
| fully understood the question of fer
tilizers or plant foods, and this text fully
| supports the conclusion. The question is
now many farmers ever stopped to eon-
| slider the literal or political application
Of this text as pertaining to wheat grow
ing?
Nature has provided the seed germ of
all seeds with sufficient amount of plant
food, sugar, starch and other matter to
support the young plant until its roots
are strong to reach out and take in food
from the soil. Now the grain of wheat
that falls into an unfrienGly soil where
there is neither moisture nor plant food
10 cause II to terminate will dry up and
remain, losing its usefulness in produc-
ing more seed But If it die; that is. If it
terminates and gives up its strength, the
result of its death will be that the new
plant that it has given its life for viii
spring up and bring forth much fruit.
But how important it is that the farmer
provide plant food in the soil so that
when the embryo plant has taken up the
life elements of its parent ii may reach
out with its tiny roots and take up food
| from the soil.
There comes in here another thought
which we will mention lest we forget 1t
later. This is the Importance of having
! the soil seed bed made very fine SO that
/ 1t will take up and retain a sufficient
amount of water to make the plant food
available at once for It Is only In liquid
4 form that the roots of the young plants
/ 10 in lie m
portant that there be no delay in this
matter for as soon as the food of the
plant seed IS exhausted, the young plant
should commence to feed from the food in
the soil and often IT commences to draw
its food from the soil before the food in
the parent is used up. Any delay in this
matter will delay the growth and maturity
Of the crop.
Fine Soil 6est
Neither seeds nor fertilizers are worth
| much in rough soil. The finer the soil
the stronger will be the young plants and
the quicker will they grow off Fertil-
zers will be far more effective in such
soils
Tut the question may arise in the mind
Of tie reader, What is fertilizer. any
way2 Fertilizer is plant food Just the
same as bread. meat and dairy products
are faod for man and corn and hay food
for the hose For any fertilizer to be
completes II should be made up of nitro
| gen potash ana phospnorlc aeiu' anu ioi
| bost results these should be properly bal
anced
Nitrogen Is necessary lor the proauc-
uoii VI ie"NsN r"u SANS 80, -,
and woody fiber in plants. Phosphoric
aciu Is especiallN heeutu ~ ',i' -,
ton of seed. while both phosphoric acid
and potash are needed to hasten the ma
turity of fruits plants and seed
n bas been rather an unfortunate mat
+o +ha+ l., r,an,, coses tho man who had
mi, ,atasb 70 coll labored to make the
fa,.o,l,. ha1ia,to thot notash was all that
| HE coil NODDED and the same has also
-, ~ ~ ~ nan Who had only nj
t,afa Of soda En- coll MANY farmers have
! g,Ven this matter INT little thought and
| - - LII tta Loot minute to nro-
- g.. ~. r,ants then rush to some
W.. , NJ ,,,arohont for e,1ano.
~ ~ @7N e.,,,i',., ~, ca,o What tho
ny ,sfe tee then 10 made Of
$50 -, 80 fa,r,ors 90 to The nner-
-, - ~ ne, 10, o. ,,,as,hate. calling all
snan, NV - whether tbey CON
tain any nhosnhntes or not. Farmers.
ana especially cotton farmers of the
| soaith have paid annually thousands of
u, liars of hard earned money for ferti-
izers that were entirely worthless or that
fell far short of bringing desired results.
| Nban tho farmer can secure his nitrogen
from the air by the use of heterogeneous
| nlants why should he buy them on the
,,,ar,,ats9 parhons fine soil contains all
~ natasb that ia needed, and il so why
~, -, tha stora for ~
81 - ~ -, ,ao,, OF the sources from which
80 tbroa irnortant elements In fer
tilizers are derived
N...
- s,,oh nc clovers.
i-es ''''i'o'' 49,, tl,otr SUNNY of nj
peans' peas - ~, ~" i ,d ca an artificial
eioseh - 't.nn,a,, fartiizers for this
| apPiea' ,on - NV ,.oraiy needed The
cIass VI p','''s az commercial nj
iiiost oo oii,4 -. 70 soda Nitroqen is the
| 'foseh - ~ ~ liant foods and
most COSTLY - a" a.. antion Nitrate
| also tue q u,eN ~ ,,ast Quantities In
oi soua IS m,'Yi co,,tb America In
,he ier'l % D cost above the sea.
| ,1asa bede are from three to ten feet in
thickness This is the source from whence
comes the greater part OF our eon,.'e, Ia,
nitrogen. Nitrate OF SOFA usua"S s'"'
at from Soo |" so' per 'o"
Phosphoric ACID.
rio chief source from which phosphates
are obtained is from beds of phosphate
rock found in the states of South Car
olina, Florida and Tennessee and from
ground bone. In order to make these phos-
| yhates quickly available they must be
ground and treated with sulphuric acid.
The knowledge or TINS lac' ~ one =, '"e
greatest discoveries of the age, anu mas
been worth millonions of dollars To our
farmers The rock phosphate Is the cheap
Let source from which phosphate may DE