The Lexington intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1901-1949, 1905-12-02
LommsreIal FertIIizer bod MlssourL.
weekly Agricultural letter.

!
weekly Agricultural letter.
In two previous articles the questions
of keeping up the supply of vegetable
matter aud nitrogen we're fully con-
sidered, and we have left for con-
sideration two important elements of
plant food namely, potash and
phosphorus.
OF the three elements that are first
exhausted IN our clay land, the
nitrogen usually runs low first, then
the phosphorus, and the supply of
potash Is the last to give out. What
most Missouri soils iced, outside Of
v, getable matter and nitrogen, Is
phosphorus. If the soil has been very
badl worn potash is also necessary,
but for the better classes of soils that
have been handled in the usual way it
i, extremely doubtful if an applics-
ton OF potash VIII be profitable. A
wor therefore, as to tue sources OF
these two elements of plant food.
Theoretically, there is no short cut,
no easy road, as IN the case of nitrogen,
to a supply OF either ofthese materials,
and if they are needed they must he
boughy outslde in the form of a
commercial fertilizer. Fortunately,
neither of these materials is very
ex Jensive, costing from 4 }9o to sac a
pound OF available material.
Phosphorus may be purchased in
the form Of a bone meal or in the form
Of an acidulated rock. Il Is immaterial
which form one uses, aad the farmer
should select the form that will supply
him the phosyhoric acid at the least
cost per pound. 1t should be borne
IN mind that IN the purchase of the
bone meal a limited quantity of nitrogen
is secured, from so to 10 pounds per
ton of bone meat, Tor which be must pay
from 15c to zoe a pound, or from $40
0 sl4 per ton. There is no serious
,rj ,ction to buying this limited
amount OF nitrogen to start with, but
later the farmer had better not buy
any nitrogen, conf 9 10 rely entirely
upon cl over and manure for his supply
4s pointed out in the previous article
TEE potash car only be secured
through purchase, although, WOO
ashes are rich IN potash: and under n
circumstances Shout they be throw
away or allowed TO leach out, bu
snolld be kept dry and applied to tn
sjll Corn cobs contain a larg
amount of potash and also a relativel
large amour OF nitrogen. When the
are burned the nitrogen is lost, an
/ the best way IS to apply them to tt
soil aud let them rot; but if they Oil
burned, be doubly careful to w IL
ashes, since th9y are especially rich
potash.
The potash may be purchased frol
v the fertilizer dealers either as muriat
!
) OF potash, or sulphate of potash, {
saint, or it may be purchased in
mixed fertil ger combining phosphorl
re a d pota-h, or in a complete fertil 2
20 ION. aiming nitrogen, phosphorus an
Of potash. Except for special crops,
Z, would not recommend the purchase
n, a complete fertilizer, for tie reasC
I'd hat the ia. mer is then purchasil
lp nitrogen, which, as has already bt'
e poloted out, he cannot afford to do,
or Bone meal or aeiduated rock
usually applied to wheat and is r
81 only helpful to wheat but very help
n 70 clover sown The following sprir
On land that has been badly woro,
uo sour, and where great difficulty
a. found in making clover stick, !