Rocky Ford enterprise., 1905-06-23
Wheat Failures
in Indiana

Indicate that the wheat crop VIII De
.cry much below the average and n
sreat many fields are plowed up and
used for other crops. Several causes
have conspired to bring about this
condition. The season at sowing
time was unfavorablc. the winter con.
dltlons injured u crop which already
lad bad start. heavy spring rains
washed the hill lands and flooded the
bottom lands. and the HessIan fly and
the fuagous diseases contributed their
share OF damage TO a crop already
weakened by adverse weather condi.
tlonH. Wheat is 10 essential In the
usual rotation OF crops that We may
well inquire whether anything can be
done to lessen tho III effects Of some
or all of these causes. Two facts are
suggestive In this connection: much
less fertilizer was used last fall than
Is usually applied TO tho wheat crop:
the reason being that farmers were
late In preparing tho land and lid
izor: the other fact In that In mum.
ber of cases whcrc special fcrtilixa-
tion was used the crop Is reported
very good.
There Is no doub, that by proper
fertilization much OF the III effect OF
adverse conditions may be overcome.
The question arises ns to tho proper
Kind and amount of fertilizer to uac In
order to secure tho most profitable re-
suits. In considering tho question We
must keep In mind the fundamental
Law of plant production that. even
when all other conditions arc favor.
able. tho yield of tho crop Is limited
by the plant food that is available In
tho smallest amount. n there In only
enough phosphoric acid available dur
inE the growing season TO produce fivc
bushels OF wheat. the addition Of large
amounts of other plant foods will not
increase the crop. When We fcrtIlixc
tho wheat crop We should also take
Into account the clover crop which
generally follows IL.
A wheat crop of thirteen bushels
per aero (tho average for lndiana) re
moves from the soil 20 pounds OF nj.
,rogcn. /: pounds of potash and 0
POUNDS OF phosphoric acid. while two
tons OF clover remove IS pounds Of
potash. Is pounds OF phosphoric acid
and SO much of its saiponnds OF nj.
,rogcn as Is not derived fromnthc mir.
For these yields then there must be
available 100 pounds of. potash. ..27
pounds Of aphosphoric nacid and at
least as much nitrogen ns ts contained
In the wheat crop. Aro tho hwh0at
soils of Indiana in condition To supply
these amounts of plant food, during
the growing season. The farmer en-.
poets tho clover or COW pea crop to
gather nitrogen and they can be rc-
lied upon. to do so. But after the
crop has gathered II. II must bc re-
turned to the land. Tho amount in
the roots is comparatively >, small.
Even where the entire --h.suminous
crop is returned to the soil, 1t may
still be profitable to use some avail
able nitrogen In the wheat fertilizer.
II the wheat follows either corn or
grass, these crops have used up the
soluble nitrogen MS fast as II formed.
SO that there is very little available
to the wheat plants during the few
weeks of fall growth. Even " the
wheat be sown on clover sod. there Is
not time in the. fall for the J,itrogep In
the roots to osgo throughrthe changes
necessary to render the nitrogen in
them soluble. This;explains why It is
that the application OF few pounds of
available nitrogen in the wheat fer.
tilizcr often gives such favorable re-
suits: II supplies available nitrogen
enough to provide for vigorous fall
growth and the plants winter much
better.
On the usual type of heavy Wheat
soil. to which no commercial fertilizer
has ever been applied, the wheat crop
10 limited hY the amount of nhnsnhnric