The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1906-03-09
FERTILIZERS FOR To-
BACCO.

In Cl0 eastern SCaC0S WQer0 LOOaCCO is
grown and all through the tobacco dis
tricts of the south commercial fertilizers
have been used extensively for many
years. In Connecticut alone there were
offered for sale in the year 1904 more
than 245 different brands of fertilizers
adapted, one would suppose, to every
condition of soil and the requirement of
every crop.
Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama and
the Carolinas have for years back been
experimenting with and using CONNER
cial fertilizers, therefore there can be no
question as to their value in the growing
of tobacco.
1t is only recently, however, that the
attention of the Wisconsin grower has
been directed to this important subject.
The Agricultural Experimental Station,
anticipating the time when their use
| must become more general in this state,
very wisely decided to devote part of
the appropriation made by the legisla-
ture of 1902 to experiments with fertiliz-
ers. Accordingly, during the seasons of
| 1908 and 1904 these experiments were
! carried on at different points in the to-
bacco sections and their results are set
forth in bulletin issued last April. This
publication can be procured by any
grower in the state who is enough inter
ested in the subject to apply for it.
Very little that is new can be added to
what you will there find, and anything I
can say here today will be chiefly by way
of emphasizing some of the points touch
ed upon in that bulletin.
1t is only in general way that these
experiments can be of value to the in
4 w. +oh 20
who wishes to make an intelligent use
of fertilizers must himself learn by care
full and continued observation the ability
deficiencies of his soil and thus supply
the proper food to the crop he intends to
raise.
The elements which it is necessary to
replace in the soil from time to time in
the use of fertilizers are nitrogen, phos-
phoric acid and potash, and chemical Or
commercial fertilizers are simply COM
binations of these materials in different
proportions. These proportions are
stated by an analysis which gives the
! 4,AsD7 he- Of ponds .of each Ingredient
contained in 100 pounds of the fertilizer.
There are a number of these fertilizers
licensed for sale in this state and several
of them are especially recommended by
the manufacturers for tobacco, and they
would all no doubt be found to be bene-
| fetal, but the question for the farmer to
determine is which will be the best
suited to my particular needs and which,
all things considered, vhe most economi-
cal.
The state of Connecticut annually goes
| to a vast amount of labor and expense to
| aid the farmer in answering this ques-
/ ton. For instance, it makes an analysis
| of every fertilizer offered for sale in the
| state, and this analysis not only shows
| it's composition but also shows the total
| trade value of the different materials
composing it, together with the price at
which the fertilizer is sold at retail.
| The difference between the valuation
! thus found and the retail price repre-
sents the manufacturer profit and his
| charges for mixing, bagglng, etc. This
valuation has, of course, little or nothing
| to do with the agricultural or crop pro-
| ducing value of a fertilizer, but is simply
a guide to intelligent purchase by the
| farmer That is, he is enabled by this
means to compare the values of different
fertilizers and to say with all fairness, if
| this fertilizer is worth $50, this other is
worth S35.
! Prof. Sandsten, however, in the bulle-
| tin referred to, recommends the mixing
on the farm of the different materials,
using nitrate of soda, dissolved bone and
| sulphate of potash, and this is mani
| festly the best course to pursue.
) Since the manufacturer compounds
| his product for general use and can not
| possibly take into account the wide diff
| ference found in the soils, while the
| farmer knowing the condition of his field
and the requirement of his crop, can
prepare a mixture that will meet these
needs.
| Even in Connecticut which seems to
| be the market that all the manufactur-
| ers of fertilizers are catering to, many
| home mixtures are used, and ten of
| these were analyzed by the experiment
| station and it was found that as regards
mechanical condition and chemical COM
position they were as good as the fac
| tory mixed article, and that the farmer
got considerable more nitrogen, phos-
| phoric acid and potash than he could
have obtained for the same money in
buying ready mixed fertilizers.
| I found in looking up this subject an
analysis on tobacC alks which may in
| terest you. It ha, Oeen claimed that
stalks had no value as fertilizer except
as they improved the physical condition
of soils, but this analysis which was
made by the experiment station OF Ken
| lucky, showed that they contain little
over pounds of nitrogen and over 81
pounds of potash and nearly pound of
phosphoric acid to 100 pounds of stalks.
They should not be spread on the
| ground, however, and left to the expos
ure of rain and sun, or more than half of
| these materials are lost.
| [ have seen it stated that the ideal fer
| tilizer is the plant itself turned back into
| the soil and allowed to decompose there.
| I can we'll believe this, for in 1900 the
greater part of the crop of tobacco cut
by hail was plowed under at my place
| and the effect on the following crop was
very noticeable.
Farmers have long understood the
value of crop of clover in building up
a poor piece of ground. Science tells us
| why this is So Glover and number of
other plants have the power of drawing
/ nitrogen from the air, not only sufficient
| for their own or0wth hnt thew artually