The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-09-10

INitTO9Cfis
The carpenter understands that when he
builds a house, he must first have a
frame; the farmer, who is feeding cattle
for beef or hogs for pork. understands
that he must have frame to build upon
TO hold or carry the flesh. Now, the office
or nitrogen In agriculture is largely to
build up the frame work of trees and
plants. If properly administered to the
soil, it builds the roots, body, limbs and
leaves of the tree. The broader and great
er the frame work, the greater will be the
yield of fruit at maturity. Nitrogen is
the most costly of the three plant foods,
when it has to be bought in the form of
nitrates or nitrate of soda; but nature In
her lavish gifts to man has provided this
element of plant foods in the air. so per
cent of the air being nitrogen. Nature
has also given us a large line of plants
that have the power to draw this nitrogen
from the air and store it in the soil. The
peas. vetches and clovers are the plants
to be used for this purpose and when
the soil and crops have been supplied with
the necessary amount of nitrogen from
this, the cheapest source, there would be
no use to spend good money for CONNER
cial nitrogen. These legumes while grow
ing and storing nitrogen, are, at the same
time taking from the soil large quanti-
ties of both potash and phosphorie acid so
that II becomes important to restore to
the soil a sufficient amount of these two
plant foods. The cheapest form of COM
mercial nitrogen Is perhaps nitrate of
soda which comes largely, if not entirely,
from the nitrate beds of Chilli, South
America These beds of nitrate are sew
era1 thousand feet above the sea level
on desert plain extending seventy five
miles north and south and about twenty
miles wide, varying in depth from three
to ten feet.
Nitrogen is volatile and quick in its ae-
ton, so that the grower should understand
fully just when and how to use nitrogen
to prevent loss and to get best results.
Apple trees during the first years
growth and before they commence to
bear fruit, should be literally supplied
with nitrogen and this should always be
applied, especially If commercial nitrogen
is used, when the trees are in a thrifty,
growing condition. The reader should re-
member that it is a waste of time and
money to use nitrates on barren or naked
soils or on plants that are dormant. 1t s
strange. yet | have had numerous fruit
growers say to me that they did not want
to get large growth on their apple trees,
for the first few years after they were
set. for the trees would not fruit so early
or SO well where there was this abnormal
H.
from want of knowledge Of plant foods,
especially from a want of knowledge con-
corning the effects of balanced ration
for trees. do not care how much growth
the nitrogen produces on my trees, pro-
vided there is sufficient amount of pot
ash in the soil to ripen the woody growth
in due time. The trees that make strong
growth from the start will last longer
and live and bear fruit longer, that II
any time is lost about the trees coming
into bearing, they will more than make
up that time. AS stated befor1 If plant
foods are used in the proper proportions
the trees will not only grow larger, make
the frame, but will bear fruit as early
and always bear better fruit
Many growers make the mistake of pro-
viding the soil with sufficient amount OF
plant food to carry the trees until bear
ing time, then stop feeding and leave
the trees to feed themselves.
Potash.
The office of potash in horticulture is
first. to assist the nitrogen in building the
frame work of the tree; second to furnish
woody fibre, starch, sugar and the rich
pulp; third, to give to the fruit ins
color.
The cheapest forms of potash are mu.
riate of potash and wood ashes. Nitrate
of potash is by far the most important
source of potash. 1t is found in large
deposits near Strassfort, Germany, in
what is called Carnallite. which contains
Is per cent of muriate of potash. Wood
] ashes, if unleached, contain from 3 to