Kingsbury County independent. (DeSmet, Kingsbury County, S.D.) 1894-1929, 1906-09-28


In a recent bulletin Of the New
Hampshire experiment station. the au-
thor, professor Morse, thus briefly sets
forth certain important facts which
should always be clearly kept in mine
in using commercial fertilizers.
II should always be borne In mine
that the success of a crop depends on
four other conditions besides that or
the fertilizer used to feed 1t. All farm
crops require certain average amounts
of heat, light, air and water IN order
to develop an average growth, ana just
the right amounts OF each for the larg-
est possible yield. Thus, weather con-
ditions may favor or hinder a crop TO
such an extent that the fertilizer mas
apparently no effect, and these facts
have led more than one to the conclus-
ion that fertilizers were useless. tertil-
izers cannot make good a lack OF sun
shine or rain. but they can help the
sunshine and the rain do their best;
therefore when the weather is favor
able. they lessen the loss.
The condition of the soil in its rela-
ton to ar and water, is OF the greatest
Importance in the profitable use OF
commercial fertilizers. When SOIL Is
too wet, 1T allows too little air TO reach
the roots of plants. simply because the
water crowds it out. In average sea-
sons, some soils are too wet ana oth-
ers are too dry, for the FOLLOWING rea-
sons: A crop OF three tons or nay or
one OF 10 tons of silage corn per acre.
would result in the removal from the
soil of about 500 tons of water. TO
supply this water, there would need 70
be between Z and s inches OF rainrail
during the growing season OF each crop.
At Durham, the average rainIan IN
April, May and June is 80 inches, ana
during May, June, July n August
1913. If this rain were uniformly dis
tribCted, it would be fully enough Tor
grass and a little too much Tor corn.
AS 1t Is not, both crops need the SOIL In
! such condition., that il will hold enough
water at al! times for their need, while
allowing the surplus to drain away.
On soils of average texture, the re-
quisite moisture conditions can De
maintained by tillage, n IL needed,
by drainage on low levels; but with ex-
treme types. as l-eavy clay loans, or
light sandy loan, there Is needed more
thorough treatment, by increasing tne
amount of vegetable matter, since
there Is no more effective way or max
ing over a soil In It's relation to water
and air than this.
In using commercial fertilizers as a
source Of the food elements needed by
crops, II should be remembered that
there is little positive evidence that
Z they can make II over the soil In its
relation to water, hence they always do
their best work and are most prohtaDio
on soils which are In good average con-
dition neither too heavy and wet, noe
too light and dry. Furthermore. tho
continuous growth of annual crops,
! whether hoed or broadcast, adds no.
vegetable matter to the soil, except in
! the roots and stubble, and 1t is common
to find that the first crop OF corn on
sod land, with commercial fertilizers,
Is superior to that of the second year.,
undoubtedly because the vegetable
- tIA DtI f,trf hatnAd maintain 4
a satisfactory moisture condition the
first year, and was largely destroyed
before the second year.
The most economical use OF COM
mercial fertilizers is only reached when
they are applied in rotations In which,
the soil is maintained IN good moistuTsf
condition by the use of barnyard ma!
nure or the vegetable matter froml
crops grown for the purpose.
Although the food elements in a.
commercial fertilizer form but one or
the several conditions needed for the
best development of the crop, 1t Is i'm
portant that these elements should be
suited to the demands of the crop at
every stage of its growth, else the
product will not be as large as the
other conditions would permit. 1t Is
the most common practice to use this
class of fertilizers with the annual
crops, and there are good reasons for
such practice as shown by fertilizer
experiments.
Annual crops, whether oats, corn,
potatoes or vegetables, require that
their food elements shall be ready to
hand as their growth makes new de-
mands. The commercial fertilizer,
then, should be able to furnish avail
able food elements throughout the
growing season, and in the proper pro-
portion required by the crop.
A study of the chemistry of plant
growth shows very clearly that there
must be present a continuous supply
of available nitrogen which requires
that some shall be in the inorganic anc
some in organic form.
The more quickly the crop is to be
grown in the spring the more organic
nitrogen will be needed, since 1t Is
sooner ready for the plants than or
ganic forms. Soluble phosphoric acid
produces results more quickly and thor
oughly han the other forms, and a
well made fertilizer should have at
least half of its available ~phosphoric
acid in the soluble form. All crops re-
move from the soil much more potash
than phosphoric ACID and although the
soil may furnish sCme of 1T, without
the positive evidence of field expert
ments to that effect fertilizer should
have at least as much potash as it has
soluble phosphoric acid. Commercial
fertilizers may be advantageously used
in top-dressing grass. and for such a
purpose 1t should AVE a high per-
centage of nitrogen. of which nearly
all should be inorganic. The ~phosphoric
acid should be nearly all soluble, in
order to be Of marked benefit, the
fertilizer SHOULD be applied in the early
spring while the soil is thoroughly
moist.
Finally, in the purchase of fertilizers,
1T should be borne in mine that IL costs
just as much to mix. bag, freight and
handle a ton of low grade fertilizer as
one of high grade. BY purchasing a
half ton of the highest grade goods
one buys more and better nitrogen, as
much potash, and enough ~phosphoric
acid to balance them, for less money
than he would pay for a ton of low
grade goods, because he saves half the
cost of the above different items.
HAVE AN OBJECT I'M VIEW.
That many farmers do not have a
definite object in view, but breed their