The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1907-12-21
COMMERCIAL FERTILIZER.
sv Its Judicious Use the Soil May Be
Greatly Improved.

Possibly there is no other one tnins
that the farmer invests as much
money in as commercial fertilizer with
as little understanding OF It's Vaiue'
or what he is likely to receive IN re-
t,,rn for his investment. The FARMER
realizes that something is needed 10
make his soil grow better crops.
Fertilizer is recommended to do tnls'
but in order to buy and apply COM
mercial fertilizer intelligently there
must be more study and experiment
ing than the average farmer cares !"
give the subject and he naturally drops
into the habit of relying upon the
agent TO select the fertilizer pr else
he iudges the quality by the prano
of the goods. If it is new orahu IL.
iudges by the smell The sense Vi
smell is a very good thing, but II was
never intended for the purpose OF ana
living commercial fertilizer. 1t is often
the case that the agent has given the
| subiect of commercial fertilizers very
little study from farmers STANDPOINT
and of course is not capable OF seiec''
ing goods for the farmer
He does not know which brands OF
goods yield the best profits 10 MN
when he sells them, however, and IL
is IN his interest to sell the goods
which yield the most profit from tne
sale. The farmer must look to increase
of crops for his profit, while the pront
which the agent gets is calculated az
a certain per cent on the cost OF the
goods. Then the farmer is liapie 10
dron into another error, it is natural
to calculate that if an application OF
200 pounds of fertilized per acre VIII
secure certain increase OF crop, tnat
double the application per acre VIII
,, double the increase of crop. This is
! calculation that seldom works out cor
rectly in practice. 1t looks all rign'
: at FIRST though, but there are. so many
considerations in the use OF 1ertihzei
that 1t is an error that deceives many
Commercial fertilizer Is in sense
a land stimulant; of course II aoos
nlant food, but it also helps the piant'
IN use plant food already in the SOIL
It will help to get set OF grass OF
II the land and also increase the yiei'
It of crops. but If the fertilizer Is DE
IS nended upon to grow the crop iron
e wear to year it will soon induce con
t. ditions in the soil that will leave II y
st worse condition than it was befor
IN the fertilizer was used. BY the moe
ut crate use of commercial fertilizer
at a malicious rotation the soil may
IN improyed from year to year. nave
I'd field that has had light application
e. of commercial fertilizer applied wv
p vears in four, and it is gradually con
&c ing us SO that now 1t yields douDl
ng the crops per year that it did ten yea
he ayo The rotation practiced is col
ee followed with wheat, the wheat &c
an lowed with buckwheat AFTER whe
* harvest and timothy and clover SO"
as with the buckwheat; then II ID ie
in meadow for two years, then the 81
Is turned and the land goes to CO.
again.
ng The stable manure is applied to u
'rs sod and turned under for corn,
that the Wutdl anu cu~>
cd receive an application OF superpn'
n.' phate and the corn receives an app
al cation of stable manure, making y
'se applications of commercial fertiiiE
er- and one application OF stable manu-
GU in four years. The crops are gradua
,at- increasing and the soil is building
as' so that it will grow good crops WI
tie ont the use of commercial fertiliz
a The increase of crops helps to incres
ell the manure production of the farm
ear it enables me to keep more farm sto
tue The manure helps to further build
OF the farm. Unless commercial fertili
nnd does this it is questionable whetl
VIII it pays the farmer for It's purcn'
and application in most instances
A. ]. Lebb, Albion, w. va.