The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1908-01-06
Commercial Plant foods
And Their Use In Alabama
BY J. L..
Soil Utilization
riot.
BY J. L. BURGESS,

The commissioner of agriculture and
poets soon to put into each home in the
stale a soil map of the county in which
that home is located. We shall then
be able to discuss fertilizers, crop adap-
tations and other agricultural problems
with a greater degree of intelligence than
it is possible for US to do at present;
because we shall then begin the study of
the individual soil type as found on each
farm.
At present we can speak only in gen.
eral terms, knowing that the results OBJ
tanned in the farm practices of the state
will be as varied as are the soil types
with which the farmers have to deal
Bearing this in mind, then, we will dis
cuss, in this article only general prin-
cipals relating to the commercial plant
foods.
We, of course should not apply the
same brand or formula of fertilizer to all
our different soils alike. To do this
would be to waste at least one or two
of the elements of the mixture. AS
rule our formula should be chosen with
reference to type of soil on which it is
to be used For example, if we have
poor, sandy, upland soil that must be
farmed without green or stable manures
we will need to use relatively more nit
rogen than if the soil contained large
amount of humus. If we have good rich
bottom or Xland soils we will use less
nitrogen and relatively more phosphoric
| acid. AS a rule the loose, sandy soils
are deficient in potash while the heavy
clayey soils are well supplied with this
element
We will now turn our attention for
moment to some facts of general appli-
cation relative to fertilizers for certain
lines of crops We will first notice the
cereals and grasses. 1t must be remem-
bered that these crops, with the excep-
ton of corn, come on the land very ear
ly in the spring and at a time when
nitrification is least active in the soils.
For these crops, then, we want to use
| a liberal supply of available nitrogen. In
case of cereals we must let phosphorc
acid occupy an important place in our
formula. We may state it as a general
rule that all plants grown for their Seeds
be literally fed with phosphoric acid.
While we do not grow cotton for the
seed, still, seed production is a prerequi-
site to production of lint since the lint is
an outgrowth from the seed and as
rule the more seed q cotton plant pro-
duces the more lint it will yield. There
have been certain experiments conducted
| which seem to show that when soil con-
ditions are most favorable to the process
of nitrification the phosphates are rend-
cred less soluble and, consequently, less
available and this may explain why phos-
phoric acid is so necessary to those staple
chops grown during the summer months
when notification is most active.
The fertilizer for our leguminous crops
must consist largely of phosphoric acid,
potash and lime. Little or no nitrogen
need be added since these crops are capa-
BILE of extracting from the air all of this
element they need.
Roots and tubers need liberal apphca-
tons of all three of the fertilizer ele-
ments but we will be safe If we let pot
ash predominant in our formulae for these
crops. A possible execution is found in
the case of turnips which want more
phosphorus.
In the growth of orchards we need a
complete fertilizer till the trees come into
bearing when potash should greatly pre-
dominate in our formulate.
| We have thus far spoken with refer
| ence to general farm crops only II we
are going to grow market garden crops
we will have to change our formulae to
| some extent We may say, as gene
! raj rule, that all garden crops grown for
| leaf and stem need large amount of
| available nitrogen and this element, must,
therefore, be prominent in our fertilizer
formulate. For those marked garden crops
grown for fruit and tuber we generally
| want potash to stand in the lead.
IT will be noted that thus far We have
said nothing about any particular for
mula for any particular crop or line of
| crops. As we suggested at the begin
ming, each type of soil, as well as each
crop. requires its particular fertilizer
| formula. Now, If we will but reflect a
little. we shall see that either good or
/ poor farming will change the formula
! each year Hence the impossibility of
| constructing a fertilizer formula that can
J be of general application for any great
length of time.
! Let us study the above proposition for
a moment Suppose we take the formula