The Rice belt journal. (Welsh, Calcasieu Parish, La.) 1900-19??, 1908-03-20
FARMER AND
PLANTER
FERTILIZERS.

During the past twenty-five years
farmers have paid more and more
attention to increasing their crops by
the use of the all-important plant
foods which are supplied by fertiliz-
ers. The result has been the raising
OF larger and better crops, material
Improvement of the farm itself, and a
bettered financial and social standing
Of the farmer.
The various artificial manures, call
ed fertilizers, have come into general
use since the year 1910. In that year
the famous German chemist, Baron
Won Liebig. published his epOchmak-
ing book on agricultural chemistry.
Every farmer should bear in mind the
| principles underlying the use Of COM
merCial fertilizers, which were first
defined by Liebig, as follows:
"Q) A soil can be termed fertile
only when it contains all the materials
requisite for the nutrition Of plants in
the required quantity and in the prop
er form.
"(2) With every crop part of these
ingredients is removed. A part of
this part is added again from the
fnexhaustible store of the atmosphere;
another part, however, is lost forever
if not replaced by man.
"(3) The fertility Of the soil re
mains unchanged If all the ingredients
of the crop are given back to the land
Such a restitution is effected by ma
nure ct may be stated that there
is some loss due to leaching and
change of availability of food ap
plied)
"(4) The manure produced in tn
course of husbandry is not sufficien
to maintain permanently the fertilit
: of a farm. It lacks the constituent
which are annually exported in tn
, shape of grain, hay, milk and liv'
stock"
Practical experience has prove
that, as rule, nitrogen, phospnorl
acid and potash are the substance
most needed to be applied to soils,
make or to keep them fertile an
that many soils are improved by II
mere addition of lime. In conJuncuc
with these elements, soils must co
tain a certain amount of humus or q
cayed organic matter, to malnta
them in proper mechanical conc
ton. =,
Phosphoric acid Is necessary LOT T.
healthy growth of plants, and IS
sential to the best production OF strs
and seed. It's deficiency in SOIL
:, shown by the want Of yigor IN
If plant life. To produce It's full ene
however, 1t must be used on S
already rich in nitrogen, or be as
ciated with nitrogen in the tertllze
otherwise it will produce tall, p'
ID and spindling growth of straw :"
IS very small increase of grain or II.
o. II has a marked effect in hasteh'
maturity and should be used ire
of on all crops which 1t IS deslreu
" Nitrogen is necessary to the I
in duction of protoplasm (the physi
basis Of llfe). Without it there
w he no plant growth; it is a power
,st et,mulant and, when present IN exec
causes a rapid and excessive nuC
- 49,, ond unnatural growth, WHICH
no. made at the expense Of fruttuln
Too much nitrogen on wheat OF
,ra shows it's i'll effects in sucn I
Growth of the plant, and laUef'
straw. as to be unable to SUSTAIN
excessive weight until the gram
rel matured; on cotton, by great gro
ks, of plant and but few blossoms WI
de- Nature fewer bolls; on fruit trees
in a rapid and sappy growth WHICH,
duces little fruit. -,
leir Leguminous crops (sucn as 81,
aid. heans meas, etc. draw their SUI
n I - nitrogen from the air, and u
fore an artificial application OF n
ing gnn fertilizer to this class Oh pl
cry is rarely needed. , 49,,
~ potash is found in large pr
an eons in all plants. 1t is essenti
led. the production of starch nDTe % .,i,
,utb growing parts Of the plant WIZ
so 800 can not be full develop
Of plant or seed. In comolna ss II,
nitrogen and phosphoric acla, sp p'
con to the full and ald pert et
velopment of plants: ~ Excess sceei,1 Of
ician IN the plant, but "e'ho 40
1abit lack Of fruitfulness, anu l, 40,
the a slow and unsatisfactory s ae,
eces- ment Of starch anu 49, so;1
sible. lows its deficiency in the SOIL