The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1908-02-04
PLANT Focr.
Principles Of Plant Life and Growth
Plainly Stated.

The farmer reads a great deal about
plant food, but to a great many the
functions of plant food have never
been explained. Some farmers have
the mistaken idea that It is impossible
for them to understand the functions
Of or TO know anything about plant
food. They think that these hidden
things are for the chemist alone to
know. There are methods by which
these seeming mysteries may be told.
These methods are so simple that the
most unlearned can understand them
and know what plant food is and what
its functions are.
What is plant food? Anything which
when taken into a living body is able
to sustain and nourish it, is food.
Plant food, then, is any element,
whether derived from the soil or the
air, that will sustain and nourish the
plant when it is taken into the plants
body There are 10 elements that
plants take into their bodies and incor-
porate into their structure. 1t Is
claimed that three of these are not
essential and therefore, strictly speak
ing, are not plant food. The 10 ele-
ments are oxygen, nitrogen, hydrogen,
carbon, sulphur, phosphorus, potash.
lime, magnesium, iron, chlorin, sodium
and silicon. The last three named
are said not to be essential. or the
ten essentials the farmer has but lit.
tie control over the amount Of oxygen,
hydrogen, carbon, sulphur, magnesium
and iron. Wherever there are enough
of the other elements there we gen
orally find enough of these elements
to grow crops abundantly. 1t is only
occasionally that the farmer has to
devote any particular attention to the
supply of lime. This leaves only three
elements v which the farmer has
any considerable control-nitrogen,
phosphorus and potash. BY some au.
thorities these three elements alone
are considered as plant food. If
plants fail to grow and produce SO
times out of every hundred it is be-
cause n or more of these ele-
ments is needed. Where the farmer
provides for these and sees that their
supply is ample he can grow crops
that produce proltably.
Each of these three plant foods has
a different function to perform. They
a not change works. That is, one
a not perform the office of the other.
II one element is not in the soil in suf.
fcient quantities, then a failure of
crops Is the result.
The nitrogen is needed to promote
growth OF the plants. Without 1t the
plants are puny and the growth in
ferior. Then it deepens the color of
the plant. In soils that have an album
dance of nitrogen, the plants are a
rich, dark green color, Too much
nitrogen makes too rank a growth of
the plant while the production of
flowers, fruit and grain is retarded.
Phosphorus is needed to assist in
the formation Of pollen and to hasten
in the maturity Of the crop. Without
a sufficient amount of this element the
plant sometimes remains green and
unmatured long after it should be ma
tured. 1t is especially important in
the northern limits of the corn belt
where frosts sometimes come early
In the fall. If the supply of p~hospho-
rus is too small the corn may keep
green too long and be affected by
frosts.
Potash is needed in the formation
and transference of starch in the
plant. All fruit and grain contain
starch and without 1t fruit and grain
can not be formed. Without potash
starch can not be formed in the leaves
and transferred to the fruit or grain.