The Brandon news. (Brandon, Miss.) 1892-1961, 1909-01-28
COMMERCIAL FERTILIZERS.

COMMERCIAL FERTILIZERS.
The following article is given out
by Mr.. B. L. Moss, District Agent
of the farmers cooperative demon
stration work, United States De-
partment of Agriculture, with refer
ence to commercial fertilizers. In
it are contained some valuable sug-
gestions to the farmers of this sec
tiion just at this season.
The season has again rolled round
when we find the hill farmers
throughout Mississippi purchasing
large quantities of commercial ferti-
hzers. 1t is a significant fact that
the annual consumption of CONNER
cial fertilizers in Mississippi has in
creased from practically nothing
twenty years ago to approximately
100000 tons in 1908 and there seems
at present no reason to doubt that
there will be an annual increase in
these figures until the farmers of this
state use as much commercial ferti-
lizers as do the farmers in Georgia;
that is between 100000 and 100000
tons annually.
In Mississippi our present annual
fertilizer bi II amounts to about
100000 no inconsiderable tax on
our farming population. That this
huge sum is spent wisely and econ
omically is doubtful--so doubtful that
we may safely assert that a large per-
centage OF it is, to all intents and
purposes, wasted. This is true be-
cause the great majority of farmers
are content to buy fertilizers on the
ton basis, without regard to it's ac-
be grown, or the soil to be ferti-
lized. We do not say that commercial
fertilizers are not profitable when
rightly used; they are. But the enor-
nous losses occasioned by their care
les misapplication are what we are
trying to prevent
Nitrogen, Phosphoric Acid and
Potash.
j. has long been known that of all
the chemical elements appropriated
by plants, only three, nitrogen, phos-
phorus and potassium, are SO de
ficient in most soils as to rem
der their application necessary.
With this fact as q basis, most Of our
factory commercial fertilizers,
the ordinary 1922 goods, have been
prepared. The nitrogen in these
fertilizers is sometimes described
as ammonia; but it must be remem-
bered that this ammonia is about
So nitrogen. For instance, if a
sack Of cottonseed meal is describ-
ed as containing six per cent
ammonia, it only contains about SIS
as much nitrogen, or about five per
cent At prevailing prices Of
cottonseed meal our nitrogen costs
us practically 20 cents a pound, it
being by far our most expensive fer
tilizing ingredient. Since, too, in
this section, cottonseed meal is our
almost sole source Of commercial
nitrogen, we viii give it most OF our
attention in this article.
Different Grades Of cottonseed Meal.
A recent law requires that every
manufacturer guarantee his meal to
be either high-grade, standard, or off
grade. The same. law authorizes our
State Chemist to fix the standard Of
these grades, and this he has done.
At present every bag of meal mark
ed high-grade must show a minimum
of not less than 6.18 per cent nitro
gen. equivalent to about 7.40per cent
ammonia; every standard grade meal
must show minimum of not less
than 495 per cent nitrogen, equiva-
lent to about 5.94 per cent ammonia;
and those falling below dis latter
minimum must be marked off-grade.
This is a very excellent law, since
through it's provisions any man, by
giving a little study to the PROPOSE
ton, can readily see whether he is
getting 100 per cent worth when ae
pays out a dollar for cottonseed meal
II Is a reflection upon our business
hcumen, almost upon our intelligence,
when we consider that perhaps 80 pei
cent OF our farmers never avail them
selves of the protection afforded by
this law. One can readily see that
more than half the hign-grade, still
an off-grade meal may not be worth
more than half the high grade; still
it is often sold at practically the
same price.
uh annlieatinn of intpIIigeace to