The Ogden standard. [volume] (Ogden City, Utah) 1902-1910, 1910-03-26
About the Things Our Crops Eat

fertility but that is too slow altogether for
us fellows II means summer following and
waiting and so II is not practicable with
high priced land and expensive families.
,. BY returning to the soil soodly share
of what grew there and holding IL there by
an intelligent method OF cultivation that win
also develop and quicken chemical aud mi
crobic action in tho SOIL and this S. the key
TO natures treasure house
Each Of these elcmcnts-nltrogcn potash
and phosphorc aciG-hGs q market price nj
which they arc bought and sold on the open
market. and as farmers OF this country spend
10000 900 per year for commercial fertilizer
simply 10 get tho nitrogen potash and phoS-
pboric acid which they contain, VIC can easily
get at tho value of each the market. and
VIC find shat nitrogen Is worth not less than
L. cents, potash AZ cents and phosphoric
acid az cents per pound.
Now. at these prices. a ton OF clover hay
Is worth S7.23 In fcrtllizinE elements alone.
and yet there Is lots OF clover hay sold for
less than s. per ton on the farm. The rca-
son for this ~ because the farmer didn't
have to earn OF buy the fertilizer that went
into that hay IL nc had nc would know
what It was worth. his rich Mother Nature
saved that fertility and left IL TO him and
ordinarily he doesn't think OF the cost OF
that fertility any moro than the young dude
In the city does Of the dollars which his
who never earned an honest dollar in his
life know anything about tho market value
OF dollars2 Doesn't nc squnnder them just
MS If they weren't worth 25 cents apiece ?
He don't know how many backachcs or sweat
drops each OF those dollars cost No. mol
He didn't earn them. and the farmer who
sells his fertility at less than the going mar
ket price Is, II seems to ME, in pretty near
the samo position.
Now In farming | believe that the best
method is TO raise as much as VIC can and
buy no moro than we have TO, and this rule
VIII apply 10 fertility as we'll To meat. or
grain, or fruit proper rotation OF crops.
combined with proper making and applica-
tlon of manure. viii enable the farmer TO
gain fertility and reap the rcwnrd OF larger
crops each year than were possible before.
But II he is dcluded into adopting tho
practice OF buying his fertility in commercial
fertilizers he Is contracting tho same foolish
habit that some young married folks have
Of buying their vctuals at the store instead
of cooking them. The soil is tho pantry of
our raw materials from which the farmer
must prepare the food for his plants, and ne
may well compare the work OF the good cook
with that OF the poor one. Both being given
the same materials In the form OF raw meat
vegetables. flour etc. tho one VIII produce
q meal of victuols ht for king while the
other could not properly feed a hungry
tramp So of the two farmers with the
same elements OF fertility in their soils; one
OF them viii. by intelligent cultivation form
such a combination with the forces OF ma
turo as to succeed in the highest degree.
while the other VIII fail to make even a
decent living under the same outward condi-
lions. The farmer must understand nature q
rules and follow them closely IL he would
enjoy the highest success