Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1910-02-11
A TALK ON FERTILIZERS.

udy was gloomy anu QlSdSTetdDle udy,
and notwithstanding certain amount
of confusion as to the appointment,
quite a number Of farmers were in
Yorkville during the day to hear Prof.
d. N. Barrow Of Clemson college, talk
on the Use and Abuse Of Commercial
Fertilizers" It was naturally expected
that the professor would talk during
the morning, and when 1t was learned
that ne could not get here until the
afternoon, some who had come quite
distance, returned home; but some
twenty-five or thirty saw Ii out, and
were rewarded with the privilege of
hearing lecture which, though con-
tanning little that Is new, was remark
ably comprehensive and interesting.
1t was Prof. Barrow's expectation to
be in Yorkville on Tuesday, and he
sent out some circular letters TO that
effect; but the announcement sent to
the newspapers fixed the appointment
for Wednesday, and this proved to be
rather lucky than otherwise, for by
reason Of q missed connection, York.
vile was not reached until the last
named date, and II was not until near
ly 3 o'clock that he commenced his talk
to small, but appreciative audience
in the sheriff's office.
BY way Of introduction, he explained
that he was representing Clemson In
institute work. There has been COM
plant that Clemson is Of very little
benefit to the practical, producing far
mer, for the reason that 1t Is too far
away from him, and for the past year,
there has been an effort to meet this
objection by bringing Clemson's as
sistance right to the farmers so to
speak. A great deal Of institute work
has been done during the past several
years; but most of this has been in
the summer time, and covered infor-
nation that would have been more
timely in the winter. Also the insti-
tutes undertook to deal with so many
subjects at one and the same time that
the result was more or less confusion.
The idea now is to go out among the
farmers and discuss with them the
things that are most pertinent and
timely as to the season.
Just at this time, the professor said,
the farmers are more interested in the
fertilizer question than anything else,
and he proceeded to discuss that sub
ject in interesting detail; but the bur-
den Of his message was not so much
the kind of commercial fertilizer to
buy and how to buy 1t, as the tremen-
dous waste that occurs every year and
how that waste is to be avoided.
At the outset, he made the state
ment that last year South Carolina
spent seventeen million dollars for
commercial fertilizers and made only
a little more than one million bales OF
cotton, which meant that the fertilizer
tax on the farmers Of the state meant
about seventeen dollars for each bale
Of cotton raised. This statement was
made in full appret ction Of the fact
that much of the seventeen million
dollars worth of commercial fertilizers
was used under crops other than cot
ton; but nevertheless the other crops
were consumed in the raising Of the
cotton, which had to pay the entire bill,
and the statement Of the tax was just
and correct.
During the past five years, he said,
there has been an increase Of so per
cent in the amount Of commercial fer
tilizers used and an increase of only
25 per cent in the value Of the crops
produced. At this rate of progress 1t
will be only a few years more until all
the crops will not be sufficient to pay
for the fertilizers, and 1t Is evident that
we must either find where the trouble
Is, or continue to go on from bad to
worse.
The professor desired it to be dis
tinctly understood that he had no fight
to make against the use Of commercial
fertilizers he wanted his hearers to
appreciate that he considers the use of
commercial fertilizers as essential to
the most profitable building up of lands
and production Of crops; but at the
same time he desired to impress the
fact that millions Of dollars are wasted
in fertilizers each year, because Of the
purchase and use Of elements Of plant
food, that are not needed on the par
ticular land to which 1t Is applied.
The proper understanding Of the fer
tilizer question, the professor explain
ed, involves a knowledge Of how plants
grow, what they need for food and
how that food Is to be supplied. The
common idea has it that non-produc-
tive lands are necessarily poor lands;
that the lands are poor, because the
plant food, in them has been exhaust
ed. This is not correct. BY way Of IL
Illustrating his point, he said that
some years ago, he had caused analy-
ses to be made Of the top soils on two
pieces of ground. One piece Of ground
had been yielding a bale Of cotton to
the acre, and the other had been yield
ing only 200 pounds to the acre. The
analysis showed that the soil that
Welded only ECO pounds to the acre,
contained more than twice as much
bale of cotton to the acre. And 1t Is
90 with practically all the land in this
country. It contains plant food In
abundance The problem Is to make
that plant food available, and this Is
where it Is necessary for the farmer to
have knowledge in the use of fertili-
Zers.
AS a matter of fact the professor de-
c]ared. the amount Of plant food con-
tanned in the soil Is of the least import
ant requisite to fertility and neaVy
production. Much more important than
this Is the condition OF the germ, NIL
crohe or bacteria life In the soil. rms
lind of life means everything, and It's
nropagation is dependent principally
upon air moisture and humus. Air Is
sunplied by judicious stirring with the
plow, moisture Is effected In part IN
the same way, and humus must be