The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1911-08-03
GOOD USE Of FERTILIZERS
Adaptation to Soil Highly important
End TO Be Attained a
Prime Factor
professor NJ. +. Miller, College OF
Agriculture, University Of
Missouri

fertilizer drill or other distributor
which will distribute them evenly in
the soil For small grain, fertil-
izer grain drill must be used for best
results. Where they are applied in q
hill or drill. as for corn, n special de-
vice must be used on the planter II
best results are secured. They can
be broadcasted either by hand or 9th
erwise, but this, with the exception
OF certain cheap phosphatcs, as rock
phosphate, is not desirable. 1t will
pay every man who makes practice
OF using fertilizers TO provide proper
implements for their distribution.
On badly worn lands the NEST re
munergtive fertilizer application for
wheat will usually be one Of the com.
plete fertilizers, containing from one
and half to two and half per cent
nitrogen. and from eight to twelve
per cent available phosphoric acid,
and from two to three per cent pot
ash, applied with fertilizer drill at
the rate of 100 to $50 pounds per acre
at the time the wheat is sown.
On lands that have been fairly well
kept up in humus by crop rotation,
mRnuring and lcgume growing, the
application OF 125 to $50 pounds OF n
good grade OF steamed bone meal win
be better practice. Such bone meal
will contain approximately one and a
quarter per cent nitrogen, and from
{ w. f OH - nh
phoric acid, about half OF which is
available. The raw bone meal will
also give good results, hut il contains
from two and half TO four per cent
nitrogen. which is more than one can
afford to apply If the nitrogen has
been maintained by proper systems OF
farming
The use Of $50 to 200 pounds of acid
phosphate on such lands will also be
very remuneratiyc. This acid phos.
phate contains from fourteen to six
teen per cent phosphoric acid. prac-
tically all Of which is available. Its
cost is around $500 n ton, while the
steamed bone costs about $500 and
the raw bone about $500. The acid
phosphate has tendency to cause
the land TO become sour with contin.
ued use. and especially on lands
where lime is already beginning to
be needed, its long continued use is
not so desirable as that OF the bone
meals. The bone meals also have
more lasting effect, due to the large
amount Of PHOSPHORUS which they
contain in a more or less insoluble
form, and their use is to be recon-
mended in preference to tho acis
phosphate.
These general recommendations re-
garding wheat fertilization will apply
TO most OF the lands of medium to
poor fertility in Missouri where wheat
is grown.
For fertilizing corn, the most i'm
mediate profits viii come from apply
ing GO TO rs pounds Of complete fer
tilizcr containing ono and a half to
two and a half per cent nitrogen,
eight TO twelve per cent available
phosphoric acid, and two to three per
cent potash, In the hill or drill with a
fertilizer attachment to the corn
planter. This refers to medium to
poor land. Steamed bone meal APP
Piled at the same rate especially on
lands low in phosphates will give
practically the same return Care
must be taken to avoid applying guam
titles much in excess of rs pounds,
since in dry season particularly
there is danger of firing" the corn.
This is especially true with the com
plete fertilizer. 1t must be under.
stood that such method OF fertillzinG
does not tend to build up the land.
It's office is more on the order Of q
stimulaut to give the corn quick,
thrifty growth, and 1t can not be re
peated year after year without ultI.
mate injury.
Another method of using fertilizers
on corn is to distribute II with fer
tllzer grain drill ahead OF the planter.
This method gives particularly valu-
able returns on very poor land, bct is
not so remunerative on land OF me.
dun fertility. The fertilizer to use In
this case will vary with the charac-
ter and thinness of the land. But for
The thlnnest lands, 100 e svv pounds
Of a complete Fertilizer such as has
been recommended lor wheat, or Oh
lands somewhat better, the same
amount Of steamed bone meal is to
be recommended. On lands OF me
dlum fertility such an application is
not so remunerative to the corn ITSELF
although where the bone is used, the
benefits to crops following is impor.
tant. On certain of the level prairie
lands and thin uplands where phos.
pilates are especially deficient. this
application OF bone meal is quite re
muuerative.
The use OF raw rock phosphate has
been quite generally recommended in
some of the states east and south for
its beneficial effect on all crops where
the soil is particularly low in phos-
phorus. Its present use In Missouri,
however, is somewhat limited This
phosphate is an insoluble form OF
phosphorous, but where very finely
ground and applied in connection with
dncavinp humus which tenda IN make