The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1911-07-05

ARE TESTED
As Yet Only Small Quantity Used,
Since So Much of the Soil
Is Virgin
STATE CHEMIST EXAMINES
MANUFACTURERS PRODUCT
In Most Cases, 1t Is Found, Ranch
ers Get Fair Returns for Their
Money, Frequently Value Being
Greater Than That Guaranteed

Cultivation i'm the Yakima valley ia
for the most part of too recent oc-
currenco seriously to have depleted
the soil. but the forcing of the trees
and the heavy crops which they bear.
| together with the practice of keep
| ing the ground open beneath the
tree. will before long make It adj
Visable to take some steps to restore
| the nourishment So heavily drawn
from the soil. Whether this is done
! by sowing a cover crop of some OF
| the strongly heterogeneous legumcs
ana blowing 1t under, or by using
! some of the commercial fertilizers
will be for the individual rancher to
decide That the application Of fer
| tiliZerS does increase the crop is an
established fact, according to state
| Chemist Elton Fulmer of Pullman.
Whether il increases ii sufficiently
to pay for the additional cost and
/ Stll give the ranCher a profit is
som ething which requires special fig
urng to suit each case. 1t is n
problem I'm profit and loss Since It
is nitrogen in which the volcanic ash
Of the valley is generally deficient, II
Is fertilizers containing that element
which would probably be required
/ here, though to be on the right side.
the best plan would be- to have
chemical analysis of the special area
to be cultivated made and to select
the fertilizers with regard to this and
to the crop desired
Sale StllI Small
| The sale of commercial fertilizers
| i'm the state has not yet assumed
any considerable proportions, ac-
|cording to a recent bulletin of the
st-te college The total sales prob
ably do not exceed 1900 tons Il year,
whereas in Indiana in 1903 some
| 1875, 900 tons were used. At the
present time the use Of fertilizers is
chiefly confined to those sections
where truck farming is carried on
and where considerable acres are
devoted to small fruit and to or
chards Much more lis used in vest
ern than in eastern Washington.
Phosphoric Acid Here
zone characteristic feature of the
basaltc soils that are found in east
ern Washington" says Prof Fulmcr
liz a high percentage Of phosphorio
acid which cereal crops draw most
lheaVly, and this fact explains in
part at 'ast, why the need for artl-
fetal fertilizers has not yet become
evident in the wheat growing Sec
tons."
Safeguards Farmer
The state is making every effort to
IA feguard the Drmer IN his pur-
chases. with a seed and weed law,
| T.. Ia
no risl, of buying impure seeds for
planting. 1t is rarely necessary to
send a sample of the seed he is con-
mpating purchasing to the seed cX-
pert at Seattle, competent young
womul who can tell mlllct from clo-
ver and timothy from objectionable
| weeds i'm the tNinlling of an eye.
There Is also a state law regarding
commercial fertilizers. providing for
their analysis. and making it posi-
bic for the farmer to be sure that
no gets his moneys worth.
Provisions of Law
The law provides that the state
chemist shall take samples of tina
various fertilizers offered for sale n
1.-THE state and make tests showing
whether tho compound contains tho
ingredient guaranteed and in the
proportions required. Prof. Fulmer
has just completed series Of tests
of these fertilizers The result for
the most part reflect credit on the
honesty OF the manufacturers. In
some cases the amount of one Gle
lmeut might run little below the
stated per cent. nut on the other
hand goms other element was pref
tv sure Ia run above the stated
amount. ~ result, m the majority
of cases the valae.tiou per ton ran
from Few carus to several dollars
higher than claimed BY the manu-
. fdcturer. Two or the samples We're
obtained IN North Yakima
OF d number of samples taken in
western Wash ngtou. however. the
2 results were rot a. satisfactory. In
many cases prof. F1mer found the
felt liizsIs to contain considerably
less thar the stated percentages.
The most common Fertilizers are
|, blood and bone meal sulphate OF
potash, notate OF soda, mur.ate Of
potash. super phosphate. fish guano
aud tankag, They range III cost
from $40 to $50 per ton.
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