Imperial Valley press., 1912-09-27
Fertilization NEEDS OF
VARIOUS FARM PRODUCTS

PACIFIC Rural Press: America, and
especially California, has come to a
turning point in agriculture, through
the increased demand for foodstuffs
that has resulted from the great
growth of the country during the past
reached a critical point is illustrated,
among other things, by the fact that
meat prices have reached the highest
mark in history, seem to be bound to
go higher later on in the year, and
that there is not the faintest hint that
more cattle to fill the demand will in
the future be produced.
The effect of the turning point in
agriculture being reached is reflected
by the agitation regarding the high
cost of living, the blame on the trusts
and government instead of lessened
production and increased population,
and the serious political attempts to
remedy matters by law
parts Of i the middle f Yves West was Was Often Of 1e SO
cheap that it was not worth shipping
to the market centers, or even to use
the middle West have to be fattened
on silage and a little corn in spite of
high prices, and here in California, in
raised, it is Seldom possible to feed
beef cattle with it profitably. This
difference in price for corn and alfalfa
to all kinds Of food products, and il
is safe to say the general level of all
standard food products will never be
much less than it is now, but is quite
sure to be higher.
This brings us to the root of the
matter The public hes got to get
as @ to urge urge the farmer to make his
farm produce to the utmost. BY get
ting it to produce heavily he will in
tudes, and in the second place he will
greatly increase his income. The pub
lie won't stand lessened production,
20 in fr
and the backward farmer can't stand
it either.
The fund, Fundamental nsaa problem ,S in getting
making the soil yield up it's plant food
in plentiful amounts. There are two
ways Of doing this One is to add to
remove. The other is simply to take
from the soil whatever it will give
is practiced by truck farmers and 9TH
ers who wish to produce an immense
amount of stuff on small area. 9th
erwise it is practiced in California
The other plan of simply taking
from the soil, is what has been done
to our grain lands that once were
noted the world over for their pro-
ductivity, while now many are no
longer worth farming without water
and can be used only for pasture. The
the appearance of moss covered and
summy trees, and run down, sad look
ing rancheS.
The true method of getting the best
and most economic returns is to han
die the soil SO that it will yield up
abundantly of it's great stores of plant
food and to that extent that these
will not suffice for the largest crops
to add plant food in manure or com
mercial fertilizer. By that means the
fertility of the soil is retained, the
production is kept to an equality with
the first few years Of cropping, and
the public is supplied with more food.
cd nj
the same land, that without fertiliza-
tion will give barely enough to jus
tify tillage, can produce heavily, and
more. people, each with smaller farms,
can be given homes on the land.
Only in the citrus districts IS this
plan OF combining moderate amount
of fertilization with the attempt to
make the soil yield up its natural