Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1912-08-02
Better Crops by Better Fertilizing
By PROF. A. R. WHTSoN Wisconsin College of Agriculture

ate on potatoes. The Use of Rock
re Increased the yield ~ per Cent.
apt to be largely lost in the case OF
heavy rains falling on the sandy soils.
However, there are frequently cases
where the use Of light dressing even
Of nitrogen salts is profitable. This
would ordinarily be in the growing of
certain special crops that have high
gross return per acre. 1t is along this
line that there Is considerable possi-
bility in the development of the vari-
GUS forms of nitrogen containing fer
tilizers. The new form Of cokeing
oven makes possible the saving OF
practically all Of the nitrogen in coal
undergoing the cokeing process and
this by-product is being put on the
market in increasingly large amounts.
The manufacture Of nitrogen-contain-
ing salts by electrolytic methods is
also increasing. A number Of plants
for this purpose have been installed
recently in European countries and
one or two in this country.
Clay soils are ordinarily abundantly
supplied with potassium and on ac-
count Of their good Water-holding ca
pacity, grasses and other plants which
will add organic matter can be grown
for supplying this substance and con-
sequently nitrogen, and the only direct
fertilizing element usually needed is
phosphorus, but probably more than
half Of the clay loan soils OF this
country under crop could be fertilized
with phosphate fertilizers profitably
under present conditions. Heavy clay
soils in the northern part Of Wiscon-
sin which have been under crop but
few years have shown increases In
yield running from Is per cent. to so
per cent. as a result of supplementing
barnyard manure with rock phosphate.
But even on farms where practically
all of the crops grown are fed, there is
q possibility Of considerable loss In
fertility. Only where large amounts
of concentrated feed stuffs are fed is
the supply of phosphorus maintained.
Probably the greatest loss on such
farms takes place In the teaching OF
barnyard manure and there is certain
ly a great possibility in the direction
of conserving fertility by protecting
barnyard manures from teaching and
also from too rapid heating in the
process of composing. 1t Is just as
important that thoroughly good prac-
ticable system Of housing and haul
ing the manure on the farm be worked
out as that the stock be properly
housed and cared for. The use of peat
for bedding, by which it's nitrogen Is
added to that Of the manure, Is anoth-
er method which may add greatly to
the nitrogen in use on the farm. This
material contains In the condition In
which it would be used for bedding
from two to three per cent. OF nitro
gen or more than clover or alfalfa hay
would contain, and twice as much as
barnyard manure. 1t occurs in enor-
nous quantities In this state and 1t
only needs a little encouragement In
its use to develop the industry to the
extent to which it exists in European
countries.
Another matter which ought to be
recognized at once in the development
of agriculture is that 1t is very
much easier to maintain the fer
tility Of soil than it Is to reproduce 1t
after it has once been lost by an ex-
haustive system Of farming. This ap-
plies particularly to the sandy soils,
but is also true in the case Of the clay
loan soils. Sandy soils frequently
show good producing power for the
first two or three years and no special
care Is given to maintain the fertility
until the farmer suddenly finds that
his crops have become very much less
and it Is then very much more diI1-
cult to reproduce the fertility than 1t
would have been to adopt proper meth
ods at the start.
Those who are planning to use COM
mercial fertilizers should make 1t a
point to become thoroughly familiar
with the different forms Of fertilizers
containing the elements which they
desire to add to their soil and with the
basis on which the price for the same
is figured. 1t is customary for the fer
tilizer manufacturers to prepare mixed
fertilizers containing all the essential
elements in varying proportions.
These are recommended to the farmer
under trade names such as Tobacco
Special, Potato Special Corn Special,
etc. thus implying that they have
some particular advantage for those
particular crops. AS previously stated,
this is not the case and the farmer Is
usually obliged to buy in such mixed
fertilizers elements which he does not
need and is often obliged to pay high
er prices for those he does want than
II he were to buy them in a pure form.
Buying a fertilizer containing SIN
gle element is to be recommended. IL
will occasionally be desirable to- NIX
phosphate and potash fertilizers, but
this can be done on the farm to good
advantage.
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