Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1912-04-12


apt to be largely lost In tho case of
heavy rains falling on tho sandy soils.
However, there are frequently cases
whore the use OF q light dressing oven
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 dat thera Ia considerable posi-
bility In the development Of the vari-
GUS forms Of nitrogen containing fer
tilizers. The now form OF cokeing
oven makes possible tho saving OF
practically all OF tho nitrogen In coal
undergoing the cokeing process and
this by-product Is being put on the
market In increasingly large amounts.
Tho manufacture OF nitrogen.contain
Ing salts by olectrolytic methods is
also increasing. A number of plants
for this purpose have been installed
recently in European countries and
ono or two In this country.
Clay soils arc ordinarily abundantly
supplied With potassium and on nc
count OF their good water-holdlng ca
pacity, grasBeB and other plants which
VIII add organic matter can DO grown
for supplying this substance and con-
sequontly nitrogen, and the only direct
fcrtilizlng clement usually needed 10
phosphorus. but probably moro than
half of tho clay loan soils OF this
country under crop could bo fortified
with phosphate Fertilizers prontably
under present conditions. Heavy clay
soils In the northern part of Wlscon-
| sin which have been under crop but Il
| fow yenrB have shown increases In
yield running from Is per cent. to 90
| per cent. aB result OF experimenting
barnyard manure with rock phosphate.
But even on farms where practically
MI Of the crops grown arc fed. there ia
Il possibility of considerable loss In
fertility. Only where largo amounts
the supply of phosphorus maintained.
Probably the greatest loss on such
farms takes place I'm the teaching of
| barnyard manure and there is certain
ly great possibility in tho direction
OF conserving fertility by protecting
barnyard manurcs from teaching and
also from too rapid heating In the
process OF composing. 1t Is Just as
important that thoroughly good prac-
| tlcablo eystem OF housing and haul
Ing the manure on tho farm DO worked
out as that tho stock DO properly
housed and cared for. Tho use OF peat
for bedding, by which its nitrogen ia
added TO that OF tho manure, Is anoth-
or method which may add greatly to
tho nitrogen In use on tho farm. Th'c
| In hA
which It would DO used lor bedding
from two to three per cent. OF nitro
gen or moro than clover or alfalfa hny
would contain, and twice as much as
bnrnyard manure. IL occurs In enor-
nous quantities in this state and 1t
only needs little encouragement In
Its use to develop tho industry to tho
extent to which it exists in European
countries.
| Another matter which ought to be
recognized Mt once In the development
OF agriculture is that 1t is very
much easier to maintain tho fer
tility OF soil than It is to reproduce 1t
after 1t 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 1t 10 then very much more diff
cult to reproduce the fertility than IL
would have been to adopt proper meth
dds at the start.
Those who are planning to use COM
mercial fertilizers should mako It q
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.
lhlo 10 hoI THO caso anu INC idruer az
usually obliged to buy in such mixed
fertilizers elements which he does not
need and Ia often obliged to pay high.
er prices for those he does want than
II he were to buy them In pure form
Buying a fertilizer containing sin.
gle element is to be recommended. It
will occasionally be desirable to mix
phosphate and potash fertilizers, but
this can be done on the farm to good
advantage.