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

fnosphato In Addition to tho Man
The development OF tho use of fer,
t!lizcrs In the United States has IN
creased. at very rapid rate within
| the Inst two or thre decades. Their
use In the eastern and southern states
" extensive. Within this period, how
ever. Wisconsin agriculture has gone
largely In the direction OF dRirying
and In this system OF farming the fer
tility of tho soil. az Is we'll known, is
more generally conserved than In sys.
TENS where II large part of tho prod.
uct OF the farm is sold in the form of
vegetables or grain. For this reason,
In part, the use OF commercial fertillz-
ers In this state has been very lin.
tied. Moreover, the agricultural press
OF the state and tho teaching OF tho
Agricultural college has been opposed
to tho use OF commercial fertilizers
largely because tho emphasis was
placed on tho advantages OF dairying
In tho conservation Of coil fertility.
The time has come. however. when Il
Ia not profitable for farmers OF tho
state to longer overlook tho advan.
tages which may come from the prop.
er use OF commercial fertilizers. There
Is much land in the state not adapted
to dairying, such as large areas of
sandy and marsh soil. and some Sec
lions OF clay loan where tho topogra-
ply Is 30 rough that tho necessary
amount OF corn for nilagc cannot BIO
grown to advantage. On lands OF this
class, other products must DO grown
for the market and II ia in the grow
Ing OF such crops aH cabbage, potatoes,
sugar beetH, peas and corn for canning
purposes. and other special crops that
the use of commercial fertilizers ia
needed
Tho largo Yields of practically nll
farm crops produced In such European
countries as England, Germany and
France. are frequently mentioned In
agricultural papers az an evidence of
tho possibilities OF intensive cultiva-
tlon. BY far tho most important fac
tor making possible such increases is
the use OF commercial fertilizers. 1t
would be q difficult matter to find n
farm OF any Importance in any of
these countries on which n consider
able amount OF commercial fertilizers
Is not used. Nearly ono-half OF tho I'M
menso output of our own phosphate
mines 10 shipped abroad and in addi-
tion to that, enormous quantities of
phosphate arc mined in Europe and
produced in tho form OF Thomas Stag
in the reduction OF British iron ore
which runs high in that element Ger
many poseosseH practically the worlds
supply OF potash fertilizer and this ia
drawn on heavily by that and adjacent
countries. In addition to this, tho
growth OF green manuring crops, prac-
tically always OF the logume family,
adds to the nitrogen supply. although
enormous quantities OF special nitro
gen fertilizers are also used.
Without desiring in the least 10 I'M
dorestimato tho Importance OF dairy
or other stock farming in It's effect on
the fertility OF tho soil, wo feel that
we can no longer afford to neglect the
use of commercial fertilizers where
they are called for.
Contrary to n rather common opin-
ion, the kind OF commercial fertilizers
called for depends more on tho char
acter Of tho soil to be treated than on
the crops to BIO grown. Tho amount
to be used will depend to some extent
on the kind OF crop grown since some
crops remove much larger quantities
OF the mineral clements from tho soil
than do others. but tho particular kind
OF fertilizer needed Is determined al
most exclusively by the character OF
the soil. Much can BIO learned regard
ing the feeding of crops from expert
enoe gained In tho feeding Of animals.
Just az II Is we'll known that certain
balance among tho ingredients OF feed
for stock should DO maintained. 30
should there BIO balance in the differ
ont clements OF fertility available to
growing crops. When crops are to be
grown on marsh land which Is ex-
tremely high in nitrogen but just as
extremely low In phosphorus, and
often In potash, these deficiencies
must be made good in some way.
Sandy soils, on account OF their coarse
texture and generally low content of
all the essential elements, must fire.
quently be supplied with practically
all the essential elements for plant
growth. The nitrogen may be added
either directly In artificial fertilizers
or indirectly through the growth Of
leguminous plants which have the
power Of fixing that element from the
atmosphere. The nitrogen can be
gathered in this way much more
cheaply than 1t can be purchased and
moreover, when added in the form OF
vegetable matter 1t dccomposes and
becomes available to growing crops
slowly 30 that there Is little danger OF
Its loss by teaching from the coil
while nitrate OF soda or sulphate OF
ammonia are extremely soluble and