The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1912-02-07
NEED OF FERTILIZERS
FOR ORCHARD LANDS
Nitrogen Potassium and Phosphc-
rus Are Needed to Replenish
the Soil

4.
and chief chemist at the agricultural
experiment station at the Washington
state College, emphasizes the neces-
sity of nitrogen, potassium and phos-
phorus being present in orchard land,
and calls attention to the absolute
essential OF sufficient water to carry
these plant foods into the crop. He
says:
The three critical elements of
plant food are nitrogen, potassium
and phosphorus. A sufficient supply
of each of these in available form,
with enough moisture in the soil to
carry this plant food into the crop
and cause an active sap flow, are the
chief essential factors of fertility.
Potassium and phosphorus are
mineral elements. depved from rocks.
Nitrogen is an organic vegetable or
animaD element derived originally
from the atmosphere and present in
the soil as a result Of the decay of
vegetable Cor animaj material
Hence soils in a dry country, where
there has been comparatively little
natural vegetation to fall into and
decay in the soil, are nearly always
rich in the mineral elements of plant
food, but poor in nitrogen.
Phosphorus Produces seed
phosphorus is used By plants
chiefly for the production of seeds
and potassium for the manufacture
of starch and sugar (fruts, tubers
etc.) while nitrogen is used aim ost
exclusively for the development Of
the green growing parts of the plant
collage, new stems, etc. Nitrogen is,
therefore, the element needed most
largely in the young growing period
of plant, trees, etc.
Hence on new sage brush lands
which are to be brought under irri-
cation and planted to orchards, a suf-
| fcient supply of available nitrogen IS
likely to be the chief necessity for
/ rapid growth, provided that plenty OF
| water is available on such lands,
where the natural supply Of nitrogen
is small, the rapid growth OF trees
can nearly always he considerable
fastened by an Application of availa-
bic nitrogen as fertilizer
Three Sources of Nitrogen
There are three possible sources
for nitrogen for fertilizer use in this
state Farm manure dried blood 81
| other slaughter house waste pro-
ducts, and nitrate of soda. The first
two must decay before their nitrogen
! is liberated in available form Nitrate
OF soda carries its nitrogen in form
Immediately available to plants. Ma
nure or dried blood etc, should
. =, i
vance of the time thai the crop is tc
need their nitrogen, generally when
! the land is being prepared for the
4 crop. while nitrate Of soda should bt
applied at the time when the plants
need it, This is when they are max
ing their most IA rid wood and foliage
growth.
"A one-Near-old apple tree viii use
! generally prOftably the nitrogen con-
! tanned in four to six ounces OF nitrate
-year-old tree that is making
vigorous growth viii take six to eight
ounces Of nitrate, and older trees II
/ proportion Soils naturally very de
| fcient in nitrogen should receive
heavier applications than those rich
er in decaying vegetation and nitro
y
ed on sagebrush lands, where pleut,
| of irrigation water is available fol
| heavy growths of trees, available nj
trogen will undoubtedly aid in Sc
curing such growths. The use o
available nitrogen fertilizers undel
i such conditions seems to me to be
desirable practice.
Use Of Fertilizers
whether nitrate of soda or othe
ntrogen-carlYing materials in com
: binatiOn with POTASSIUM fertilizer
can be prohtably used in bearing or
chards can only be determined b!
experiments. This practice is com
mon in older states. and on soils sim
liar to those of our irrigated lands
and experiments to determine wheth
er this would be profitable practice
here ought to be carried out.