The Fitzgerald leader. (Fitzgerald, Irwin County, Ga.) 19??-1912, 1912-04-02

The development Of the use of fer
tilizers in the United States has in
creased at very rapid rate within
the last two or thre decades. Their
use in the eastern and southern states
is extensive. Within this period, how
ever, Wisconsin agriculture has gone
largely in the direction of dairying
y and in this system Of farming the fer
tility Of the soil, as is well known, is
more generally conserved than in sys-
TENS where large part Of the prod
uct of the farm is sold in the form of
vegetables or grain. For this reason,
In part, the use of commercial fertiliz-
ers in this state has been very linn
tied. Moreover, the agricultural press
OF the state and the teaching OF the
Agricultural college has been opposed
to the use of commercial fertilizers
largely because the emphasis was
placed on the advantages of dairying
in the conservation of soil fertility.
The time has come, however, when 1t
Is not profitable for farmers of the
state to longer overlook the 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 the topogra-
ply is so rough that the necessary
amount of corn for silage cannot be
grown to advantage. On lands of this
slclass, other products must be grown
for the market and it is in the grow
ing of such crops as cabbage, potatoes.
sugar beets, peas and corn for canning
purposes, and other special crops that
the use of commercial fertilizers is
needed.
The large yields Of practically all
farm crops produced in such European
countries as England, Germany and
France, are frequently mentioned in
agricultural papers as an evidence CT
the possibilities of intensive lpu.nva
ton. By far the most important fac
tor making possible such increases is
the use of commercial fertilizers. 1t
would be a difficult matter to find a
farm Of any Importance in any OF
these countries on which a consider
able amount of commercial fertilizers
is not used. Nearly one-half OF the i'm
mense output of our own phosphate
mines is shipped abroad and in add
ton to that, enormous quantities OF
phosphate are mined in Europe and
produced in the form of Thomas Stag
in the reduction Of British jrcn ore
which runs high in that ,ele7.. ent. Ger
many possesses practically the worlds
supply Of potash fertilizer and this is
drawn ca heavily by that and adjacent
countries. Z at52 .9 e IT,. rs tas
growth Of green z1anuring crops, pEac-
ticaiiy always of the legnme family.
adds to the nitrogen supply, although
enormous quantities Of special nitro
gen fertilizers are also used,
Without desiring ia the least to un-
derestimate the importance of dairy
or other stock farming in its effect on
the fertility of the soil, we feel that
we can no longer afford to neglect the
use Of commercial fertilizers where
they are called for.
Contrary to a rather common opln-
ion, the kind of commercial fertilizers
called for depends more on the char
acter of the soil to be treated than on
the crops to be grown. The 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 elements from the SOIL
than do others, but the particular kind
of fertilizer needed is determined al
most exclusively by the character OF
the soil. Much can be learned regard
ing the feeding Of crops from expert
ence gained in the feeding OF animals.
Inst as it is well known that certain
balance among the ingredients OF feed
for stock should be maintained, SO
should there be a balance in the differ
ont elements of fertility available to
growing crops. When crops are to be
crown on marsh land which is ex-
tromely high in nitrogen but just as
extremely low in phosphorus, any
often in potash, these deficiencies
must be made good in some way
Sandy soils, on account Of their c,oai - -
texture and generally low content e o.
all the essential eler@-e..l,~' -nusG IRE re-
a--ont1v be supplied with practically
al the essential elements for plant
e1rowth The nitrogen may be addeo
81" Hroc+lv in artificial fertilizers
or indirectly through the growth OF
p 1eguminous plants which have the
nower of fixing that element from the
atmosphere. The nitrogen can ,lo be
Gathered in this way much nore
eheaply than it can be purchased ap Z
moreover, when added in the form :
vegetable matter it decomposes am
becomes available to growing crop
slowly so that there is little danger o
a. loss nv teaching from the sol
ILL nitrate Of soda or sulphate 0
49, ,io are extremely soluble an