Belington progressive. [volume] (Belington, W. Va.) 1912-1927, 1912-11-14

IN Ff&Ht rs Od W aSttH9 ny EcdCaiu8.
plete fertilizer, about $3.50. To re-
place the plant food In a ton Of ma
nure one would have to buy 160 pounds
Of tankage. 8 per cent nitrogen and
little phosphoric acid and 70 pounds
kainit
On land deficient in hulnus the ma
nure from which the soluble plant food
has been leached out by rain Is worth
$500 per ton. Adding this to the value
OF the plant food in a ton of manure,
we have a ton of fresh manure worth
$3.50 a ton. This makes ton OF
manure quite valuable, and when
man keeps a team Of horses and two
cows in his barn for haff year. ana
ssapes all the manure carefully. at thu
cha Of TX sffsu2ss b, :Ies WIZ ffsve aDcatn
rwenye tons Of manure. worth $40.
Our own State Experiment Station,
OHIO Experiment Station, and Pennsyl-
vania Experiment Station have shown
during the last ten years that the &C.
tual value of ton OF manure, well
cared for, when applied to land on
which good rotation of crops Is prac-
ticed, that the actual increase in yield
of crops, on MANFRED over unmanured
land, is as much as $3.50 for every ton
Of manure applied. This value per ton
is obtained by the increase In crop
value when eight to ten tons of ma.
nure is applied per acre. An addi-
tional sum may be considered for the
humus 1t adds to the soil
On land that has been properly han
died we may not obtain as high a
value per ton of manure, unless it is
reinforced at q small expense by add.
Ing so pounds of either finely ground
phosphate rock or acid phosphate to
ton of manure. Fifty pounds Of acid
phosphate will cost about 40 cents,
and when it is mixed thoroughly with
a ton of manure, as 1t is being loaded
on the wagon. will increase the value
Of the manure $1.00 per ton, this hav-
ing been determined by the Ohio Elk
pertinent Station from the Increase in
value Of the crops grown in rotation
on land receiving this reinforced ma
nure over land receiving ordinary
manure. Therefore, with an expendi-
ture OF 40 cents farmers can make
ESQ per cent on the investment. Why
do they not reinforce the manure made
on their farms3 am glad to say that
many up-to-date farmers, who have
visited the State Experiment Stationf
that have been conducting thes
manure experiments, have satisfe,
themselves of the truth OF these r.
suits and are now reinforcing th
manure on their farms with either
rock phosphate or acid phosphate.
Why is 1t that SO small an applica
ton Of acid phosphate to ton OF
manure gives such good results? II
Is because the acid phosphate prevents
the escape Of amonia in the manure
and at the same time adds phosphoric
acid in which plant food the manure
Is deficient, as shown by the figures
given above.
The Agronomy Department Of our
State Experiment Station co-operated
with the Extension Division In CON
Quoting several fertilizer tests over
the state A number of different fer.
tilizing materials and combinations ~
them were used together with manure,
and in every case the manure plots
are showing the best results This
being the case, had not the farmers
better keep more live stock on their
farms, in good sheds, and save all the
manure to apply to their land. rather
than buy so much commercial fertfl-
izer? Lime the land, grow clover and
take care Of the manure properly by
reinforcing it with acid phosphate and
The fertility question is solved as fai
as plant food and humus are con
cerned. I. s. COOK. JR
College of Agriculture, West vir-
ginia University