The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1912-07-26
COMMON SENSE IN
USE OF FtRTAR R
AND UNJUST CHARGES
THE COMMERCIAL FERTILIZER
ALONE WILL NOT BUILD UP
LAND.
BARNARD MANURE THE BEST
Quit Book Farming and Do the Prac-
ticaI Things Within Reach-Most
Profitable Vocation to Be Found In
This Country.
(By Capt. t. F. Peck, Commissioner
of Agriculture

OF ASrlculLuTe.)
In talks to farmers much time has
been given to the discussion of soils
and fertilizers, but we continue to
get inquiries that indicate a growing
interest in these subjects that is
very gratifying,
This week we just want to discuss
some of the practical common sense
DEATHS in the use of fertilizers and
try to answer some of the unjust
charges brought against the fertiliz-
ers.
To begin with we want to reiter-
ate statement repeatedly made
that barnyard manure is the best fer
tilizer the farmer can use and if
enough could be secured it should be
used exclusively, except that secur-
ed from leguminous plants and to
supply potash and phosphoric acid.
The general farmer and truck farm
er can secure 1t in quantities to meet
his requirements, so he must use the
commercial fertilizers. If the farm
er understood the soil conditions nee
essary to get the best results from
the fertilizers, he could use them
more intelligently. We have told
you that fertilizers must have moist
IRE in the soil to dissolve the plant
food so that the plant can take it up
through the little hairy roots. We
have told you how to retain the
moisture in the soil by deep blowing
end turning under vegetable matter,
thoroughly pulverizing the soil and
keeping the surface stirred often to
hold the moisture. With deep,
loose soil ana sufficient moisture
large quantities of fertilizers can be
used profitably. The shallower the
soil, the less vegetable matter and
moisture, proportionately less fertil-
izers can be used with profit. We
have known cases where the vegeta-
BILE conditions were such that the fer
tiliZer used was clear loss and 1t
was no fault with the fertilizers.
This would be the case where the
land was not sufficiently pulverized
before planting and an unusually dry
season followed Amy times | have
seen the fertilizer undissolved by the
soil moisture when the land was
turned after the crop was taken off.
We have been told by farmers that
the continued use Of fertilizer would
kill land. That is not true, but land
can be fortified year after year and
the entire crop taken off with no
form of vegetable matter returned to
the soil and it will lose it's loose
loamy condition, it will break up |
hard and cloddy, it will not retain |
moisture, but the same would happen
If the fertilizer were not used, not |
sc fast perhaps, but smaller crops
would be made in the meantime.
Commercial fertilizers alone will
not build up land unless vegetable |
matter is turned under. They can
be used profitably to build up soil, If |
done intelligentF to stimulate the
growth of vegetable matter to turn
under.
We said at the beginning Of this
talk that barnyard manure was the
best fertilizer because in addition to
the plant food. it has the humus and
the bacteria as well. When proper
" worked into the soil, it will al
ways give satisfactory returns.
Much as 1t is needed you can visit !;