The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1913-06-20
Talks to Farmers

meTclal ternllZer tnat tney Qlu not
get the results they expected are
numerous and the user thinks it is
all because the fertilizer is not what
the manufacturers claim for it. In
some cases this might be true. but
in the majority of cases it has been
/ found that the user was to blame.
Fertilizers can be intelligehtly used
with profit While that is true.
many thousands of tons are used in
Tennesst each year without any
profitable results to the crops and
in some eases a direct loss, while in
either case the fertilizer with intel
ligent Use under proper conditions
would have given satisfactory lesults.
Users of commercial fertilizers
have noticed when turning land in
the fall that it has been worked in
some summer crop and fertilizer
hid been used in the drills, the fer.
tilizer would be found undissolved
in the drills after the growing sea-
son when the fall turning was done.
That undissolved fertilizer did the
crop grown no good and it is prob
able that want of moisture caused
the fertilizer to cause the plant
leaves to fire.
No doubt the fertilizer had all
the plant food in it that was claim
ed for it. but there was not enough
moisture in the soil to make the
plant food available for the plant.
have in former Talks to Farmers"
explained how the plants take up
their food through the little hairy
roots they send out to hunt for it.
These roots will not penetrate dry
clods and extract unavaila BILE plant
food. Their food must be in liquid
form. There must be moi ture in
the soil to make it available
Now farmers there are few sim
pie things you must know and that
you can easily understand to get the
value of your money put in fertilizer
for plant food. First, we must
have moisture for the plant during
the growing season, We can have
an abundance of moisture any sea-
SOC for any crop if we will begin in
time. We cannot get it SO long as
we pillow from two to four inches
You must have a reservoir to hold
the moisture. A deep soil with an
abundance of vegetable matter in it
makes the b st reservoir. You
know where land has been plowed
shallow for years a hard pan forms
under the loose soil that rain will
not penetrate, so when the few inch
es of soil get wet the surplus water
runs off and takes with it your
plant food. If we want to use COM
mercial fertilizers profitable we must
have moisture and we need only
apply fertilizer in proportion to the
moisture to make it available. Now
is splendid time to plan for fall
work. II youBwill select now the
land for next summers money crop,
get some peas or soy beans on the
land this summer; at the right
time this fall, turn under the green
crop and follow in the furrow of the
turning pillow with a slfbsoil pillow;
If you can do this in time to prepare
the ground and put in a cover crop
for winter do so. In the spring
turn under the cover crop and as
you do so keep the pulverizing har-
row close up with the pillow, do not
let your ground dry out cloddy.
Keep pulverizing the soil until you
get a good seed bed. If you use
commercial fertilizers, begin with |
small amount per acre and you can
increase the amount per acre as you
get more vegetable matter (humus)
in your soil to hold the moisture to
dissolve the plant food in the in. +
creased amount of fertilizer.
The Department of Agriculture is
looking after the manufacturers of
fertilizers to keep the
quality of their product up to heir
claims tor it and we are succeeding
we'll, but cur most important NY
s to get the farmer to understand
low to get his soil in the right con-
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