Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1913-10-17
HOME: COURSE
IN SCIENTIFIC
AGRICULTURE
FOURTEENTH ARTICLE.
COMMERCIAL FER
TILIZERS.
By EDWARD B. VOORHEES,, late Director
of the New Jersey Agricultural
Experiment Stations.

OF greater Importance to the
n practical farmer than that of
soil fertility. 70 prudCcp prof
liable crops and ut the same time to
maintain and even to increase the pro
ductive capacity of the soil uily rightly
be termed good farming" Many
farmers are able To do this. and the
knowledge of how to "a ii has been
largely acquired through years of eX-
perience. during which the character
of the soil. its adaptability for crops
and the methods of its management
and manur.ng have been made sub
jects of careful study. without. however.
any definite and accurate knowledge
concerning mamures and their func-
tons in relation to soils and crops
Experience il IN excellent teacher. Still
definite Knowledge of the fundameu
tai principles may he substituted for
years of experience in the successful
use Of NATURES.
The fertility of the soil would re
main practically unchanged If all the
ingredients removed in the various
farm products were restored to the
land This is to a large extent accom-
plished by feeding the crops grown on
the farm to animals, carefully saving
the manure and returning it to the
soil. and where it is practicable to pnr-
sue system of stock feeding in which
those products of the farm which are
comparatively poor in fertiliZing con
stituents are exchanged in the market
for feeding stuffs of high fertilizing
value the loss Of soil fertility may be
reduced to a minimum. or there may
be an actual gain in fertility.
A careful study of the present condi
ton Of farming in the United States in
dicates, however, that as rule the
manure produced on the farm is not
sufficient to maintain its fertility and
that the need for artificial supplies is
real. though the amount required may
be considerably reduced by careful
management.
In the system Of SO called "grain
farming" which has obtained over
/. large areas Of this country for a long
time and is still practiced. the live
stock is often limited to number suf-
ficient only to the needs Of the farm
for labor and food The grain IL sold
and the manure IL made up chiefly of
the natural wastes or unsuitable ma
terial. such AS straw. stalks. etc. The
grain contains proportionately greater
amounts Of nitrogen and mineral con-
stituents than these wastes. Hence the
practice continued for "A long time re-
suits not only In a deficiency in the soil
of organic substances containing nitro
gen. but also Ia an exhaustion Of the
mineral substances. The original char
acter of the soil and its treatmen,
measure the rate Of exhaustion. The
less fertile soils Of the east and south
are rapidly depleted. while the rich
prsiiries and river bottoms maintain
their fertility for longer period.
The continuous cotton and tobacco
growing Of the south and the wheat
growing Of the west are even more
exhaustive. since here the demands
upon the soil are not changed. Year
after year the same crop is grown
and the same kind and proportion of
constituents are required. while even
slighter returns are made In the way
of manure than in the system of farm
ing just described Under such con
ditions the decomposition of the or
ganic matter in the soil is accompa,
MED by prolmrtiolIateiy greater losses
Of nitrogen Moreover. the land is left
bare for a large part of the year. and
its fertility is thereby still further de
creased. The crops become less abun-
dant each year. not because the soil is
far exhausted of those constituents
essential to the special crop grown that
Its production is no longer profitable.
Changed conditions Of farming.
which have an important bearing on
this point. are. first. increased cost of
labor and lower prices Of many Of the
products of one crop farming. and.
second an increasing demand for ular
ket garden products and fruit. For
example. IN growing wheat. the labor
of prparin. the soil of sowing and of
harvesting is practically the same
whether the yield is ten bushels per
acre or thirty bushels. and the same Is
trne of Il number of other crops: hence
In case of the larger yield the cost of
labor per bushel is materially reduced
Meager crops Of a relatively low value
cannot he produced protitably with
high priced labor. Soils of high de
gree of fertility are required in order
TO produce large Yields of these crops
The return to the soil of only the
wastes of the farm leads sooner or
later to Il decreased fertility. however
good the management may he: hence
the need If supplies of plant food from
sources outside the farm in order thar
ma Xinluni rro'is may he produced
II has hrpn demonstrated in the case
OF market garden crops that even very
fertile soils rontain too little availa bic
food 10 insure IL maximum production.
This is ,'sDeially true whore rapidity
OF growth earlineSs and high quality