The citizen. [volume] (Berea, Ky.) 1899-1958, 1913-07-03

thTIn tnhnureN hNhflhDle II muCn 100
small. Besides. the constituents con-
tained In such manures. being In part
/ but slowly available. are less useful
than the more pctIve forms contained
In commercial fertillzing materials.
Market garden crops are In sense
artificial crops and. as n rule. need
artificial supplies OF plant food.
Fruit culture. an industry OF grow
Ing Importance. Il profitable, particu-
larry on the poorer soils near the east
ern markets largely In proportion TO
the amounts OF the mineral elements
applied In excess Of those contained In
soils otherwise well adapted to the
crops. A proper supply OF food not
only enables the trees to resist unfa-
vorable conditions. but improves the
quality OF the fruit and prolongs the
bearing period OF the orchards and
vineyards
II will be thus seen that commercial
fertilizers can be used most advan-
tageously either In reinforcing farm
manures In general or In providing a
generous supply OF quickly available
plant food In specialized. intensive
Warming. IL should be the aim In ap-
plying such fertilizers to supplement
rather than to replace entirely the
\ manurial resources OF the farm, for
the best results from their application
may be secured only on soils well
stocked with organic matter (humus),
material that can be maintained I'm
the soil only by the systematic appli-
cation Of the bulky barnyard OF green
manures
| Nitrogen. phosphoric acid and potash
are the constituents most likely to be
deficient In soils or most quickly ex-
hausted by the production and removal
OF crops. They are known as essen
uaF fertilizing constituents, and the
value OF a commercial fertilizer Is de
termined almost exclusively by the
amount and form Of the nitrogen,
phosphoric arid and potash which It
contains II does not follow. however,
that all soils or crops will respond
equally TO applications OF materials
containing these elements. for the
needs OF soils and the requirements of
crops vary.
Soils differ as TO their needs for
specific fertility elements. owing ell
ther to their method OF forma ton or
TO their management and cropping. A
sandy soil In usually deficient In all
the essential plant food constituents
nitrogen. phosphoric acid and potash
while n clayey soil usually contains
the mineral elements In abundance.
particularly potash. On the other
hand. soil very rich In vegetable
matter II frequently deficient In min
eral matter. while n limestone soil Is
likely to contain considerable proper
tons OF phosphoric acid
These are the indications In a gen
eral way. and they explain why II Is
that different kinds OF soil that have
not been cropped differ as TO their
need OF the different fertilizing con-
stituents.
Methods OF management and crop
ping also exert an influence. For ex-
ample. soils OF equal natural fertility
may not respond equally TO uniform
methods Of fertilization. because In
the one case a single crop requiring for
Its growth proportionately more OF one
Of the essential elements than OF an
other Is grown year after year. and It
may be that the element required is
the one that exists In the soil In least
quantity
On the other hand. crops may be
grown that demand but minimum
amounts OF the element In question.
Summarizing the conclusions OF sci
ence and practical experience In regard
TO the use OF commercial fertilizers, II
may he said;
First - Commercial fertilizers are
mainly valuable because they furnish
the elements - nitrogen. phosphoric
acid and potash-which serve as food.
not as stimulants.
Second.-The kind OF farming In the
past and the demands for special prod
ucts In the present make their use nee
essnry In profitable farming.
Thlrd.-In order 10 use them profita-
bly, the farmer should know
Nul ihit uiuos'u, puoSpuoIlC dclu
and potash are the essential manurial
constituents.
~ That the agricultural value OF
these constituents depends largely
upon their chemical form.
(cl That these forms are contained
In specific products OF a well defined
character aud composition and may be
purchased as such from dealers and
manufacturers and may be mixed sue
cessfully on the farm.
Fourth. The agricultural value OF n
fertilizer bears no strict relation TO
the COMMERCIAL value. The one is de-
termined by soil. crop and climatic
conditions. the other by market and
uade conditions only.
Fifth.-The variations In the compo-
sition and value OF manufactured fer
tillzers which contain the three essen
tial constituents are due TO variations
In the character and In the proportion
OF the materials used.
Sixth.-The ton basis alone Is not
safe guide In the purchase OF these
commercial fertilizers. Low ton prices
mean either low content OF good forms