The bee., 1913-11-07

A Good Growth Of Sweet Glover VIII
Within the last few years raw
ground phosphate rock has come into
use, more or less extensively, in some
sections OF the country in the improve
ment of soils deficient in phosphorus
Formerly II was thought TO be useless
as a material for direct application to
the soil. II was thought that the only
means for making II available was
to convert ii into acid phosphate OF
superphosphate by treating IL with
sulfuric acid This belief arose from
the fact that farmers generally applied
II in small quantities. perhaps in the
hill, on soils that had become unprC.
ductive and deficient in organic mat
ter. Under such conditions, little OF
no results were obtained the first year,
and its use was discontinued and the
material was pronounced worthless
Acid phosphate used in similar man
ner under similar conditions generally
gives more or less profitable returns
the first year Hence there has grown
up the practice OF small annual apph
cations OF acid phosphate or the 30
called complete fertilizers" of which
acid phosphate is the chief constituent
"a practice that does not, as a rule
take into account the permanent fer
tility Of the soil.
In recent years, however, expert
ments have been conducted at nun
Der of Experiment Stations. notably
Illinois and Ohio, which show that the
ase Of raw phosphate rock under prop
or conditions Is As profitable as the
nse OF acid phosphate.
Raw phosphate should be used In
rather large applications, in connec-
hon with organic matter, either in the
form OF manure, crop residues or
green manure crops. A reasonable ap
plication is 1000 to 1000 pounds per
tour years, the practice to be kept up
until the soil is supplied with a fair
content of phosphorus. II the crops
are fed and the manure Is carefully
saved and returned to the soil. when
applications amounting to three tons
per acre have been made to the aver
age farming lands outside the blue
grass region. they will contain fairly
good supply of phosphorus.
Raw phosphate rock can generally
be bought delivered at most places in
Kentucky for So to So per ton. The
above applications viii be found no
more expensive than the use of small
amounts of complete fertilizers and II
used in good crop rotations which pro
vide organic matter and contain le
gumes sufficient to keep up the nitro
gen supply, will give more profitable
results.
A good practice is to apply the raw
phosphate In connection with manure
il may be sprinkled in the stable as
the manure accumulates, using about
. pint per day per animal; or 1t may
be put on the manure as II Is being
hauled out, layer Of manure being
put down In the wagon or spreader
then the proper amount Of raw phos-
plate In turn. With this method, 1t Is
much better to use the manure spread
er In order TO get an even distribution.
Another satisfactory method is to
apply the material broadcast to be
plowed in with sod or green manure
crop. The standard practice with the
Kentucky Experiment Station is to APP
ply the material on the sod which is TO
be turned for corn However done,
the application should be made on the
unplowed ground and thoroughly disk
ed in and then plowed under. The
thorough distribution Of the material
is a very important consideration.
The Kentucky Experiment Station
has compared acid phosphate and rock
phosphate on an extremely worn red
clay limestone soil near Burnside, KY,
for the past i've years. Potash salts
we're used with both ferns In order