Condon globe. (Condon, Gilliam Co., Or.) 189?-1919, 1913-08-22

small. Besides. the constituents con
tanned IN such manures. being In part
but slowly available. are less useful
than tho more active forms contained
In commercial fertlllzlng materiala.
Market garden crops are In sense
artificial crops and. as a rule. need
artificial supplies Of plant food.
Fruit culture. an industry OF grow
Ing importance. * profitable, particU.
larry on the poorer soils near the east
ern markets. largely In proportion 10
the amounts Of the mineral elements
applied In excess Of those contained in
soils otherwise. well adapted 10 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 aud
vineyards.
II will he thus seen that commercial
fertilizers can be used most advan-
tageously either in reinforcing farm
manures In general or In providing
generous supply OF quickly available
plant food In specialized. intensive
farming. II should be the aim In ap.
plying such fertilizers 30 supplement
rather than TO replace entirely the
manurial resources of the farm. for
the best results from their application
may De secured only on soils well
stocked with organic matter thumusD,
u material that can be maintained In
the soil only by the systematic appll.
cation OF the bulky barnyard or 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 arc known as essen.
tinl" fertiliZing constituents. and the
value OF commercial fertilizer is de-
termined almost exclusively by the
amount and form of the nitrogen,
phosphorlc acid and potash which 1t
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 formation or
TO their management and cropping. A
sandy soil is usually deficient in all
the essential plant food constituents
nitrogen. phospboric acid and potash
while clayey soil usually contains
the mineral elements in abundance,
particularly potash. On the other
hand. soil very rich In vegetable
matter is frequently deficient In min
cral matter, while limestone soil Is
likely TO contain considerable proper
lions OF phosphoric acid.
These are the indications in a gen.
eral way, and they explain why 1t 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 single crop requiring for
its growth proportionately more of one
of the essential elements than of an
other Is grown year after year. and 1t
may be that the element required IL
fhn fhnt nyiStc In tha in a-k
quantity.
On the other hand. crops may DO
grown that demand but minimum
amounts of the element In question.
Summarizing the conclusions of sci
ence and practical experience in regar;
to the use Of commercial fertilizers, 1t
may be said:
First - Commercial fertilizers are
mainly valuable because they furnish
the elements - nitrogen, phosphorlc
acid and potash-which serve as food.
not as stimulants.
Second.-The kind of farming In tho
past and the demands for special prod.
ucts in the present make their use nee
essary In profitable farming.
Third.-In order to use them protlta.
bly, the farmer should know
(al That nitrogen, phosphoric acid
and potash are the essential manurial
constituents.
(b) That the agricultural value Of
these constituents depends largely
upon their chemical form.
(cl That these forms are contained
in specific products of well defined
character and 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
fertilizer bears no strict relation to
the commercial value, The one is do
termined by soil, crop and climatic
conditions, the other by market and
trade conditions only.
Fifth.-The variations In the compo.
sition and value of manufactured fer
tilizers 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 q
safe guide In the purchase Of these
Y