The Mena weekly star., 1913-01-16
BUYING FERTILIZERS
John H. Page, in Weekly Letter, Makes Valuable Suggestions
 to Farmers.

Little Rock, Jan. 9.-Commission- CT John H. Page has just issued the following bulletin on fertilizer, en- titled Know the Fertilizer You Need Before You Buy:
 The three important constituents of a commercial fertilizer are nj trogen, phosphate and potash. Each of these supply a different kind of organic matter and often a com bination will work the best result. Oftentimes we have to resort to green manures Qegumes), or stable manures, or to deeper cultivation to restore fertility. However, there are a few land marks by which one may detect the lack of any partic- ular element.
 Generally speaking, crops grown on soils poor in decaying vegetables matter (humus), are, as rule, benefited by application of nitro genous manures. A sandy soil is us ually deficient in all the essential plant food constituents, nitrogen, phosphoric acid and potash. When a plant looks strong and vigorous, has a good stalk and foliage, it is well supplied with nitrogen. For average and poor soils nitrogen is necessary, applied either through the form of legumes or commercial fertilizer. Black soils are generally rlnnltnnfixfn xynt n well-drained black bottoms. It is because they have plenty of or ganic matter in the form of humus.
 You will observe the need of phosphoric acid when the stalk and foliage is good, but the date of ma turity late, and the fruit smaller than you would expect, to judge from the stalk. Crops grown on soils we'll supplied with decaying vegetable matter are benefited by phosphates and potash. Upon heavy soils phosphates are likely to be more beneficial than nitrogen, while the reverse is the case on light, dry soil %-
 ;. A clayey soil usually contains the mineral elements (phosphorus and potash) in abundance, particularly potash. On the other hand, a soil very rich in vegetable matter is frequently deficient in mineral mat ter, while a limestone soil is like ly to contain considerable propor- ton of phosph0ric acid. Thin, dry, humus-hungry soils need a phos- phate, acid phosphate preferably. On the other hand, when the same land is we'll supplied with vegetable matter, ground rock phosphate IS as good and much cheaper.
 If you take piece of soil to plant cotton and there is found to be a red clay foundation, and cot ton on this particular spot has not been given to blight or rust, and when planted in corn. the ears fill out fine and full, you may know that that soil does not need potash. Potash is a sort of blood purifier Almost all of our hill lands need potash. All sandy soils are, as rule, deficient in potash, while clayey soils contain potash in larger quantities. Space will not permi, a description of each soil and the fertilizer that soil requires
 The important thing is, know something at least about what your soil needs before you invest in fer tilizer. Write Dr. c. F. Adams, Fayetteville, Ark, or this depart ment, for formulas for various crops. If you can spare the money have some good chemist analyze your soil. If you cannot do this write Prof. Milton Whitney, Bu- reau of Soils, Washington, D. C., for his bulletin on How to Tell What You Soil Needs"