The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1913-06-13
Use Of COMMERCIAL
FERTILIZER CAN Be
MADE PROFITABLE
.,o,s7uRE SUFFICIENT TO DIS
SOLVE THE FERTILIZER IS
NECESSARY.
MIST Il HAVE A RESERVOIR
Inv to Prepare the Soil for the Con-
..rvaton OF the Moisture for the
Best Advantage Of the Fer
tIlizers.
Nv Capt. T. F. Peck, Commissioner
of AGriculture.l


of Agriculture.)
Comnlaints ficm users of CONNER
c,al fertilizer that they did not get
the results they expected are numer-
ms and the user thinks 1t is all be-
cause the fertilizer is not what the
manufacturer claims for it. In some
cases this might be true, but in the
majority of cases it has been found
that the user was to blame. Fertiliz-
ets can be intelligently used with
nroft. While that is true, many
tbousands of tons are used in Ten
nessee each year without any profit
able results to the crops and in some
cases a direct loss, while in either
case the fertilizer with intelligent
use under proper conditions would
have given satisfactory results.
Users of commercial fertilizers
have noticed when turning land in
the fall that II has been worked in
some summer crop and fertilizer
had been used IN the drills, the fer
tlizer would be found undissolved in
the drills after the growing season
when the fail turning was done. That
undssolved fertilizer did the crop
grown no good and it is probable that
want of moisture caused the fertiliz-
err to cause the plant leaves to fire.
No doubt the fertilizer had all the
plant food Ia it that was claimed for
it, but there was not enough moisture
in the soil to make the plant food
available for the plant. / have in
former Talks to Farmers explain
ed how the PLANTS take up their food
through the little hairy roots they
send out to aunt for it. These roots
will not penetrate dry clods and ex-
tract unavailable plant food. Their
food must be in liquid form. There
must be moisture in the soil to make
it available.
Now farmers. there are few sim
pie things ycu must know and that
YOU can easily understand to get the
value of Jour money put in fertilizer
for plant food First, we must lave
moisture for the plant during the
growing season. We can have ar
abundance Of moisture any season
for any crop if we will begin in time
We cannot ge, ii so long as we ploW
from two to four inches. You mus
have reservoir to hold the moisture
A deep soil with an abundance o
vegetable matter in IT makes the bes
reservoir. You know where land hal
been plowed shallow Tor years lar'
pan forms u!.der the loose soil tina
rain will not penetrate, so when tn
few inches Of soil get wet the SUI
plus water IONS off and takes witt
it your plant food. If we want to us
commercial fertilizer prof1tably w
must have moisture and we need onl,
apply fertilizer in proportion to tn
moisture to make it available. fIov
is a splendid time to plan for fal
work. If you will select now the Ian
for next summers money crops, ge
some peas Oh soy beans on the Ian
this summer: at the right time thi
fall turn Under the green crop an
follow in the furrow of the turnin
pillow with a suhsoil plow; If you ca
do this in time to prepare the groun
and put in a cover crop for winte
do so. In the spring turn under tn
cover crop and as you do so keep tn
pulverizing barrow close up with tn
pillow, do not lei your ground dry OF
cloddy Keep pulverizing the so
until you get good seed bed.
you use commercial fertilizers, b.
gin with a snail amount per. acre an
You can increase the amount per acr
as you get more vegetable matte
(humus) in Your soil to hold tn
moisture to dissolve the plant food
the increased amount Of fertilizer.