The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1913-10-23

farm manures Available Il much too
small Besides. the constituents con-
taine4i Ii such .manures. being II part
but slowly available. are less useful
than the more active forms contained
In commercial fertilfzIng materials.
Market garden crops are In sense
artificial crops and. ~ rule. need
artificial supplies OF plant food.
Fruit culture. m industry Of grow
Ing importance. Is profitable. particu.
larry on the poorer soils near the east
ern markets. largely in prolor ian 10
the amounts Of the mineral elements
applied In excess OF those contained In
soils otherwise well adapted t, the
crops. a proper supply Of fDod not
only enables the trees to resist unf,
vorable conditions. but improves the
quality OF the fruit and prolon%s tn
bearing period Of the orchards and
vineyards.
It will he thus seen that commercial
fertilizers can be used most advan
tngenisly either In reinforcing farm
inanures In general or Iii providing n
generous supply Of quickly avni:able
plant food in specialized. intensive
farming. 1t should be the aim Ia ap
plying such fertilizers to supplement-
rather than to replace entirely the
mannrial resources Of the farm. for
the hest results from their application
may he secured only on soils well
stocked with organic matter ,hnnus,
Il material that can be maintained III
the soil only by the systematic appli
cation OF the bulky barnyard or green
manures
Nitrogen. phosphoric acid and potash
are the constituents most likely to b.
deficient in soils or most quickly ex
hansted by the production and removal
OF crops. They arc known MS essen
tiai' fertiiizing constituents, and thu
value OF u commercial fertilizer Is de-
terinined almost exclusively by the
amount and form OF the nitrogen
ph0spi,oric acid and potash which !,
contains. It does not follow. however.
that all soils or crops will respond
equally 10 applications Of materials
containing these elements. tor the
needs Of soils and the requirements Of
crons yarv.
Soils differ m to their need. for
specific fertility clements. owing Ell
Their to their method OF formation or
70 their manarement and. crnru,ins 4
sandy soil IL us,,alIv deficient IN all
the essential plant food constituents
nitropcn, nhosnhoric acid npd n,ta Oh
while 4 clavev soil nsnaiIv contains
tha mineral clemens. a abundance
particulnriy potash. On the other
hand. ! soil verv rich in vegetable
matter q frennently dencienf a min.
er,l mntter. While as-lime.to,e anil 4
nkclv 10 contain cons,tleralie snronor.
lions ~ nhoenhor,c acid
These are the Indications in \ gen.
eral way. md they explain why II il
TINT different kind. of aoiI tl,at have
NOT been crowned difYer NJ - their
need Of fhe li1rerent fertilizinr cnn
.tftuentx.
Methods Of manaeement and cron
ming nlso EXERT nm influence For *.
ample. soils Of ennal m tnral fertility
NAV NOT respond. enuallv ia uniform
methods of fertilization. because n.
the one cnse n single crop rennirinr for
its growth nronortionafeiv moro ~ nnc
az fhe essential elements than az mn.
other IA grown war affer venr and /,
NAV be that the element required is
the one that exists. n the soil II least
quantity.
On the other hand. cronu nav h
grown that demand hut minimun,
amounts OF the element N nuestion
Summarizing the conclusions IL sci.
ence and practical experience In regard
to the use Of commercial fertilizers. II
NAV he said:
First . Commercial fertilizers are
mainly valuable because they furnish,
the elements s nitrogen. phosphoric
acid and Dotash-which serve AS food.
not as stfmnlants.
Second.-The Kind Of farming IN the
past and the dema nda for xDecial prpI.
ucts In the present make their use nee.
essary In profltable farming
Third.-In order to use them prof,tn.
bly, the farmer should know
(al That nitrogen. phosphoric acid
and potash are the essential manurial
constituents.
Oh That the agricultural value Of
these constituents depends largely
upon their chemical form:
q, That these forms are contained
in specific products Of well defined