Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1913-01-08
't'"t"'S' 'S'"3''ss
! DEGE9Y !
/, OF EXPERIMENT STATION y
= BULLETINS. i
!" Prepared Weekly for Z
THE KEOWEE COURIER :
: BY ]. Linn Ladd. =.

Observation-Disclosures 'S''S'"s'.S..s..S..S..S.'
More Wisd, ~ on Fertilizers.

More WisdCr( on Fertilizers.
The last Digest summarized ferti-
lizer bulletins issued by the expert
ment stations OF Michigan, Califor-
MIA and Vermont. Now comes to
hand Circular No. 165 issued by the
Illinois Station, in which DR.. G. G.
Hopkins answers questions put to
him by a farmer who says that the
necessity of conservation of soil fer
tility is rapidly increasing the use of
sres to know if a complete fertilizer
should be used in tho corn belt
States, and especially what can be
recommended to a tenant who rents
by the year and wants to use a quick
ly acting fertilizer that will yield
him the largest results in the first
crop and leave little of it's value in
the soil for the benefit Of the next
tenant the following year.
In answering these questions DR..
Hopkins is quite severe on the ferti-
lizer trust, or combine of fertilizer
manufacturers, whom he accuses of
hoodwinking the farmers of the corn
belt by launching "The Middle West
Soil Improvement Committee"
whose name is calculated to lead the
farmers to believe that 1t Is a farm
ers' movement; whereas, it origi-
mated with the manufacturers, Is sup
ported by them and operates in their
mittee publishes a magazine called
plant Food" in which all farmers,
regardless Of whether their soil is
clay, loan, or sand, new or old, are
advised to use a complete fertilizer.
The ordinary complete fertilizer Is
made by mixing one ton each Of
ground phosphate rock and sulphuric
acid with little potash salts and nj
trogen and nearly two tons of some
cheap filler, making four tons Of
complete" fertilizer. Now, as
rule, the lands Of the corn belt con-
tain an abundance OF potash and can
be given unlimited quantities Of nj
trogen by growing legumes upon
them in rotation; so that phosphoric
acid is the only element that needs
to be applied. The trust sells It's
complete" fertilizer at $2S5O
ton, or $114 for the four tons made
as above outlined. Yet these four
tons contain only the phosphoric
acid in the one ton Of ground phos-
phate rock which any farmer can
buy for 81 delivered at his railroad
station, and the other $107 paid the
trust in order to get this much phos-
phate in the four tons of complete"
fertilizer Is little better than money
thrown away.
However, DR.. Hopkins says ground
phosphate rock, not treated with sui
phuric acid, is not so readily solu-
bic as to give up all it's virtue TO the
first crop; therefore a tenant who
does not expect to farm the same
land next year had better purchase
finely ground acid phosphate or fine
bone meal, which are more eXpen-
sive, but quicker in action.
DR.. Hopkins quotes results Of
many cooperative tests made in va
rious counties in Indiana as we'll as
Illinois, all going to show that in
every case the cheaper phosphate
gave better results than the com
plcto" fertilizers.
Or. Hopkins analyses several bull
letins issued by the fertilizer trusts
fake "Middle West Soil Improvement
Committee" so as to expose the
adroit deceptions concealed in the,
plausible tables.
The Ohio station reports that
where the "complete" fertilizer in
creased the yield Of corn 5 R bush
els per acre and the yield Of hay 535
pounds per acre, the same quantity
of steamed bone meal, costing the
same price per ton as the complete"
fertilizer, increased the corn yield
! bushels per acre and the yield of
hay 1900 pounds per acre. If a
tenant who pays his landlord half
the crop had used the complete"
fertilizer he would have gotten in
his half Of the increased yield Of
crop just about what the fertilizer
cost him: but If he had used the
bone meal his half Of tho inrrnoeo