Greene County herald. (Leakesville, Miss.) 1898-current, 1913-01-24
FOR THE
LANDS SAKE
BY E. [. McINNIS.
PROFITABLE USE OF COMMERCIAL
FERTILIZER.
BY E. [. McINNIs.

| with indifference, but the success at
tanned by practical farmers and, the en-
dorsement given by our experiment sta
tions show conclusively that commercial
plant food plays an important part in
crop production in this section. The
larger portion of our lands are not nat
Hrally rich in plant food; however. they
improve rapidly under proper teatment
and respond admirably to the use ofycom-
mercial fertilizers. This beng true the
farmer should constantly study soil inn
provement and learn the conditions under
which the use of commercial fertilizers
will be profitable.
From the farmers standpoint there
are four important plant food elements
to be considered, namely; nitrogen, phos-
phoric acid, potash and calcium. OF
these nitrogen is the most important, be-
cause its chief function is to produce n
vigorous, healthy plant. 1t is the first
element TO become exhausted, because It
undergoes transformation quickly and is
easily lost, either by escaping into the
air or by teaching. Nitrogen is also the
moot expensive plant food we have to
buy, costing at least four times as much
per pound as any of the other elements.
Phosphoric acid is next in Importance.
1t has to do with the formation of the
seed and grain, or fruit, and hastens
maturity. The plant could not possibly
put on any fruit without the aid of
phosphoric acid; so you see the neces-
sity of having liberal supply available
when needed.
Potash is the third important ele-
ment 1t aids in building and develop
ing the stalk structure, in distributing
the starch to all parts of The plant and
in the formation of the feshy parts of
fruits. Its aid is essential and shere
must be an available supply present in
the soil or plant life win cease to exist.
Calcium, which is constituent of
lime, is used for improving the mechan-
zeal condition of the soil, correcting acid
ity, stimulating bacterial life and set
ting free unavailable forms of plant
food. Nearly all of our lands are de-
fcient in lime and doubtless many of
them are acid. A good application of
lime would not only help the mechanical
condition of the soil, but would prove
big factor in increasing the crop yield.
The farmer should study the relation
these elements bear to plant life and
maintain, as nearly as possible, equilib-
rum between the plant and the soil. A
close observation of the growing crops,
together with practical experimental test
conducted on the farm, should give one
good idea of the needs of the soil and
the benefits derived by supplying the
deficient element.
The amount of plant food contained
in . crop removed from an acre of land
will show the necessity of rotation and
heavy fertilization. According to DR..
Soule, thirty bushels of corn and stover
remove from the soil about As pounds
of nitrogen, Is pounds of phosphoric acid
and As pounds of potash. Seventy bush
els of corn with the stover remove from
the soil 80 pounds of nitrogen, As pounds
phosphorus acid and IS pounds of potash.
A bale of cotton with the seed will re-
move % pounds of nitrogen, pounds of
phoric acid and IS pounds of potash.
Thirty bushels of oats with the straw
will remove about % pounds of nitro
gen, 10 pounds of phosphoric acid and
81 pounds of potash.
From these figures il is seen that
crops remove from the soil considerable
amounts of plant food. Compare the
total amount of plant food removed by
one of these crops with the amount sup
piled by an application of $50 or $50
pounds of the average fertilizer used by
the Mississippi farmer to soil where
deep blowing, good cultivation, crop ro-l
tation, turSing under of green crops and
the use of yard manure has been neg
lected for years and you will readily
understand why the yield has decreased
year by year. It is very evident that
change in methods of farming must
come. Too many farmers have believed
that the application of few pounds
of fertilizer was all that was necessary
to produce crop. Fertilizers alone
never produced q crop for anyone, nor
never will; though, under proper condi-
tions, they may be used with remark
able success.
To get the proper returns from an ap-
plication of commercial fertilizer, GER
tain requirements must be met. The
land must be deeply broken, if clayey in
character it should be subsoiled. This
deep blowing is necessary, for the soil
should absorb and hold the rainfall, and
I it must contain enough water at all
times to dissolve the plant food and
carry the crop through the dry spells.
Where land is broken only three or four
inches deep it cannot hold the required
moisture The soil must contain plenty
Of vegetable matter, must be open and
porous so the air and heat of the sun
can penetrate considerable depth. This
!: .sant;al &C many forms of nitrogen