Iron County record. [volume] (Cedar City, Utah) 1893-1982, 1914-01-16

tanned In such manures, being In part
but slowly available. are less useful
than the more active forms contained
In commercial fertilizing materials.
Market garden crops are In a sense
artificial crops and. as rule, need
artificial supplies of plant food
Fruit culture. an industry OF grow.
ing Importance, is profitable, particu-
larry on the poorer soils near the east
ern markets, largely In proportion to
| the amounts OF the mineral elements
applied In excess of those contained In
soils otherwise well adapted to the
crops. A proper supply Of food not
only enables the trees to resist unfa.
vorable conditions, but improves the
quality of the fruit and prolongs the
bearing period Of the orchards and
| vineyards.
IL will be thus seen that commercial
fertilizers can be used most advan-
tageously either in reinforcing farm
manures In general or IN providing a
generous supply Of quickly available
plant food In specialized, Intensive
farming. 1t should be the aim In ap.
| plying such fertilizers to supplement
| rather than tn replace entirely the
manurial resources OF the farm, for
| the best results from their application
may be secured only on soils well
stocked with organic matter thumus),
a material that can be maintained In
/ 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 10 be
deficient In soils or most quickly ex-
hausted by the production and removal
OF crops They arc known as "essen-
tial' fertilizing constituents, and the
value of commercial fertilizer Is de-
termlned almost exclusively by the
amount and form of the nitrogen,
| phosphoric acid and potash which 1t
contains. 1t does not follow, however,
that all soils or crops will respond
equally to applications Of materials
containing these elements, for the
needs Of soils and the requirements OF
crops vary.
Soils differ as to their needs for
specific fertility elements. owing ell
Their to their method of formation or
to their management and cropping. A
sandy soil Is usually deficient In all
the essential plant food constituent
nitrogen, phosphoric acid and potash
while clayey soil usually contains
the mineral elements in abundance,
particularly potash. On the other
hand, a soil very rich In vegetable
matter is frequently deficient In min.
eral matter, while limestone soil Is
likely to contain considerable proper
tons OF phosphoric acid.
These are the indications in a gen.
eral way, and they explain why 1t Is
that different kinds of soil that hare
not been cropped differ as to thar
need of the different fertilizing CT
stituents.
il Methods OF management AMI G! \
ping also exert AN inaueiftE BorA tr
4 -ampIe. soils Of equal natural fert1 r.
may not respond equally to unifofG
methods of fertilization, because u
the one case single crop requiring FOL
Its growth proportionately more of ons
Of the essential elements than of an
other is grown year after year, and 4
may be that the element required Il
the one that exists In the soil in leas
quantity.
On the other hand, crops may b,
grown that demand but minimum
amounts of the element I'm question
Summarizing the conclusions of sci
ence and practical experience In regar'
TO the use of commercial fertilizers,
may be said:
First. = Commercial fertilizers ar
mainly valuable because they furnis
the elements = nitrogen. phosphori
acid and potash-which serve as foot
not as stimulants.
Second.-The kind of farming in tn
past and the demands for special proc
, ucts In the present make their use ne,
essary in profitable farming.
Third.-lD order to use them profits
bly, the farmer should know
la) That nitrogen, phosphate aci
and potash are the essential manuri,
constituents.
(b) That the agricultural value {
these constituents depends largel
upon their chemical form.
! (c) That these forms are containe
In specific products of a well define
character and composition and may
purchased as such from dealers an
manufacturers and may be mixed su
cessfully on the farm.
Fourth.-The agricultural value of
fertilizer bears no strict relation
7 the commercial value. The one is d
termined by soil, crop and climat
conditions, the other by market al
trade conditions only.
Fifth.-The variations In the comp
sition and value of manufactured Re
tilizers which contain the three esse
! tial constituents are due TO variation
In tho character and In the proportiC
! OF the materials used.
Sixth.-The ton basis alone Is not
safe guide In the purchase OF the
. commercial fertilizers. Low ton pric
: mean either low content of good form
! of plant food or the use Of poor
! forms. Fertilizers, high grade both
quality and quantity Of plant foo
cannot be purchased at low price p