The citizen. [volume] (Berea, Ky.) 1899-1958, 1914-05-14

suits Often Depend on Condition OF
components.
Geo. Roberts. Agronomist. Kentucky
| Agricultural Experiment Station)
The question Is frequently asked
OF the Experiment station, can fertil-
izers be properly mixed at home, and
II so. what advantage is to be gained
by home mixing?
In answer to the first part Of
the question. there 10 no doubt
that fertilizers may be well mix
ed at home, provided the ma.
! terials used are obtained In good me-
chanicsl condition. Most Of them come
in good condition, such as bone meal,
tankage. acid phosphate, and dried
blood. Some OF them may come in a
hard lumpy condition. such as sulfate
OF potash. muriate of potash and nj
trate OF soda. These latter materials
could be bought under specifications
requiring good mechanical condition,
which could be produced by regrind-
ing. IL necessary.
There are small machines now made
for grinding and mixing fertilizers,
some small enough to be operated by
hand, when only mixing is to be done.
/ Home mixing can be more economic
ally done by q group OF farmers buy
| ing together their materials in carload
lots direct from the producer or whole
sale dealer. and using a small power
large savings by mixing on a floor with
/ a shovel.
Process 10 Simple.
/ There is no difficulty in thoroughly
mixing fertilizers with a shovel. as
[ has been repeatedly shown. Concrete
requires more thorough mixing than
/ fertilizers and is more difficult to mix.
Yet most of IL is done with shovels.
After having decided upon the for
mula to be used, the process is very
simple. A tight floor of convenient
size is required. Put down the bulk
lest material first in layer of uni
/ form thickness. following with the 9TH
ers In the order OF their bulk. Begin
at one end of the pile and shovel the
materials back, turning and mixing
1 each shovelful as much as possible.
/ Repeat the operation until an even
mixture is secured.
| No filler need be used. and one need
not worry about the percentage for
mula. The proper basis for making a
formula is to determine how much nj.
trogen, phosphoric acid and potash
are desired per acre, and to use
enough materials to give these
amounts. The Experiment Station
will furnish literature giving the
composition of the various fertilizing
materials
Soil Must BE Studied.
For example. suppose a farmer wish
es to use a fertilizer which would sup
ply the full amount of the above-named
elements contained in 900 pounds of
tobacco, including the whole plant,
namely. 80 pounds of nitrogen,
pounds of phosphoric acid and a.
pounds of potash This would require
80 pounds of 10 per cent acid phos-
plate.
2O6 pounds nitrate OF soda, or 275
pounds of dried blood.
80 pounds of sulfate of potash.
This is used merely for illustrative
purposes, as one would hardly use
such a formula in a soil deficient in
phosphorus. as most Kentucky soils
are except in the Bluegrass region.
When the soil is deficient in phos-
phorus a larger amount of the acid
phosphate should be used in such a
mixture, any not less than 200 pounds.
In the cenral Bluegrass region the
acid phosphate may well be entirely
dispensed with. This shows the ne.
cessity for understanding ones soil as
well as the crop he wishes TO grow.
Question OF Saving.
As TO the second part OF the
question, What advantage is to be
gained by home mixing? the answer is.
none, II the farmer can get the kind
OF mixture he wants at a reasonable
price, for manufacturers with large.
we'll equipped plants can mix fertlliz-
srs at minimum expense. The cost OF
mixing is small item, being less than
81 per ton. But do they furnish mixed
fertilizers as cheaply as the farmer
can mix them for himself? In 1903
the writer made an extended inyestl.
CATION OF the selling price of fertilizers
OF different grades offered on Ken.
lucky retail markets. The most com.
mon fertilizer ON the market was
what is called 2-s-2 formula, which
means l.65 per cent OF nitrogen (Which
is equivalent to 2 per cent ammonia)
s per cent of phosphorie acid and 2
per cent OF potash. The average sell.
ing price of this fertilizer at the time
OF the Investigation was $26Sl per