Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1914-01-30

NJ n
Is the Architect of the
Fertility of His
Own Soil.

The difficulties met with when one
attempts TO teach the controlling facts
are unbounded. Credulty, in the first
place. and unlimited skepticism in the
second.
The farmer feels that he must do
something TO pay the debt he owes
TO nature. and confidently calls for
bone and potash, or he wants 2-S-2
goods without knowing what he is to
get for his $50 or more. Each farmer
is protected by the State. by paying 10
| cents per ton tax on each ton, so that
the manufacturer must give what he
guarantees to give. The Commits
sioner of Agriculture furnishes the
farmer with list of brands of ferti-
| lizers, and the analysis of the same.
but the farmer pays no attention to
this, and buys because it is advertised
| by Smith or Thomas or Jones. whom
he knows to be old fertilizer agents,
and who advertise to sell the best.
Now. these fertilizer agents usually
think they do sell the best. They have
received their information from their
interested manufacturor.
Most farmers have studied percent
| age, hut ne!er seem to use it when
| they buy fertilizer. Mr.. Farmer, will
you please give your attention to
mathematics? There is plenty of it in
agriculture and fertilizers. The 2-S-2
goods are now to be considered: 20
nitrogen, SO phosphoric acid, go po-
tassium. You all know. gentlemen
that 100 is the whole in percentage
This form of goods contains pounds
of nitrogen to the 100 pounds of goods,
and s pounds of phosphoric acid to the
100 pounds of goods. and 2 pounds OF
potassium. Convert the phosphoric
acid into phosphorus by dividing by
2.29, thus s. 2.29 - 20 of the Gle
ment phosphorus. or 81, pounds to 100.
which is equal to 40 pounds TO Il ton
of 20 hundred. Now. at $3.50 per tor
delivered at station for phosphate car.
ryinS II per cent of phosphorus. il
makes tho phosphorus cost only .034
per pound. At the price of .034 cents
per pound for phosphorus, the total
value of phosphorus in a ton OF 2-S-2
goods would be found by 31a < 20 - 40
pounds of phosphorus to the ton and
then 40 < .034 - S2.3S, the value of
phosphorus in ton of 2-S-2 goods. On
the same basis > : 20 - 40, or the
weight of nitrogen per ton, and at the
prevailing price of 10 cents ner pound
you Will have 40 < 10 - So the price.
OF nitrogen per ton. TX 20 = 40
pounds of potassium per ton, and at .06
per pound we have $246, the value of
potash per ton. Summing up, S2.3S
plus Sc plus S2.40 - S10.7S, the total
value of fertilizer ingredients in n ton
of 2-S2 goods.
The farmer should bear in mind that
one ton of clover carries 40 pounds of
nitrogen, which IL can and will get
from the air, and the turning under of
2la-ton crop Of clover will apply 1913
pounds of nitrogen to the land per
acre. To add potassium to land wn.cn
has large supply of potash will not
pay. Unless your lands are very sandy
or Swampy, they contain an abundance
OF potassium. If only 200 pounds OF
2-S-2 goods are used per acre. which is
equal to pounds of phosphorus per
acre, costing 81 per acre, it looks
rather Nthin as compared with 14o
: pounds of phosphorus contained in
1000 pounds of phosphate per acre
costing S4.15 per acre. The applica
ton of 500 pounds of phosphate pei
acre would equal the amount of phos
, phorus contained in one ton of 2.8.c
fertilizer. In addition, this phosphate
carries about 600 pounds of carbonate
OF lime per 1000 pounds. which is also
plant food and corrective of acidity
MY answer to availability of this
phosphate is, that 1t takes % pounds
OF phosphorus for 100 bushels of corr
per acre. and 16 pounds for so bushels
OF wheat, where will the necessary
phosphorus come from when you have
only applied pounds per acre i'll the
29O pounds complete fertiliZer-2-S-2
NOW. ii you have humus in your soil
OF adu II, the soil acid will be sufficient
to make six times as much phosphoric
acid available as is necessary to nro
duce any one crop. When 200
pounds OF rock phosphate is used per
acre, 1t Is sufficient to last for six
years-even if maximum crops are he,
ing produced. Therefore, il is we'll n
begin to think and reason.
Dr. Hopkins would cover the above
statements about as follows: One ton
OF nnely ground rock phosphate carry.
Ing 12hFo phosphorus, or $50 pounds
OF the element phosphorus to the ton
IL treated with one ton of sulphuric
ncld. would make two tons CARRYING
10 pounds of phosphorus each. and
tlla,' around 80 per ton, would be the
probable selling price for each ton
Then the complete fertilizer mo-
would make these two tons and two
tons of filler, little nitrogen or am.
monla and q little potash, sufficient IN
make TOUR tons, and sell 1t at $50 for
each ton, making $50 for the four tons
NOW, 40 you observe that you are moi
getting any more phosphorus for sSN
than you can get for SO? You ca
grow the nitrogen and not pay Is cents
per pound for it, and you do not need
the little potash.
me skeptic farmer or party who
reasons from imperfect data or makcs
MS own knowledge and extent of nh.
servation the standard and test of
probability. we viii say that a verv
small portion of our knowledge of ex.
ternai things is obtained through orr
own senses; by far the greater part is
procured through other men, and this
Is received by us on the evidenca 90
testimony. VI
Many of us have heard of a locomo.
1--WE before we ever saw one. of the
telegraph instrument, wireless mos.
sages, telephones, of the building If
the Panama Canal. flying machines
ana OF the war in Mexico. That we
tel