The bee., 1914-03-31

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 is no doubt
that fertilizers may be well mix
ed at home. provided the ma
terisls used are obtained in good me-
chsnicsl condition. Most OF them come
In good condition. such as bone meal,
tanksge, 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
recurring good mechanical condition.
which could be produced by regrind-
ing. II nee essary,
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 a group of farmers buy
ing together their materials in carload
lots direct from the producer or whole
sale dealer, and using small power
mixer. Yet an individual may make
large savings by mixing on a floor with
shovel.
Process Is Simple.
There IS no difficulty in thoroughly
mixing fertilizers with a shovel. las
has been repeatedly shown Concrete
requires more thorough mixing than
fertilizers and rs more difficult to mix.
Yet most OF II 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
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
trogsn. 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 farmer wish
es to use fertilizer which would sup
ply the full amount OF the above-named
elements contained in 1000 pounds OF
tobacco, including the whole plant.
namely, 80 pounds of nitrogen, 8
pounds OF phosphoric acid and A
pounds OF potash This would require
so pounds Of is per cent acid phos-
phate.
zoe 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 soil deficient In
phosphorus, as most Kentucky soils
are except in the Bluegrass region
When the soil is deficient in phos-
phorus larger amount of the acid
phosphate should be used in such a
mixture, any not less than 200 pounds
In the central Bluegrass region the
acid phosphate may well be entirely
dispensed with. This shows the me-
cessity for understanding ones soil as
we'll 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 reasonable
price, for manufacturers with large,
well equipped plants can mix fertiliz.
ers 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 1909
the writer made an extended investi-
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 per cent ammonia)
8 per cent OF phosphoric acid and
per cent OF potash. The average sell.
ing price of this fertilizer at the time
of the investigation was $26S1 per