Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1914-01-23
BRAND ON SACK
MEANS NOTHING
Article on the Proper Food
For the Soil.

will take issue with the writer
in regard to his views on Ferti-
lizers in this article; criticism
is invited through the columns
of the News, for in this way,
we will learn the views to some
extent of the farmers in this
section on a question, chat is far
deeper than most of us realize.
1t might be said, because the
writer is interested in a concern
that deals in fertilizers that his
views are bas led in favor of the
brands that his company handles.
Note please the writer says,
Brand. +" Will not some kind
farmer who is posted on ferti-
lizers. tell US why, nine farmers
out of ten in this section, buy
their fertilizer from the picture
on the bag, rather than what the
bag contains?
When a dealer claims that his
fertilizers, of the same analysis,
are better than his competitors,
he is misleading the people.
There are three ingredients that
go to make up our different
grades, and brands of fertilizers.
Amonia or Nitrogen, Potash and
Phosphoric Acid. From these
ingredients the manufacturers
, mix their different grades of
fertilizers. The ones most
familiar to US are; 1912, 1915
md 1922 and when a dealer who
ellis these goods, claims that
hey are better than his COM
,etitors he is mis-stating the
, facts in the case, and the farmer
should be very slow to accept
such statements. One of the
most intelligent farmers in this
county has been quoted as MAX
ing this statement, "that the
company who was putting out
popular brand of fertilizers in
this county had a patent on it,
and no other manufacturer had
the right to manufacture ferti-
lizer of the same analysis. "
Nothing could be more absurd,
and we do not believe that any
intelligent farmer is guilty of
such ignorance. 1t is true that
manufacturers have their ex-
elusive brands and a registered
trade mark, but the goods in
the bag is made precisely of the
same material as other brands of
the same analysis. Our largest
manufacturers will put out a
dozen brands of fertilizer, all
coming from the same spout.
Anv farmer can buy the in
gradients and mix any kind of
fertilizer he chooses, and as far
as the value of it is concerned
it makes no difference whether
he gives it a name or not. 1t is
the plant food, which the bag
contains that constitutes the
value of what is on the inside.
Almost daily we hear the
question asked, "what kind of
fertilizer should l use?" When
ever our farmers use as much
judgement in the selection of
their fertilizers and grass seeds
as they do their horses and cattle
then, and not till then, will the
problem be properly solved.
@How shall we arrive at this con-
Glusion? The best and surest
way is by having your expert
mental farm at home. Different
soils and crops, require different
fertilizers. and no chemist, and
no experimental station in ex-
istence is able to tell each in
dividual farmer what kind of
fertilizers are best adapted to
his soils.
Generally speaking, the kind
of fertilizers most needed in
our section, is Phosphoric Acid,
because the best of authority on
agriculture tells us that all crops
feed heavily on Phosphoric Acid,
and the only possible way to
supply it is in the commercial
form. Our best farmers and ex-
pertinent stations recommend
the treated Phosphorus above
anything else. This is nothing
more than ground phosphate
rock, which is mined in the
South, and treated with sulphuric C
acid to render the phosphorus
available to plant life. Some
dealers are recommending the
ground rock. The writer spent a
good deal of time investigating
the value of ground rock, and
without one single exception,
he was advised to use the treated
rock. and not the ground rock