The Lynden tribune. [volume] (Lynden, Wash.) 1908-current, 1914-02-05
HOME COURSE
01AAA.
IN SCIENTIFIC
AGRICULTURE
FOURTEENTH ARTICLE
COMMERCIAL FER
TILIZERS.
BY EDWARD B. VOORHEES,, Late Director
OF the New Jersey Agricultural
Experiment Stations.

practical farmer than that OF
soil fertility. To produce prof
liable crops and 81 the same time TO
maintain and even 10 increase the pro-
dueuve capacity OF the soil may rightly
be termed good farming" Many
farmers are able TO do this, and the
knowledge Of how to do il has been
largely acquired through years Of ex-
perience. during which the character
Of the soil. its adaptability for crops
and the methods Of its management
and manuring have been made sub
Jects Of careful study, without. however.
any definite and accurate knowledge
concerning manures and their func-
tons in relation 10 soils and crops.
Experience Is an excellent teacher. Still
a definite knowledge OF the fundamen-
tai principles may be substituted for
years Of experience in the successful
use Of manures.
The fertility of the soil would re-
main practically unchanged if al the
ingredients removed in the various
farm products were restored 10 the
land. This is 10 large extent accom-
plished by feeding the crops grown on
the farm TO animals. carefully saving
the manure and returning il TO the
soil. and where il Is practicable TO pur-
sue a system Of stock feeding in which
those products of the farm which are
comparatively poor in fertilizing con-
stituents are exchanged in the market
O. - lob fs.yf "
value the loss Of soil fertility may be
reduced TO a minimum. or there may
De an actual gain in fertility.
A careful study Of the present condi-
ton Of farming in the United States in
dicates. however, that as rule the
manure produced on the farm is not
sufficient TO maintain its fertility and
that the need for artificial supplies is
real. though the amount required may
be considerably reduced by careful
management
In the system OF SO called grain
farming" which has obtained over
large areas Of this country for a long
time and is still practiced, the live
stock is often limited TO q number suf-
fcient only to the needs OF the farm
for labor and food. The grain IS sold.
and the manure is made up chiefly Of
the natural wastes or unstable ma
terial. such as straw, stalks, etc. The
grain contains proportionately greater
amounts Of nitrogen and mineral con
stituents than these wastes. Hence the
practice continued for long time re-
suits not only in deficiency in the soil
of organic substances containing nitro
gen. but also in an exha ustion Of the
mineral substances. The original char
acter Of the soil and its treatment
measure the rate OF exhaustion The
less fertile soils Of the east and south
are rapidly de>leted. while the rich
prairies and river bottoms maintain
their fertility for a longer period.
The continuous cotton and tobacco
growing CT the south and the wheat
growing of the west are even more
exhaustive. since here the demands
upon the soil are not changed. Year
after year the same crop is grown.
and the same kind and proportion OF
constituents are required while even
slichter returns are made in the way
of manure than in the system Of farm
ing Just described Under such con
ditions the decomposition Of the or
rauic matter in the soil is accompa-
MED by proportionately greater losses
of nitrogen Moreover. the land Is left
bare for a large part of the year. and
its fertility is thereby still further de
creased. The crops become less album
daut each year, not beca use the soil is
entirely exhausted. but because il Is 50
far exhausted of those constituents
essential to the special crop grown that
its production is DO longer profitable.
Changed conditions OF farming.
which have an important bearing on
this point are. first. increased cost OF
la Dor and lower prices Of many Of the
products of one crop farming. and.
second. an increasing demand for mar
let garden products and fruit For
example. in growing wheat, the labor
Of preraring the soil OF sowing and o:
harvesting is practically the same
whether the yield is ten bushels per
acre or Unity DLSucis anu Lie same -
true Of plumber Of other crops; hence
In case of the larger yield the cost Of
labor per bushel is materially reduced
Meager crops of a relatively low value
cannot be produced probably with
high priced labor Soils OF high de
gree Of fertility are required in order
10 produce large yields of these crops
The return TO the soil Of only the
wastes of the farm leads sooner or
later 10 a decreased fertility, however
good the management may be; hence
the need Of supplies Of plant food from
sources outside the farm In order that
maximum crops may be produced
II has been demonstrated in the case
of market garden crops that even very
fertile coils contain too little available
food to insure a maximum production.
This Is especially true where rapidly
Of growth. earliness and high quality
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