Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1914-10-07

cultural Experiment station here.
While there are 20 odd elements
that enter into the composition OF
plants. nitrogen. phosphorus, potas-
SUM and calcium are the important
ones added in commercial fertilizers.
Although an acre OF fertile soil con-
tains tons of nitrogen, phosphoric
acid and potash they are usually In
forms unavailable to plants. Growing
plants take up and carry off in the re-
snltjng crops n large amount of the
available nitrogen, phosphoric acid,
potash and lime in a given soil. IL
the crops are fed upon the farm and
the resulting manures are saved a
large part Of the manurial matter In
a good available form will be returned
to the land. If, however, the crops
are sold from off the farm the farm
is depleted by this loss of plant food
which must be made good in some
way or other. Usually manures are
applied to soil for the double purpose
| of applying plant food in an avail
able form and unlocking the unavail-
able compounds which are already in
the soil.
New England agriculture has been
dependent for the last generation up
on the purchase of plant food to sup
plement that produced upon the farm
and replace that sold off in the crops.
1t has been a matter of great concern
to those officially interested in agri-
culture that New England agriculture
is not self maintaining. That is, 1t
has been necessary to look outside of
its borders for the supplies of plant
food Phosphoric acid Is found in
abundance in this country. Various
refuses furnish large amounts of or
ganic nitrogen. Mineral nitrogen in
the form Of ammonia salts is obtained
from coke plants and gas works as
by-product. II is also obtained direct
ly from the air by synthesis. All Of
the nitrogen in the form of nitrate of
soda is, however, imported from South
America.
While ordinary farm manures carry
some potash, and such materials as
sea weed and wood ashes contain pot
ash, the worlds disable supply of pot
ash has come from the mines of Ger
many. The fact that war might make
the potash of Germany or the nitrate
! of soda of South America outside of
the reach of the American farmer, has
/ been a matter of great concern for
| years to the leaders in agricultural
thought. This fear is realized in this
/ terrible European war now raging
which prevents the importation from
Europe of the German potash salts.
There is probably from a quarter to
I IN nj
| States as would normally be used in
| the 1915 fertilizers, and hence the
/ question which confronts the fertilizer
manufacturer and the user of ferttll-
gers is how to use this limited supply
to the best advantage.
An acre of soil to the depth of one
foot in the potato growing districts
Of Maine carries from four to six tons
of potash salts soluble in strong acid.
Gradually by soil action this potash
Is rendered available to growing plants.
With the three and four year rotation
fairly common in Maine potato dis
tricts the crops remove from 225 to 300
pounds of potash per acre. Three hum
dred bushels Q10 barrels) of potatoes
will remove about 80 pounds of potash.
SO bushels of oats about 40 pounds OF
potash, and two crops Of two tons OF
clover and timothy about 1870 pounds.
Most Of the fertilizer used in these ro-
tations in the potato growing sections
| is applied for the potato crop. The ap-
plication will carry from 125 to occa-
sionally 200 pounds of potash per acre.
Hence 1t is evident that in this rota-
1 ton there Is a constant drawing, al
| though small, upon the reserve stock
Of potash. In field experiments pot
ash has rarely been determining ele-
ment in the yield of the potato crop.
| While the writer believes 1t to be
! impor tant for Maine that as much pot
ash be put in the commercial fertili-
GERS as can be used under the present
circumstances, 1t Is more than probable
that by more thorough preparation of
| the soil, the use OF liberal quantities
/ of high grade fertilizers carrying
equally as much nitrogen as in the past
and perhaps rather more phosphoric
acid, and with as much potash as can
| be obtained, there will be no serious
shortage in the crops for 1915.
| While there are some chemicals,
such as lime, gypsum, and chloride
and sulphate of sodium, which are
1 supposed to be more or less eHectlve
in making soil potash available, they
can be only slightly depended upon.
When potatoes enter into the rotation
lime cannot be used because of the
danger Of scab. Gypsum Gland plas-
| teri and sodium chloride Common
salt are about the only chemical
| agents that can be economically and
safely used. All commercial fertili-
gers carry as a by-product In the man
| ufacture of acid phosphate, consider
able quantities Of gypsum. AS land
plaster is not an expensive product 1t
probably will be advisable to use 1t
at the rate Of perhaps half ton per
acre. 1t win also be advisable to use
small amount. perhaps 800 pounds per
acre, Of compon salt. i
/ If the present conditions continue
we plan to use both at Highmoor
| Farm and at Aroostook Farm In 1915
a fertilizer carrying about 5 per cent
of nitrogen, 5 to 10 per cent, Of avail
able phosphoric, acid and all the pot
ash that we can obtain up tot per