The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1914-03-24
nv I q II. BUTTER.l

.,rt NJ a good 1arm some e ID
Nnrtn carolina and bulid a big monu-
20 a man who has don prob |
httI, as much. if not more, than any
.s one man to simplify the prob
~ of existence and to cheaper the
80 ~ living, and you would guess a
s.-trad times before O would tell
..ho have in mind.
't- is an old German, from the little
81 Drfchy of Hesse-DarmStadt, born
XIV. century ago, and his name is
Lleblg.
ir.tus L.iebig was one of the fore
.r chemists the world ever knew,
,o. pf the greatest men of his day
.-s century. and a man whose influ-
$40. on human comfort is without
e.,. ,~rehension. The discoveries of
hi. man. who was created a baron.by
tfs guVernment. are of such value to
rarkird that his contributions to hui
man knowledge can never be rated
ht. comparisons with any figures.
tiebig made a number of discoveries
h. chemistry, any one of which would
bav, given him fame, but his discov-
ar} ~ the lines of agricultural chem
,stry really put agriculture On the in
aisputable plane of an intelligent and
exact science instead OF a gamble with
ieroraucc and chance.
bttbHr - DiSeONCElSS.
Iiet.e disclosed the secret Of plant
rrtrftion. and discovered the pro-
r-.~.s oy which the plant feeds and
thri.rs. lie found out the basic rules
eG ultut fertilization, and showed the
anrld why potash, phosphates n
nitrogen are essential to plant life and
n.CgresS. IieDig is the father of the
Fertilizer trade of today and for that
maiter Of tomorrow, II forever, for
he Uit on an unsupported truth, that
agriculture IS simply the operation Of
combining certain raw materials un-
dor certain chemical influences in the
soil and sunlight. and bringing from
tur work agricultural products as the
result.
Farming today Is no longer a mys-
terry any more than making yarn OF
aaW mill products is. Farming is the
2e, of providing certain materials fol
the factory and getting in return Ger
tain finished products.
The truth n simplicity of the
operation is not as generally under
stood rs il will be soon. but the prac.
tc" oi fertiliZing crops is growing 81
rapidly and is becoming more anC
more understood each day, SO that thu
general effort is in the right direction
and the world will soon arrive at tn,
p-tcticai point.
10 not happen to have the recen
figures Oh fertilizer production ant
use, but it is not with figures in tn
specific sums hat I care to deal l
Il rather the underlying Significance
ana cor that purpose the figures o
the .aSt census are sufficient. FOu
years ago the fertilizer bill of tn
United States reached a hundred an
fourteen million dollars. Ten year
nTntfp1.GlU IL u-,E h,f f&<la nEror FIT
million dollars. ] presume this yea
II will be close to u hundred and fit
million dollars.
OF this total the three States c
Moth Carolina. South Carolina an
Georgia use about ~one-third.
\ Curious MisapprehensiOn.
This fact brings us ACE to face wit
. curious misrepresentation. No doul
most people of these three States hay
to% experience when discussing farm
ing with people from other State
One OF the first questions asked +
others is if we have to use much lie.
uil.er in North Carolina.
Ny answer is that we do not ha,
10 Use much fertilizer in North Car
haa any more han we ave to u:
"lGcn Victuals in North Carolina
nncch good roads, or many SchO
houses. or many houses, or any 9th
tning hat men like to have, but tn
We like to use all the fertilizer y
con get.
Right there the argument begir
are misguided sons Of the Pharise
'Fe Iu'l OF the idea thai a farm Dug
- re Il mine OF permanent fertilit
"dlting for the farmer to come alol
&c dig out year after year as mu
70 tne stored up wealth as he Xix
i"e temporary great fertility OF t
"'atetn prairies gave rise 10 this III
"'Eeh idea. and it seems to have be
'fttty thoroughly established all OK
re United states.
30 begin my little talk with
digestion that here in our State
y" not undertake. to make brio
"Ihout clay. We do not try TO L
~ nlin uithout logs. We ha
tue folks that talk about the C.
C2"' Is easy to keep, and who W.
aiiety of hogs that will rot
''th. hut ! get after them by bril-
up She old up and down "a Il
.'! used about q thousand feet
80 a day. and about there the I
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