The Huttig news., 1914-03-28
Elements of Plant food.

l or the dirt of which your land is made, contains those clements of nature required to make vegetable matter or plants grow The soil then is a repository or storehouse for plant food. The soil itself does not grow plants. The elements of nature are stored in the soil The moisture or water and warmth in the soil germinates or sprouts the seed and the plant comes up. so to speak. Sand would serve the same purpose. When the seed sprouts. the seed itself seems to decay and pass away It doing so it gives certain amount of plant food, sufficient to sustain life in the young plant until it's small roots begin to develop Then the plant draws plant food from the soil and gets it's sustenance. If a seed sprouts and comes up in clean white sand it will look healthy and vigorous at first, but soon d :es, be cause there is no plant food for it f It sprouts in the soil 1t will grow and thrive in proportion to the available plant food in the soil, if properly cultivated.
 There are ten elements of nature in the soil on which plants feed and live and grow. Heat. light and air also are necessary. These are drawn from above. Of the ele- ments of nature in the soil, all soils contain enough of each one except tour-nitrogen. phosphorus, potash and lime If only one of these clements were absent the plant would not grow. If there is small amount of any one element in proportion to the others the plants. no matter what they are, will not do we'll This will explain
 why some soils will make gooc crops and others will not. Differ ent crops also require differently proport'oned quantities of these elements, known as plant food. Thus a soil may produce a fine crop of grapes and poor crop of corn, cotton or oats.
 The plants gather their own plant food through their tiny roots. To gather the plant food there must be moisture. The plants require g. great deal of water, but to thrive the water must contain the plant food. or elements of nature. Too much water prevents the plants from getting the proper proportion of plant food, or enough of it. If the plants grow too large and rank and do not put on enough fruit or seed, it is an indication that there is too much nitrogen Tn proportion to phosphorus and potash. If the plants are small and scrawny under favorable conditions it means a lack of nitrocen. If you use fertilizer remember these facts when you buy or use 1t.
 The land should be plowed deep in the fall or winter and made loose in the spring before planting, so the ground will hold plenty of moisture and so the small roots ofthe plants can find their way in all directions in search of plant food. If manure is used 1t should be thoroughly mixed in the soil. The small roots will find their way to it and gather the plant food The plant iooG is taken up by the small hair-like roots. Remember that these roots extend out and away from the plant. So you see that putting ma nure or fertilizer in the hill where the seed is planted is not the best. In cultlvating crop the weeds and grass should be kept out beca..s .se they take up the plant food that the plants should have, and shade and choke them, too. The soil should be loose and mellow at planting time so 1t will not be nec- essary to stir it deep and break up the roots that are later on gather ing plant food. The soil should be cultivated shallow to keep the weeds and grass out. and. LOO keen