The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1915-04-01

The Use of Commercial Fertilizers.
The following article is contributed
by Dewey Goodwin, North Bossier
boy, who is at present student in an
Arkansas agricultural school:
Will it pay to use commercial fertil-
izers?
This question can be answered only
by trial. If soil is in need of available
plant food the additional yield should
pay for the fertilizer and the cost of
using it. When large crops must be
produced ON small areas commercial fer
tilizers are necessary. If the soil is fer
tile and we'll titled and farm manures
used and the crops rotated commercial
fertilizers will not be needed.
In order to make the best use of COM
mercial fertilizers both the soil and the
crops should be carefully studied. All
soils do not need the same kind of fer
tilizer, and farm crops possess different
powers of assimilating food; turnips,
for example, have restricted power of
phosphate assimilation, hence they re-
quire phosphate manures. In the use of
fertilizers the ability of the plant to OBJ
tain it's food must be studied. A light
application of complete fertilizer at the
time of seeditg is often advantageous,
as it helps the plant growth by supply
ing food when it is needed.
The amount of fertilizer must be de-
tern1ined by the fertility of the soil.
Enough should be used to produce nor
NAL yields. From 400 to 900 pounds per
acre is as much as should be used at one
time.
Lime is not fertilizer; it corrects
acidity. 1t helps to liberate other plant
foods that are in the soil.
Tags on fertilizer sacks are very mis-
leading and often confusing. The high
er percentages in the guarantee mean
nothing. The amount of available plant
food should be placed on the tags.
A piece of ground we'll titled and Of
uniform texture should be used for field
trials with fertilizers. After prepare
ton for the crop small plots of ground
about twentieth of an acre, are
staked off. Between each plot a STRIP
three feet wide is left. Then apply one
element to plot and compare the re.
suits with plots differently treated.
1t is not a difficult matter to mix fer.
tilizers at home. The proper proper
tions may be put together in a tigh
wagon, box or on any floor and shovelee
over few times. If any of the ingredi'
ents are lumpy, these should be put il
first and crushed. Homemade fertil
izers produce good crops and are mucl
cheaper.
Growing farm crops must be studiet
in order to furnish the plants with sucl
fertilizers as they need. In genera
, way the crops themselves may give som
valuable suggestions. As a rule lack o
nitrogen is indicated when the plant
are pale green or when there is SINAI
growth of leaf or stalk. Excessiv
growth of leaf or stalk accompanied b
imperfect buds indicates too much nit
a rogen for the potash and phosphori
acid. Such general indications ma
!. often be helpful, and crops should b
/ studied carefully with these facts i
mind.
!, Farm manures may be used instead {
commercial fertilizers. No other fertil
izer lasts so long. In farm practice a
application of stable manure will effet
the crops for number of years.
Flowing under green plants and de
caying organic matter may be used il
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