American Falls press. [volume] (American Falls, Idaho) 1907-1937, 1915-08-26
REVIyING H SOIL

In an address recently delivered
before The National Fertilizer associa-
ton, at Hot Springs. Va, w. H. Bowk-
er, of Boston, Mass, called attention to
the need of reviying land already ex-
hausted by improper cultivation and
Of conserving the newer land which
as yet has not been used long eonugn
to have its value decreased. Mr..
Bowker was graduated from the Mas
~sachusetts agricultural college in 1867,
and has since given him time to the
study of problems arising out OF prop
er soil fertilization. He said hat New
England produces farm products to
the value of SAC, 900, 900 more than
before her abandoned farms took
879,499 acres out of cultivation, as a
result of enlightened methods of Guilt
walton. According to the census, Mas
sachusetts produces in crops in round
figures SAL an acre as against SIT an
acre in Illinois, or almost two and
one-half times as much, a fact which
MI. Bowker attributes to the more
general and intelligent use of fertiliz-
ers.
Those scientists and practical agri-
cultural experts who have experiment.
ed in the use of fertilizers until they
are convinced that they are real bene-
fit to the land, have, however, ex-
perienced considerable difficulty in in
ducing the farmers to use them. This
is believed to be due to an old fallaci-
GUS belief that commercial fertilizer
is a stimulant and not a food. And
this impression is thought to have
originated during the period when
fertilizer quacks were imposing on
the c%redulity of farmers by selling to
them strange mixtures with high
sounding mes. In many cases these
fertilizers were really harmful after
a few applications. But this time has
the use of fertilizers admit that in
many cases it is unwise to apply arti-
fetal plant food to land. There is no
hard and fast rule. Some land needs
one kind of fertilizer, some another,
and to fertilize land which does not
ASNo ~ 40 q "aoNS VI OhS
Mr.. Bowker urges all states to adopt
a plan of inspection, such as several
states in the middle west have adopt
ed, which will protect the manufacture
er and the farmer. If a plain state
ment of the ingredients contained in
prepared fertilizer is printed upon the
package, the farmer a then consult
an expert and apply to his soil the
kind needed. 1t has been established
beyond question by scientists that
growing plants need certain kinds OF
food. If the soil is wanting in some
of these foods, they should be supplied
According to Mr.. Bowker's argument
there is no more ground for the belief
that nature supplies plants with foot
under all conditions than there is
in the belief that nature supplies 9
plant with all the water 1t needs
Droughts are by no mean unknown
and there are famines of the soil
which, while less evident, are no less
destructive.
Land in the middle west is in danger
of becoming exhausted unless steps
are taken to revive it under expert di
rection. Connecticut was one of the
first states to realize that owing t.
lack of interest in fertilizers it's lan(
was becoming steadily poorer. Under
the guidance of experts the farmers
were taught the use of commercial
fertilizers, and after a period of de
preston, during which the value o
farm products fell to a daugerousl,
low level, the land was brought to it,
normal condition. Today Connection
uses more commercial fertilizer thar
any state in the union with the singl,
exception of Maine. Connecticut farm
ers find that it pays. Other eastern
states have gone through similar ex
periences, and as a result they hav'
become less dependent on the mid
die west for farm products. But the.
have all found that commercial fertile
ers must be applied advisedly, an,
this is the result which they wish t.
see the farmer of the middle ives
profit by.-Capital News.