The Dermott news., 1916-02-03
/. THE USE OF COMMERCIAL FER
TtllZER S-HlSTORY.

w "tuld NOT Dt ulNpOStu 10 Try TO
give complete history of the use OF
commercial fertilizers. but only to
show how this great industry began
and grew IN the Southern United
states. Generally speaking the far.
mers of this generation inherited the
habit of applying fertilizers TO soils
but have not been taught the underly-
ing principles of the industry
The use OF some kind of manures on
soils with crops for the purpose OF in
creasing the yields goes back 10 an
Gent times. We know that many an.
Client people applied animal manures
TO their soils for this purpose The
Chinese centuries ago. applied ma.
nures of various kinds 10 their soils
and gardens and with phenomenal re.
suits. In Won Tshudi's Travels in Pc.
III We find that as early as the middle
or the last century notes We're being
taken on the actual value OF Guano oy
the Peruvians
Bousingault speaks of seeing fields
IN Peru on which wheat had been
grown every Year fer two centuries.
and the Weld Sill high and the grow
-ers prosperous
The practice of using mineral ferti.
lizers vas introduced direct from Pc.
ru 10 the United States In the year
1915 and WAS based on such reports
as We find above 1t had already been
used IN England before II found It's
seems 10 be the country in which the
application of minerals To soils az
plant food originated We do not
know this Is true. but all evidence
points to this 1t is OF greater interest
to us therefore that We know about
the customs In Peru
The first man in the Southern States
to use this Peruvian guano was David
Dickson. OF Sparta. Ga, who saw an
advertisement OF II IN the old Ameri.
can Farmer published in Baltimore
The South has perhaps never had a
more successful farmer thln David
Dixon, who made many millions OF
dollars farming aid Nhe Vas A pio-
ucer IN many other tines rs Well as IN
tie use ef mineral fertilizers In the
year 1915. the year after II MAS intro
dHSed into the tinted States he bought
three sacks and used T.. and On find
ins that II paid HIM. bought II in in
ereasiue quantities III the wear lS5a
and Mt. when IL Vent INTO II fa1le
\ is suggested above tins Is no doubt
the hrst instance OF tire Use OF a con
centrated mineral fertilizer on cotton
n the United States
The universal success with which
Mr. Dickson met in the use OF tins Pc
ruvian guano led many other PROM
nent farmers to follow his example
and in every reported case. success
followed its use We are constrained
TO believe that the way that the apph-
cation OF this mineral fertilizer to tho
cotton and other crops In the South
could not possibly have been an accl.
dent Its success was unquestionablv
based on the actual needs OF the SOIL
A quickly available manure MAS what
the crop needed. and when this was
once applied results were evident
After time II WAS found that the
Peruvian guano, which contained prin.
cipally nitrogen. produced too much
stalk and not much increase in the
WELD of fruit and hence les use vas
somewhat discouraged for season
About this time the war between
the States began. and al the same
time the discovery OF the potash beds
OF Germany also, the offering on the
market OF various kinds OF mineral
fertilizers resulting from the teach
ings OF on LIehg OF Germany. who
was at that time the greatest cham.
pion in the world Of agriculture and
its possibilities As result the pop.
uiarity OF Peruvian guano subsidized
and more study was given TO the gen
eral question OF the use OF mineral
manures both by farmers themselves
and the students OF agriculture.
Two great contributing factors 10
the rise of the fertilizer trade IN the
South are hrst the abolition OF slav.
erv. and second, the rise OF aSricul-
tural education Before the war the
growing farm crops IA the South wore
the land out, there were plenty OF
slaves TO take in II ore land II was
cheaper to take IN land than to pay
for any artificial manure In 1862.
the Morrill, Hill passed Congress
creating agricultural colleges in the
various states. after which there be
gan campaign for improving meth
DDS in agriculture. Experiments AT
public expense were begun on a small
scale and the public WAS induced to
make greater use of plant foods OF all
kinds. as well as 10 improve methods
OF tillage This, OF course. caused IN
Immediate increase In the use OF min
eral plant foods and out OF when
grew demands for great quantities IL
fertilizers From this great demand
there sprang up fertilizer factories N
all parts 81 the country All Kinds If