Sharp County record., 1916-02-11
!. THE USE OF COMMERCIAL FER
TILIZERs-HISTORY.


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 to an
cient times. We know that many an
ctent people applied animal manures
to their soils for this purpose. The
Chinese centuries ago, applied ma
nures Of various kinds to their soils
and gardens and with phenomenal re-
suits. In Won Tshudrs Travels in Pc
ri we find that as early as the middle
OF the last century notes were being
taken on the actual value Of Guano by
the Peruvians.
Boustngault speaks of seeing fields
in Peru on which wheat had been
grown every year for two centuries,
and the yield still high and the grow
ers prosperous.
The practice Of using mineral ferti-
lizers was introduced direct from Pc
ri to the United States in the year
1846, and was based on such reports
as we find above. 1t had already been
used in England before it found its
way into the United States, but Peru
seems to be the country in which the
application of minerals to soils as
plant food originated. We do not
know this is true, but all evidence
points to this. It 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, Ca, who saw an
advertisement of 1t in the old Ameri-
can Farmer published in Baltimore.
The South has perhaps never had a
more successful farmer than David
Dixon, who made many millions OF
dollars farming, and who was pio-
neer in many other lines as we'll as In
the use of mineral fertilizers. In the
year 1s46, the year after 1t was intro
duced into the United States, he bought
three sacks and used it, and on find
Ing that It paid him, bought 1t in in
creasing quantities till the year 1855
and 1856, when he went into 1t fully"
AS Is suggested above this is no doubt
the first instance OF the use of a con-
centrated. mineral fertilizer on cotton
in the United States
The universal success with which
Mr. Dickson met In the use Of this Pc
ruvian guano led many other proni-
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 appli-
cation of this mineral fertilizer to the
cotton and other crops In the South
could not possibly have been an acct
dent. It's success was unquestionably
based on the actual needs OF the soil,
A quickly available manure was wnat
the crop needed, and when this was
once applied results were evident.
After a time It was found that the
Peruvian guano, which contained pr1n.
cipally nitrogen, produced too much
stalk and not much increase in the
yield OF fruit, and hence les use was
somewhat discouraged for q season.
About this time the war between
the States began, and at 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 Won Jiebig OF Germany, who
was at that time the greatest cham
pion in the world Of agriculture and
its possibilities, As a result the pop
ulartty OF Peruvian guano subsidod
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 tho
South are nrst the abolition OF slav'
cry, and second, the rise Of agricul'
tural education. Before the war the
question OF land was secondary II
growing farm crops in the South wore
the land out" there we're plenty Of
slaves to take in more land" II waa
cheaper to take In land than to pay
for any artificial manure. In 1862
tho Morrill, Bill passed Congress
creating agricultural colleges In the
various states, after which there be
gan campaign for improving meth
DDS in agriculture, Experiments Of
public expense were begun on n small
scale, and the public was induced &c
mako greater use OF plant foods Of al
kinds, M we'll as 10 improve methods
OF tlllage, This OF course, caused an
Immediate increase In the use Of min
eral plant foods and out of which
grew demands for great quantities Of
Era,, tbia ornat Jnp,n,l