The Springdale news. [volume] (Springdale, Ark.) 1887-1990, 1916-02-04
/. TIE USE OF COMMERCIAL FER.
ZERS-HlSTORY.


give complete history of the use OF
commercial fertilizers. but only to
show how this great industry began
and grew in the Soutl ern 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
Client times We know that many an
clent 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 Tshudi's Travels in Pc.
ru we find that as early as the middle
or the last century notes were being
taken on the actual value of Guano oy
the Peruvans
Bousingault 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
I'll the United States in the year
lS46, and was based OH such reports
as we find above. 1t had already been
used in England before il 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 10 this. 1t is of greater interest
| to us therefore that We know about
the customs in Peru
The frs 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
more successful farmer than David
Dixon, who made many millions of
1 dollars farming, and who was a pio-
neer in many other lines as we'll as in
the use of mineral fertilizers In the
year fS46 the year after it was intro.
/ dueed into the United States. he bought
I three sacks and used II, and on find
ing that 1t paid him, bought 1t in i'm
creastng quantities TIL the year 1855
and 1856, when he went into it 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 acci-
dent. It's success was unquestionably
based on the actual needs of the soil
A quickly available manure was what
the crop needed, and when this was
once applied results We're evident
After time it was found that the
Peruvian guano, which contained prin
cipally nitrogen. produced too much
stalk and not much increase in the
yield of fruit, and hence lis use was
somewhat discouraged for a 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 Liebig of Germany, who
was at that time the greatest cham
pion in the world OF agriculture and
its possibilities. AS result the pop
ularity of Peruvian guano subsidized
and more study was given to the gen
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 first the abolition OF slav-
cry, and second, the rise of agricul-
tural education. Before the war the
question OF land was secondary IL
grow Ing farm crops III the SOulQ wore
the land out" there were plenty OF
slaves to take in ore land" 1t was
cheaper 10 take in land than to pay
for any artificial manure In 1862.
the Morrill, Bill 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 We're begun on a small
scale, and the public was induced to
make greater use of plant foods of all
kinds, as we'll as TO improve methods
of tillage. 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
fertilizers. From this great demand
tboro SprapQ IN fertilizer Factories ir,