The Springdale news., 1916-04-28
INTELLIGENT USE OF FERTl
LlzERS IN GERMANY.

the buildin. up of the trade, and in lat
er years the states have taken it for
granted that the trade is profitable 70
farmers and merchants alike, and
have therefore framed laws to regu.
late its manufacture and sale. In every
state where fertilizer is sold in appre-
cable quantities laws have been
passed exacting certain requirements
of the manufacturer, because farmers
who are not able to analyZe such ma
terials for themselves would be the
sufferers. Besides the trade, oyer-am-
bilious, would forget its obligation TO
the consumer and offer for Eale in
ferior material under the name of fer
tiliZers. We may say without fear of
successful contradiction that the states
| themselves are largely responsible for
the rise and volume of the fertilizer
trade.
1t has long been recognized that
Germany leads the world in many
lines of science. This is perhaps true
in regard to the use of fertilizers in
early years. Germany discovered that
mineral salts applied to growing
| crops increased the yields immensely,
and gave time and stuay to the under
lying causes, and has suggested to the
other parts Of the world many yalu-
able lessons on her findings. Won
Liebig through his studies and lee
lures on modern agriculture has made
known much of the work of Germany
in the early history of the use Of com
mercial fertilizers. Liebig says that
kuhlmann. German agricultural
scientist, applied salammoniae to a
meadow in the year 1915 and 1916,
and found that on heetare t212
aeresl he gathered $40 pounds of
hay more than on the same kind of
meadow where he did not use the sal
ammoniac. He secured this result by
moniac to the acre.
In commenting upon this Won Liebig
has the following to say: 1T is quite
certain, that in the action Of the qua
no. which produced the crop next high
est after the Chilli saltpeter, an un.
ammonia contained in t. On the
other hand, however, the experiments
with carbonate and nitrate of ammonia
show that quantity Of ammonia, or
nitrogen. equivalent to that in 20
pounds of guano and employed under
the same conditions, was almost with
out effect"
A little further along he says: The
most recent observations on the com
pertinent of the soil towards the food
of plants show how slight is the
knowledge we possess Of their mode
Of nourishment, and of the part which
the soil, by its physical condition.
plays in it. The compartment of the
salts OF ammonia, OF chloride or so
dunn, and of nitrate of soda, towards
the earthly phosphates IN the soil,
may perhaps assist US in throwing
some light on their action, or one Of
their actions on the growth of plants"
This statement was made because it
was always found that when common
selt was added to certain mineral ma
nures, greater yield was obtained, and
Won Liebig came 10 the conclusion
that this was due to the relation Of
this added material to the liberation
of potash in the soils.
Only short time after the war be-
tween the STATES the German potash
beds were discovered and by rapid
leaps and bounds this material gained
in favor with planters as well as ex-
perimenters. The necessity for find
Ing combination to Hberate the pot
ash in the soils was now removed
and thorough satisfaction was found
in the use of the nitrate of soda and
the potash salts, and here the indus
try stood for long time. Liebig does
a,a4m, however that Tribasic phosphate
~ n4rae erept into the formula and was
,or,a efficient. This fact is very sig
ntecant and happened 20 be discov-
arod nv a constant study Of the use OF
tha nitrate If soda and potash salts.
;ohio thoueh,~ that these two plant
sood roatar;ars lad the power Of dis
solving phosphoric acld IN the form ot
earthly phosphates, &nd these IN turn
added greatly to thN yield OF farm
crops.
We have here many a}ints of what
afterwards really deyel 2ped TO be
facts-namely that the three great
elements OF plant food that shouid De
applied to the soil for good clop Yields
are phosphoric acid, ammo Ma ana
notash. For many years these three
clemens have been the essential ele-
ments of plant food in fertilizer Tor,
mula
Today Germany applies more min
eral salts per acre to her crops than
any other nation in the world, and
partly as a consequence gets higher
Yields of farm crops than any other
nation. 1t is significant that these
Two facts are so closely related, but
il must be remembered that Germany
has learned the lesson of good tillage