The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1917-07-14

ed into sulphates. 1t is now clear in
what manner the sulphur acts to pro-
mote the liberation of potash, which
normally occurs in an insoluble form
in nearly every soil. The effect is to
render it soluble and thereby avail
able for assimilation by the plants.
1t is also seen that by forming sui
phate of lime in the soil it favOrs the
action of the bacteria that furnish
fixed nitrogen in form ready for alb.
sorption by the needy plant. Sulphur
used properly thus goes long way to-
ward solving the potash problem, and
toward rendering us independent oi
Chilean nitrate as we'll.
The next problem is to get sulphur
quickly enough to help us out on
our bean crop this autumn, and on
our pea and wheat crop for next
spring and summer, in order to relieve
the threatened shortage of food. Ma
ture has been getting ready for that
too. In a half dozen places in the
United States sulphur lies at the very
surface of the earth, waiting to be
quarried and ground and hauled to
the farms. AS if to hold itself in read
mess for this emergency, it is found
disseminated in limestones and in
gypsum deposits that have interposed
difficulties to the production Of refined
sulphur at q cost low enough to COM
pete with other sources of supply
from which the makers Of sulphuric
acid have been accustomed to draw.
Feeble efforts have been made TO
extract the sulphur from all these de-
posits, but the great opportunity that
they offer is to pulverize it just as it
is, and to ship it for direct application
to soils so as to help feed the nation
and it's allies at this time of crisis
Here are found the sulphur and the
lime compounds together, and very
curiously they are mixed by nature in
suitable proportions to afford the hes.
results as a fertilizer.
1t would be no serious problem to
quarry and grind and transport l.
100000 tons, or even more than L.
100000 tons, during the summer and
autumn. 1t merely requires that a
proper commission be entrusted with
the work. Including mining engineers
who know how to lay out the field
work to quarry the rock cheaply. and
to install and supervise the necessary
machinery for crushing it; acting in
association with expert agriculturists
who have had actual experience in the
use of sulphur as a fertilizer to see
That 1t is distributed where it will do
the greatest good and is properly ap-
Piled to insure the best practical re-
suits in augmenting the output of the
farms. This is something that cannot
be left to the natural course of trade
The public is not yet sufficiently aware
of the possibilities of sulphur as an
aid to intensive agriculture to create
q demand that will lead to instant re-
sponse by individual capitalistic initia
tive. 1t must be made a part of the
great national movement to increase
the food supply, directed by technical
men endowed with authority from the
government to carry it into effect. 1t
is the sort of thing that our German
antagonists would be swift to do il
they had a similar opportunity. We
must be no less energetic in takins
advantage Of the teachings of Our
scientific agriculturists. A militarizcd
nation, fighting the great fight for the
preservation of it's liberties, will not
hesitate.