The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-10-04


 that came from the air by aid of bac- teria. Otherwise, turning under a crop of any sort is like digAing a potato and putting it back in the soil.
 A winter cover crop, or catch crop, will take up nitrogen which otherwise might have leached out If this catch crop were turned under 1t would serve the purpose of saving to the soil that which would have been lost.
 Nevertheless, putting vegetable matter into the soil aids in improving it's con- dition in two ways. First, by unlocking the plant food pantries through the for nation of organic acids and through supplying food for bacteria Second, by giving the soil greater water-holding ca pacity.
 How much plant food is returned to the soil in animal manure?
 Manure is a very valuable form of re- covered plant food. If all manure, both solid and liquid, were carefully saved and put back on the land from which it originally came, the actual loss of plant food from that soil would be only that which IS carried away in beef, bones, blood, milk, cheese, wool hides, horn and other parts and products of plants and animals sold off of the farm
 Can profits from the use of fertilizer be accurately determined?
 Hundreds of tests have been carried on by the experiment stations of the country for determining the actual pros- its from the use of fertilizers. They have no difficulty in finding out the actual returns. They figure out the number of bushels or pounds due to the added com- mercial fertilizer. Many of them have continued the experiments several years in order to lessen the possibilities of wrong conclusions and have found fertil- izers profitable. The fertilizer business has developed rapidly in recent years and much of it is due to the discovery and recommendations of these unbiased authorities.
 Does the price of crops affect the price of fertilizers?
 Not directly nor very materially The cost of materials from which fertilizers are made is the chief factor influencing fertilizer prices, and many of these ma terlalS are used in widely varying amounts for various industrial purposes as well as for agriculture.
 During the first three years of the war fertilizers have not advanced in price except for potash-in proportion to the advance in the price of crops. In fact they have ranged far below.
 How do fertilizers affect the quality of the crop?
 In this respect fertilizer is also a good investment. When properly applied and Tn sufficient quantities, the quality of the product is enhanced and it's market value thereby correspondingly increased The difference is often that between first and second class or number one and two in the grades, and prices range accord ingly Therefore, not only may an in- crease be counted upon, but to this can be added the value given by advancing the market grade.
 What other profits accrue?
 By reason of the use of fertilizers there is also
 l. An increase of organic matter to add to soils through the greater root de- velopment of plants; greater amount of stubble or vegetable matter of any sort
 9 An increase in the nitrogen-gather- ing ability of legumes where fertilizers are properly applied with whatever add ed growth this brings about
 3. An increase in the value of animal products as the result of greater crops produced by the aid of fertilizer, and the consequent increased amount of ma nure from the animals.