The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1917-11-24
SOIL PROBLEMS
SET FORTH BY
FEDERAL AGENT
ARE IMPORTANT
DR.. Joseph e. Pogue Elk.
plains Theories of Soil
Formation and Plants

ton of the situation In the United
States" by Joseph T.. Pogue. OF the
division of mineral technology, -
most timely. The author points out
clearly and in a manner easily I'M
derstandalble by the reader without
technical knowledge of fertilizers,
what raw materials are available IN
this country and how they may pest
be recovered and manufactured. ana
he shows definitely what attitude
should be adopted by the government
toward the new fertilizer industries
growing out of conditions caused by
the war. DR.. Pogue explains in q
general way the theories OF soil
formation and of plant growth, and
shows that, under prolonged cultiva-
tfon without the additions of fertili-
ger, the soil is exhausted in respect
TO three of its most important plant
PHOSPHORUS, nitrogen and
potassium. He then considers each
of these elements in turn, describing
the sources. available amounts and
ways of increasing the output or
each. and concludes by pointing out
that the best progress In the fertiliz-
err field will come through enlighten-
ed cooperation between the fertih-
ger industries, the government ana
the consumers.
Office OF tbs SOIL
The soil does two, things. 1t forms
a mechanical medium for supporting
and protecting the growing plants,
and it supplies the plant with some
of the chemical material to be built
into it's structure. In the Norman
course of events, plants are removed
artficiaIly. the balance is destroyed,
and, unless the necessary chemical
elements are returned to the soil in
some form. 1t is soon rendered unnt
for further cultivation. By long ex-
perience il has been learned that
those elements of which the soil is
most quickly depleted are phosphor-
Gus, nitrogen and potassium. The
fertilizer industry, therefore, is at
present chiefly concerned with Sc
curing an adequate supply OF the raw
material of these three substances,
and the development Of wider and
more Intelligent use OF fertilizer, es-
peciaIly at this time when the world
war endangers certain of the sup
plies and at the same time neces-
states an increased yield or FOOD.
Florida Produces Phosphorus.
Phosphorus, in the form Of COM
pounds, enters into the structure OF
plants chiefly in the seeds and fruit,
and through them into animals. In
the latter, IL is an important con-
stituent of bone and is present also
in the brain and associated nervous
matter, thus being especially inn
portant to man. The basis Of COM
mercial fertilizer is an impure COM
pound of phosphorus occurring IN
nature in large masses and known as
phosphate rock, OF which the United
States is the worlds greatest pro-
diicer. Among the other sources OF
phosphorus, fish scrap, cottonseeo
meal, bones, slaughter house refuse,
and guano are the most important,
but the demand for these substances
for other purposes is fast reducing
their availability for fertilizer.
The chief producer of phosphate
rock in this country is Florida, which
contributes rs per cent Of our. am
nual output of 100000 tons. Here
the rock occurs in deposits which
can be economically worked and
their position near the coast affords
cheap transportation to manufacture
ing ccnters. There are smaller de-
posits i'm Tennessee, South Carolina,
Kentucky and Arkansas, and in 1906
a large belt Of country from Salt
Lake City to Helena, Mont. was
found to contain a-large amount OF
phosphate rock This field has not
AGN DGGn uGNGAOpCua OWAAtE " AAA0
small local demand for fertilizer and
the long freight haul to the east
Phosphate rock to be made suitable
for fertilizer has TO be treated with
about an equal amount Of sulphuric
acid, which was until the war. OBJ
tanned from pyrite imported from
Spain. Since this source has been
endangered by submarine warfare,
the numerous small deposits OF pyrite
I'm the eastern United States have
had limited development. The
statement by the government of a
definite postwar policy with regard
to the protection Of this new industry
would undoubtedly speed up develop
ment along these lines.
Chile Chief Nitrogen Source.
TO the plant and, in animals, enters
into the composition Of the proteid
compounds, of essential importance
in the life processes. The chief
source of nitrogen has long been
sodium nitrate, obtained chiefly from
the deserts Of northern Chile, but
owing to the demand for this SUBJ
stance for use in explosives and to
the high price caused by the royalty
imposed by the Chilean government,
the nitrogen question has been a
some time The two other chief
sources OF nitrogen are the atmos
phere and COAL The recovery of
nitrogen as a byproduct from coal is
a growing industry, going hand in
hand with a we'll balanced growth of
the entire coal products industry, and
to reach its full development must
expand through q gradual extension
OF the uses of coke to fuel and power
purposes, for the recovery of
nitrogen is made chiefly from the by
product coke ovens.
The ultimate source of nitrogen,
however, on which the world must
eventually depend. is the atmosphere.
The three practicable processes for
fixating this atmospheric nitrogen
have been found to be the arc proc
eSs the cyanamid process, and the
Haber process. 1t is a significant
fact that as soon as the Haber and
cyanamid processes for getting
nitrogen for explosives as we'll as
fertilizer from the air. had been sue
was declared.
I'm the United States the need has
for some time been urgent to draw
upon atmospheric nitrogen. Last
year, congress appropriated $4,000,
600 for such a plant, but 1t has not
yet materialized, presumably because
such an industry, il established
abruptly on such a large scale. would
endanger the whole coal byproduct
industry with its far reaching rami-
ficationa, by setting up In competi-
tion d nonprofit seeking Industry
Potash Subsidy Recommended.
The third major plant food is
potassium. which contributes stalk |
strength and kernel filling TO the
growing plant. The schief source Of
potassium before the war was the