River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1919-07-24


kzF~@42S~ s&SS2zM better yield per
- w IIIIener- acre than the I'M
ger, President 1ertlllZed. Ihls
of the Wiscon- was eVl u e
sin Soil i'm aplenty to Jones
provenen+ A. and his neighhors
socjation that commercial
fertilizers do not
pay, and as a result this community
has been deprived of larger yields and
larger profits ever since.
Commercial fertilizers are manu-
, featured and sold for the express pur-
pose Of returning larger yields on low
yielding soils. This the fertilizer will
do only when properly and intelligent
ly used.
The cause Of Jones' discouraging re-
suits is suggested by A. r. Whftson,
Wisconsin College of Agriculture, in
one Of the reasons: why commercial
fertilizers sometimes fail to produce
better yields"
Wrong Kinds Of Fertilizer Used
All soils do not need the same kind of
age are usually well supplied with nj
trogen and will seldom be benefited by
q nitrogen fertilizer such as blood
meal or sodium nitrate. Likewise,
yields are not generally increased
much on heavy soils by potash fer
tilizer. Nine out of ten soils need
phosphorus, but to use acid phosphate
or ground rock phosphate alone may
not increase the yields greatly because
: the soil may need potash or nitrogen
as well, condition which phosphate
fertilizer cannot correct. The exam
nations made by the state soil labora-
tory will show how much and what
kind Of fertilizer is needed.
Application Too Small.-In general,
the amount of fertilizer used per acre
{ Is too small. The surface foot Of soil
of an acre of sandy loan weighs about
100000 pounds. Usually about 300
pounds Of acid phosphate is used to
the acre. This would add 1925 pounds
of phosphorus; 1925 pounds of phos-
phorus in 100000 pounds of son is
not very rich feed for a crop.
Fertilizer Not Mixed Properly With
/, the Soil.-In order to give the crop the
best chance to get the fertilizer it is
important to mix it we'll with the top
soil. Do not pillow the fertilizer in, be-
cause this leaves it in layers and
Streaks. Scatter thin and evenly on
top of the land and disk the fertilizer
in. Fertilizers will be carried down
into the soil from near the surface by
rains, but they do not come up readily
If plowed in deeply.
Weather Too Dry.-A crop can only
make use Of fertility added by the fer.
hlizer after 1t Is dissolved in the soil
moisture. For this reason, even large
amounts of the right fertilizer proper
ly applied do not give much better
yields than unfertilized land in very
dry seasons.
No Organic Matter.-Rotting matter
In the soil, such as manure, a growing
crop plowed under, or humus, helps
crops to make better use of the fertil-
izer added, by causing the soil to hold
more moisture and by supplying nitro
gen. For these reasons fertilizers con-
tanning only potash and phosphorus
often give poor results on soils low in
organic matter. 1t is considered a good
practice to apply fertilizers with ma
nure or to plowed clover sod.
Soil Too Acid.-When soils are very
acid this condition tends to prevent
some fertilizers from being changed to
a form the crop can feed on. In addi-
Mtion some crops do not make good
growth on very acid soils, even when
well fertilized. This condition should
be corrected by applying lime before
adding commercial fertilizers.
Too Much Fertilizer Near the Plant.
When large amounts of fertilizer are
applied in the hill or In the row of
cultivated crops 1t may cause actual
Injury to the roots. More often.
though, the bad results are due to the
fact that when fertilizers are used in
this way they are not well enough
mixed with soil. AS long as there is
considerable moisture in the ground.
as in early summer, the plants find
enough plant food in one place to make
a good top growth without developing
q normal root system. When the first
dry spell comes the small root system
is not able to supply the needed mois-
ture for the large top growth. Then
the crop willis, withers and may actu-
ally die. This is called firing" The
sertiiizes- Is frequently blamed for FIR