Morris tribune., 1919-01-24
EXPERIMENTS PROVE
PHOSPHATE PROFITABLE
West Central Station Announces
Large Gains in Yield on Clay
Loan Soils

Fertilizer experiments at the West
Central Experiment Station for the
year 1915-1917 show an increase in
crop value above the cost of the ferti-
1iZer of $10.12 per acre for acid phos-
phate, $7.28 for acid phosphate and
manure, 1898 for manure 1922 for
rock phosphate and manure, and |
loss of AZ cents by the use of rock
phosphate alone. These ale the re-
suits given in summarizing the de-
tailed data in bulletin soon to be
issued, in which for the purposes of
the comparison, the values taken are,
corn, go cents; wheat, 500; oats.
40 cents; hay, $500; manure, 40
cents; Rock phosphate, $40 per ton,
and acid phosphate $40 per ton.
Check tests made in rs fields OF
Stevens county the past season SHOW
most satisfactory results IN the use
of acid phosphate, especially for
wheat, the increase in yield being
from two to 1013 bushels per acre
For barley there was an increase o.
from four to eight bushels per acre,
but for oats there was a decrease.
These experiments are especially
timely, because certain Of the the
great munition plants of this coun-
try should now be able to furnish the
acid phosphate at prices equal to il
not lower than the pre-war price.
The bulletin says
PHOSPHATES PROFITABLE
Experiments with acid phosphate
alone, rock phosphate alone, manure
alone, and each of the two phosphates
combined with manure in a four
year rotation of corn, wheat, oats and
clover have been conducted on the
West Central Experiment Farm, at
Morris, for the last five years. The
soil is black silt loan with a silt
loan subsOil, these being CommonIy
referred to by the farmers as clay
loam' and clay respectively The
results have been given in detail in
the annual reports of the West Cen
trail Experiment Station for 1915,
1916, and 1917.
'"The results up to the end of 1917
are summarized in the report of th5
station for 1917 (p. 12) as follows:
"The manure has produce almost
as high yields as the combination OF
manure with either of the two phos-
pilates, and at the cost prices assumed
has proved the cheapest fertilizer.
Acid phosphate when used alone, has
given almost the same yields as man
ure alone, except in the case of
wheat, where it has given higher
yield. The combination of acid phos-
phate with manure has produced the
same amount Of corn, less cats, and
more wheat than the manure alone.
The value Of all four crops together
has been only trifle higher than
where the same amount of acid
phosphate was used without manure
1t is evident that on such soil acid
phosphate can not proftably be used
where there is sufficient manure tC
give the land a dressing of eight tons
per acre once in four years. How
ever, where this amount of manure
is not available, it would appear de.
N4uSu1y p1OuLdO4C W apply dS4u Plus
phate to wheat and clover on the
fields which receive no manure.
cit is important at this point t.
call to the attention of Minnesota
readers the fact that althC these ex
periments appear to leave no doubt
as to the value of phosphate fertil
izers on such soil as that Of the Yves
Central Substation, at Morris, wnicE
is representative of a great area Of
western Minnesota soil, similar ex
periments being carried on at the ex
perimental farms at st. Paul, Crooks
ton, Waseca, Grand Rapids and Du,
luth, have so far failed to reveal any
such markedly beneficial effect"
ACID PHOSPHATE TRIED on
STEVENS COUNTY FARMS
From the results of these expert
ments there appeared to be no doub
about the value of acid phosphate or
soil similar to that of the plot lanC
on the Norris farm. A detailed sol
survey of Stevens county had bee,
started in 1917 by the Division O.
Soils OF the Central Experiment Sta
ton and the Bureau of Soils of thu
United States Department Oh Agricul
ture, assisted by the Morris Station
and it had become evident that thu
most extensive soil type in the count!
was that represented by the plot lane
on the Morris farm. Hence it ap
peared probable that similar profit
able results would be obtained witt
acid phosphate on many Of the farm
of the county. Accordingly, expert
ments were arranged with Two group
of cooperators, one consisting O
thirteen Stevens County landowner
and the other of seven former stud
ents of the West Central School O
Agriculture.
"The members Of the first grou7
purchased their phosphate, from 1 t.