Vernon Parish Democrat. (Leesville, La.) 1917-193?, 1919-07-12
THE PLANT FOODS FOUND
ESSENTIAL TO THE PRODUC-
TON OF GOOD CROPS
(By W. A. DOugherty, U. S. D.

Whether you are growing cotton or
corn in Ca, cane in La, oats, peanuts,
or other crops in the Carolinas, veget-
abIes or fruits in Fla, potatoes in
Maine or Virginia. or wheat in Illinois,
maintaining fertility is your problem.
The essential plant foods must be in
your soil or crops will not grow
As nature provides all needed plant
foods, except nitrogen, potash, and
phosphorus, you need concern your
self only with these three elements.
An ample supply Of these in your soil
means BIC yields and coed crops. A
scarcity of any plant food means
poor crop. The absence of any ele-
ment means no crop at all.
On most soils the limiting factor in
crop production is a deficiency of
phosphorus. Nitrogen can be pro-
duced through the cultivation of le-
gumes. Most soils contain a surplus
supply of potash, which proper meth
DDS of cultivation makes available to
plants, but phosphorus, most impor-
tant of all plant foods, cannot be pro-
duced by any known system of crop
ping.
The important need, then, is for
phosphorus, and the fundamental ques-
ton is in what form this element of
plant food can be put into our soils
to insure the best possible crops at the
minimum expense.
In European countries as we'll as in
the U. S., there has long existed a need
for soft phosphate. On account of the
very fact that it is soft, the phosphor-
ic acid in soft phosphate becomes more
available and more quickly when APP
Piled to the soil. That is why soft
phosphates are. in reality, great ferhl-
izers. 1t is easy to understand that
soft material applied to the soil must
of necessity be better than ground hard
rock, but where to get soft phosphate
has been the perplexing question.
Hard rock phosphate, finely ground,
most nearly met the need for a natur-
al phosphate, rich in phosphorus, ans
came into quite general use as source
of phosphorus. To a considerable ex-
tent it has taken the place of acid
phosphate and of the expensive fertil-
izers. Soft phosphate overcomes every
objection offered to the use of raw
ground rock phosphate. Not only is
it rich in phosphorus or phosphoric
acid, but it contains this element in a
soft readily available form.
Although soft phosphate has been
successfully used for a long time, only
small quantities have been obtainable.
Most tests have been with the harder
phosphates. During the past few years
however, there has been a tremendous
demand for high grade soft phOsphates
Farmers have used it, at first under
protest, and others familiar with the
crop-making and soil improving quail
tiles Of soft phosphate have turned tc
it as the solution of their ferilizinG
problems.
The one drawback has been the
limited supply. Soft phosphate is Z
. distinctive type Of phosphate. 1t diff
. fers from other natural phOsphates ii
that it is very soft, and when dry be
comes a powder. I'm its natural state
, soft phosphate is finer than machinery
can grind other phosphates. Finenes
of division has an important bearing Of
availability. since the finer the sub
stance the greater the surface exposes
to the natural agencies that caus
decay. This form of phosphate
found only in the hard rock districts
It is a matrix of the hard rock.
] Soft phosphate shows that the a
; mount of available phosphorus o
phosphoric acid is greater than in an
other form of natural phosphate. A
a natural fertilizer for direct applics
ton it is valuable for its high percent
age of available phosphate acid. Nc
only does it supply this element j
quickly available form, but also in am
pie quantity.
The chemical composition of sol
phosphate is such that it increases III
water holding capacity of the soil.
absorbs moisture. which crops take u
as needed. This is Of particular in
portance at planting time, when an
Die moisture is needed to insure goo
termination, and in dry weather, whe
the absence Of moisture in the soil o
ten means serious loss. 1t helps
the conversion Of decaying organ.
matter into humus, and has a benet
IT. = 81 L.st.r;a The evaa