Clearwater Republican. [volume] (Orofino, Idaho) 1912-1922, 1919-12-12
SULPHUR BENEFICIAL /
!. STOlALFALEA CROPS

Fertilizers containing sulfur in
creased alfalfa, clover and some other
legume yields from so to 1000 per cent
on trial plots at the Southern oregon
branch experiment station during the
years 1915-'1S. Alfalfa, red clover, field
peas and vetch made much better
growth and showed darker color. An-'
alyses of the plants on sulfured areas
showed that they are much more VAL
liable feeds, carrying higher contents
of sulfur, protein and nitrogen.
Results with sulfur as a fertilizer
obtained in trials running over a
period of seven years were so favorable
that the station officers authorized
the publishing of bulletin to explain
the methods and values of sulfur, the
types of soil on which it has most
marked effects, and amount of sulfur
in form of flowers or in combination
with other fertilizers. This bulletin
has appeared and is ready for distri-
button, free, to the citizens of Oregon.
DR.. F. c. Reimer, superintendent of
the branch station, and Prof. H. V.
Tartar, former chemist of the Corvallis
station, are joint authors. Many of
the field trials were conducted by A.
c. Mccormack, assistant superintehd-
ent of the branch station.
Like many other discoveries of great
practical value the discovery of the
value of sulfur in legume production
was accidental-or at least it was in
cidental to other work. 1t was first
noticed that many of these legumes
made much larger and more vigorous
growth under trees that had been
sprayed with lime-sulfur Excess ap-
plications of the solution had dripped
from the foliage of the sprayed trees
and sunk into the ground. The plants
seemed to have taken up some of the
material with results highly beneficial.
Further observations and expert
ments with various commercial fertil-
izers. some of which contained sulfur
and some none, brought out the fact
that the increased production under
trees sprayed with lime.sulfur was due
to the sulfur, not to the lime content.
All mineral fertilizers containing sui
fur. exerted beneficial effects on the
legumes, while most others not carry
ing sulfur had little or no effect This
led to the discovery that it is the sui
fur that increases the yield, and trials
were continued to ascertain the exact
conditions under which sulfur fertiliza-
ton is profitable.
Almost ali important soil types in
some districts of southern Oregon
showed marked benefits from sulfur
applications. Coarse granite soils,
fine mucky adobes, with most types
ranging between these extremes, grew
better legume crops when sulfured. 1t
was further found that on soil suf-
ficiently lined good results were OBJ
tanned from applications of flowers of
sulfur, while on soils lacking lime this
form of sulfur fertilizer should be used
with lime, to prevent unfavorable
acidity of soils.
In soils lacking phosphorus and ap-
plication of $50 pounds superphosphate,
or 40 to so pounds sulfur and 200
pounds rock phosphate, give best re-
suits. The following fertilizers were
found alike beneficial
Flowers of sulfur, superphosphates
gypsum, iron sulfate, sulfate of am
monia, sulfate of magesium and sodium
sulfate. They all contain sulfur, to
which they owe their power to increase
containing no sulfur gave but little or
no results
Nitrate of soda, monocalcic phos-
plate, muriate of potash, and lime.
Hence the good effects of the sulfur
fertilizers are not due to the lime,
phosphorus and lime they liberate, but
to the fertilizing effects of the sulfur
itself.
The benefit of sulfur for legume pro-
duction in central Oregon is equally
remarkable on many soil types. Many
carloads of sulfur have been imported
into those. districts by the county farm
bureaus, and applied to the land Vastly
increased yield has produced it's effects
on land values and land prices
Economist Talks to Farmers.