The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1921-12-17
WINTER is FARMERS TIME
TOPREPARE FOR FERTILIZING
Saving in Purchasing Needed Elements Can
Be Made Before Spring Rush Begins.

Efficiency in production is the
farmers surest and safest method
of offsetting the ills of overproduc-
ton and getting back where he can
produce grain, live stock, milk, but
ter, fruit. and other farm products
at profit. Efficient production is
economic production. and the farmer
who gets out this winter, takes an
invoice Of his soil. and stocks up
with fertilizer needs before the
spring rush is the one who Will
make money on next years crops.
Winter is good time TO make
surveys Of the soil and study Of
its needs by reading some of the
numerous books and bulletins deal
ing with the farming soil fertility
prob lens. \ few years ago it was
disCouraginE for a farmer TO at
tempt to go through an Of the tech
meal information about soil that
would enable him to build up his
land economically. In fact. the in
formation was SO scientific that the
tNti nv A''l E1Nt II UP anu
continued to rob his farm of the
rich plant food by growing grain
on it year after year without re-
turning any plant food other than
that in the stable manure.
That excuse cannot be offered to-
day. Soil experts have sifted out
practically all of the perplexities of
physics and chemistry that have to
= d.
have reduced them to simple meth
DDS that may he applied by the
average farmer.
PhOsphOrOuS il Needed.
There are ten chemical elements
carbon, hydrogen, oxygen. phos-
phorOus. potassium. nitrogen. sui
phur. calcium, iron and magne-
sium-in soil that is used by plants,
hut there are comparatively few
that the farmer has % consider.
In the Middle West PHOSPHORUS is
usually the most limited element in
the soil. and is one that should be
taken care of first.
It is not necessary to gather 4
sample Of your soil and send il to
laboratory to he analyzed in or
der to find out how much phospho-
zoos your land needs. Find out what
kind Of soil you have from one of
the soil maps published by the Uni
yrrsity of illinois. or ask your
country agent to examine your soil
After YOU have determined the type
you have you can easily find out
what elements are needed by study
ing the analysis OF the particular
type Of soil you happen to have.
Such analyses are given in almost
any Of the genral soil bulletins that
are sent free to farmers by the agri-
cultural colleges.
Brown SLY loan. for example.
lacks about 1000 pounds Of pure
phosphorus, not raw rock phos-
phate, TO balance it with other plant
food elements. Raw rock phosphate
the material now commonly used
by farmers in this State to make up
for the deficiency Of phosphorus in
the sofJ-contains around - per
cent phosphorus. or about 260
pounds il a ton. Not all Of this is
available to the plants. IT would
take at least four tons Of IS per cent
raw rock phosphate to bring a
brown silt loan back to normal
Raw rock phosphate is considered
the cheapest material to use in sup
dying phosphorus to the soil
bringing Brown silt to Normal.
Not all OF the four tons. however.
need to he applied at any one time.
I'm fact. il would not be economical
to put it all on at once. One ton
should be the minimum on this type
of soil Labor is saved where as
much as one or two tons are put
on at one time, although some are
able to get a fair profit by applying
half a ton. ON -ouT-y-ar rotation
il would take thirty-two years to
bring brown silt loan soil back TO
normal where only 1000 pounds
Were applied. The deficiency could
he made up in eight years by using
two tons zach time in a four-year
rotation. or sixteen years where one
ton is used.
Farmers are able to buy raw rock
phosphate from mines in Tennessee
through the county agents OF their
local farm bureaus at So a ton for