The Breckenridge news. (Cloverport, Ky.) 1876-1955, 1921-06-01
BRECKENRIDGE COUNTY SOIL LACKING
In HUMUS AND PHOSPHORUS
Jesse M Howard IT, Advises Breckenridge County Farmers
How To Enrich Their. Soil

Many times men have tried to con-
vince farmers of Breckenridge county
that when they buy so many BIS in
their fertilizer or call for Black Goods
in a rotton sack, that they are simply
contributing to the manufacturer
health and the agents family, be-
cause usually you are blown up by
some hot air pump fertilizer agent,
who doesn't know or is greedy for
money He splutters Potash to you
until you see tobacco plants run up
like Jacks Bean Stalks, and tells how
his great grandfather used this kind.
| Your pocketbook is unloaded or you
| give mortgage on your corn. You
wait one year to find out that he
skinned you, and then let him lay it
on the weather.
Why sleep my friends, when stay
| ing awake will be so prohtible! Let's
| figure: Breckenridge county agricul-
turally speaking, lies in the St. Louis,
Chester division of Kentucky. The
analysis of our soil approximately, is
as follows:
Available Phosphate so, Nitrogen
60, Potassium 200. Total Phosphate
1900, Nitrogen 1000, Potassium 22,
600 to $4,000. In one acre 1-2 feet
deep, 1000, 900 pounds.
Now all plants require a balanced
ration of elements just as cows re-
quire balanced feeds They require
a sufficient amount of humus to en-
courage bacterial growth, hold mois-
ture, generate and retain suitable
temperature. They require an alkaline
medium in which to grow, for very
few are the types of baccili that can
stand acid.
Now, here is the analysis of a rich
soil where manure even shows no in
crease in crop: In black belts of Tex
as, Alabama. Illinois, Mississippi, etc.
An ideal soil, 1 acre 1-2 foot, 2.0O0,0 900
pounds; Phosphate 2030, Nitrogen
$500, Potassium $4,000.
It's plain to see at once that first
plain that we do not need X. or Pot
ash. A ~ bushcl corn crop carries Oft
we need humus-N-and p. 1t is also
the soil as follows: Phosphate 1913, N.
$50; X. 1915; Ca 81.
In so far as X. is concerned, we
have enough to last one thousand
years, and lose all the plant each year.
We have hardly enough nitrogen for
II bushel crop if it all could be taken.
We have a very, very small supply
of r. We therefore conclude that I.
n. Humus and an alkaline medium
are the things which we need to
make our soil rich
Best Way To Get Humus.
Now, manure is the best way to
supply humus, but first let's apply
ground limestone so that the amonia
given off by the manure will not be
taken up by the acids in our SOIL tor
amonia contains Nitrogen, and here
you will see decaying vegetable mat
ter gives off acid, also plants digest
their food from the soil by use OF
acids thrown off at their roots, and
because of this our soil naturally gets
sour.
Turning under green crops such "a
clover, rye, etc, will also supply
humus, but if this same clover or rye
is fed or pastured, we get almost as
much humus and gain free the growth
of live stock, provided all manure Is
returned.
Now. Phosphorus is our next limit
ed element 1t can be bought in two
FORMS calcium phosphate or tri cal
cium phosphate. The former Ca
(PO4) is made from the raw rocl
phosphate by treating with 5 acio
H2SO. This is readily available anc
is most prohtably applied to thu
manure in a stall Acid Phosphate |:
: worth $500 more per ton mixed will
manure in a stall; then it is scatter
,, cd through a corn drill. GU. of
Calcula.)
! Preserving The Manure.
, Floats or Fri Calcium Phosphate
contains twice as much P2 O5 Of
Phosphoric acid as acid Phosphate
and it can be bought at Mt. Pleasan
, at about $3.50 per ton. Acid Phos
phate costs at least $4,000 Floats arr
, slowly available and the best way t.
> apply is scatter in stalls through thu
winter it preserves the manure anC
increases its own availability.
Use either floats or acid phosphate
. but be sure to use phosphate. Ou
, last element and probably the mos
important is discussed last because i
comes free if the others are supplied
first Legumes support very small
specimens of animal life called nitrify
ing baccilli which live coherent OF
\ tlClI lOOlS anu StoiN hitio6Nh -
nodues for you and they work free
Why pay $1OO or more per pound
Why buy some mans daughter
diamond ring while your little boy
begs daddy for penny's worth o
candy? Why has the soil of Wiscon
sin changed from the most Inherit
to the most fertil? This is it: Cattle
Lime, Manure Acid and Rock Phos
phate, and Legumes.
Not a pound of bought commercial
fertilizer Why doesn't man argu,
with Hornets-They are Organized
Why do you spend one years time tc
raise an egg from an egg, then lie
the merchant pay 10 per cent les'
market value, turn around sell It tC
your neighbor at 10 per cent above
market and then pay you in trade
making 40 per cent on his goods
Thereby making SO per cent in tel
minutes on his investment, while thu
farmer worked one year and got