The Birmingham age-herald., 1922-04-02
son for lime treatment Is sasily

son for lime treatment is easily understood.
 FertiIizing
 It is a great calamity that so few really understand what is implied in l the term fertilizers, yet there are still fewer who understand the rela- tive importance and functions of certain elements that plant life is known to consume.
 Broadly speaking, fertilizers arc simply foods the plant needs to per- feet its growth just as animals must have to maintain conscious life and humans strive for, to maintain their God conscious lives.
 All plants are known to consume at least 10 clements of food while some are known to use as many as 13 and possibly more These are carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, sulphur, calcium, magnesium, iron, phos- phorus, nitrogen and potash. The first three elements constitute 90 to 9S per cent of green plants and fortunately are obtained from the air and water thus eliminating their inn portance as a factor in the cost of plant food
 Nitrogen forms two-tenths of per cent up to F per cent. while the remaining elements obtained from the soil make up i to per cent of the plant substance and are termed ash substances.
 It should be noted that while ni- trogen makes up 75 per cent of the atmosphere 1t is not used in this sim pie form but must be converted into some combined form such as nftrates. When this is understood the i'm portance of the development of Mus cle Shoals for the production of con- mercial air nitrates Is made clear.
 There are certain plants. however. that are able and do utilize the free atmospheric nitrogen through the work of bacteria on their roots. These are the leguminous plants such as peas. beans. clovers. peanuts and other plants and trees that bear their seed in pods and 1t Is to this race of plants that we owe much of our soil fertility.
 The chief elements of plant food demanded by all plant life are phos- phorous, nitrogen and potash. A properly balanced ration of these is known as a complete fertilizer. Phos- phorus in the form of phosphoric acid compounds known commercially as acid phosphate Is consumed in greater quantities by plant life than either nitrogen or potash. What is considered a complete fertilizer usually contains to 10 per cent of available or soluble phosphoric acid l h per cent to 2 per cent nitrogen, and to per cent of actual potash in the form of sulphate or muriate.
 It is fact of course that plants differ widely in their consumption of the necessary plan foods, some re- quiring more, some less of all three essentials and again the soil to be planted may be already plentifully supplied with one or more essential clements so that waste can hardly be avoided in the application of expen- sive fertilizers unless careful and ex- tensive analysis of the soil be made to determine deficiencies. Experi- ence and observation must be de- pended upon, keeping in mind that the application of a complete fertil- izer Will in most cases prove more beneficial.
 The question of the proper amount of a complete fertilizer for a given area Is a most difficult one to an- swer in the absence of known defi- ciencies of the soil. Again the sea- sons and the cultivation to be given has much to do with the amount of plant food consumed by plants IS seasonable weather and thorough  cultivation will enable plants to util- ize more plant food than poor cul- ture and dry weather conditions
 Successful home gardening de- mands intensified methods of produc- tion which may only be attained through highly fertillzed soil and frequent tillage.
 If an abundance of stable manure is available no other fertilizer would be needed, but to be of the greatest service it should be well routed or de- composed. applied broadcast and thoroughly incorporated in the soil. It is permissible to apply moderate amounts in addition, directly in rows or beds to be planted and an appli- cation of moderate amounts of com plete commercial fertilizers will greatly enhance the results from the manure. When natural manures are not available. one must depend on commercial festilizers. and the quan- tity must be liberal and total from