Winter Meeting. 407 



inally a much smaller amount of phosphoric acid than the lands that 

 were brought into cultivation earlier, as will be seen by observing the 

 composition of the red limestone land, or of the pine ridge land, shown 

 in the table of plant food in soil. It is likely, therefore, that if two or 

 three corn crops have been taken off of this land while the trees are 

 young, that it will stand in very sore need of a limited amount of phos- 

 phorous in some artificial form. 



In view of the great abundance of limestone in Missouri and of 

 the fact that most of the soils of South Missouri are the result of a lime- 

 stone decayed in place, it has been assumed that our soils are very rich 

 in this element and that it would be a waste of time and money to apply 

 lime. 



All of the analyses thus far made in our Soil Survey work indicate, 

 however, much to our surprise, that many of our soils are really defi- 

 cient in this element, and have possibly an overplus of magnesia. It is, 

 therefore, a serious question whether lime may not be very profitably 

 applied on a great variety of our soils. This is especially true of those 

 soils which have been in cultivation long enough to develop an acid con- 

 dition so that the legumes do not thrive well. 



FORMULAE FOR SPECIFIC CROPS. 



In earlier times the chemist, in recognition of the fact that differ- 

 ent time is required for the normal development of different classes of 

 plants, and they require plant food in different amounts and in some- 

 what different proportions, suggested various formulae adapted to the 

 requirements of different crops, as, for example, a formula for a cotton 

 fertilizer, another for w-heat, and a somewhat different one for corn etc. 

 It has often occurred in practice, however, that the so-called corn grower 

 would produce on some soils better wheat than the fertilizer especially 

 designed for this crop, and vice versa. This is not to say that much 

 cannot be learned concerning the fertilizing of different fruits by study- 

 ing the amounts and proportions of plant food required for their nor- 

 mal development, but to rely upon these data alone would lead us into 

 costly errors. 



DIFFERENCE IN AVAILABILITY FOR DIFFERENT KINDS OF FRUIT. 



This does not mean, however, that one fertilizer would be as well 

 adapted to one fruit -as to another. Tliat is to say, there are qualities 

 in a commercial fertilizea- outside of the chemical composition which 

 affect \'ery materially its ya?iue and adaptability to particular uses. Chief 



