EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETINS. 131 



In the southern states cotton seed meal is much used as a nitrogenous fer- 

 tilizer, being applied directly to the land. It serves the purpose admirably and 

 has an influence similar to that of barnyard manure and clover. Its great value 

 for feeding purposes will prevent the use of this material on stock and dairy 

 farms in Michigan for in th's case as with clover, its value after feeding will be 

 nearly as great as before and the intermediate product — milk or beef — will be 

 an added source of wealth. 



On small farms, gardens and orchards where no barnyard manure is available, 

 cotton seed meal should prove a valuable manure. It contains a much higher 

 content of nitrogen than do most commercial fertilizers and besides contributes 

 much to the humus supply of the soil. 



WOOD ASHES. 



Much has been said regarding the value of unleached wood ashes — too much 

 it would seem in some instances, for in many cases wood ashes have been used 

 with quite detrimental effects. On some soils, not already light and sandy, wood 

 ashes are valuable, for, besides supplying about 5% of water-soluble potash, the 

 lime present in the ashes aids materially in producing a better physical condition 

 of the soil. However, it is doubtful if in most cases ashes can be considered 

 to have any commercial value above that of the potash they contain. In general it 

 may be said that wherever lime is desirable on a soil there ashes will also be 

 beneficial. . 



CONCERNING FERTILIZER BUYING. 



Fertilizers should be bought according to the needs of the -soil and crop and 

 not because they are cheap. A farm that is well nourished with barnyard manure 

 would not return the value of even the cheapest fertilizers. On the other hand 

 on a farm which is in a run-down condition the dearest fertilizer available may be 

 the cheapest in the end. Fertilizers are usually bought on the ton basis and yet 

 that means little regarding their actual values. The bulletin gives the results of 

 the analysis expressed in parts in a hundred. To get the parts in a ton it is 

 only necessary to multiply these figures by 20 and the actual amounts of nitrogen, 

 phosphoric acid and potash express.ed in pounds in a ton will then be found. 

 That a ton of one fertilizer can be bought for $20.00 is by no means a reason that 

 it is cheaper than another that sells for $30.00. It is the analysis that tells and it 

 is more frequently true that the fertilizer selling for the higher price is really 

 the cheaper because it contains a correspondingly larger amount of the desired 

 ingredients. 



THE USE OF FILLER IN FERTILIZERS. 



It is assuredly true that high grade goods containing little or no filler are 

 much cheaper than low grade goods. A filler is used by the manufacturer to 

 supply the farmers' demand for a cheap fertilizer. The filler may be dirt or any 

 other substance not injurious to the soil. It costs the manufacturer a considerable 

 amount to import the filler, mix it with the raw goods and transport it again to 

 the farmer and it is of course the user who eventually stands all this expense. 

 If the farmer will use high grade fertilizers or even the pure chemicals and 

 salts themselves he will obtain his nitrogen, phosphoric acid and potash at a con- 

 siderably reduced figure. By so doing he will not be paying the manufacturer for 

 mixing and transporting a useless material as a filler and he will also save him- 

 self much labor in distributing the fertilizer on his land. 



VALUATION OF FERTILIZERS. 



The following prices may be used as representing quite closely the retail cost 

 per pound of the ordinary forms of nitrogen, phosphoric acid and potash in 

 chemicals and raw materials in our large markets. This cost does not include 

 mixing nor transportation. 



