PHOSPHORUS FOR SOILS. 



Phosphorus is the "life" of the soil. Scientists 

 are not agreed as to the function of phosphorus 

 in the soil, some contending that as applied it is 

 merely a sort of disinfectant, as it were ; that it de- 

 stroys certain toxic or poisonous conditions hurt- 

 ful to plant life. Certain it is, however, that soils 

 well stored with available phosphorus are produc- 

 tive of the right sorts of useful plants. Soils well 

 stored with phosphoTus are rich soils, grow rich 

 plants and make splendid animals. The soils of the 

 central blue-grass region of Kentucky are so rich 

 in phosphorus that the addition of more can not 

 usually be seen in the crop. They are rich too in 

 carbonate of lime and from these soils grow the 

 best grasses in the world, and the horses and cat- 

 tle feeding on these grasses are famed the world 

 around. 



Soils that are p'oor and unproductive are usually 

 much helped by applications of additional phos- 

 phorus. Alfalfa especially responds to this element. 



Basic Slag. Basic slag has already been men- 

 tioned. It is a refuse left from making steel. Cer- 

 tain ores rich in phosphorus make bad steel unless 

 that element is taken out of them. John W. Pater- 

 son of West Scotland Agricultural College, Glas- 

 gow, in an admirable pamphlet on use of "Basic 

 Slag on the Farm," says: 



The essential constituents of manures are nitrogen, potash 



(176) 



