FERTILIZER 



2157 



FESTIVALS 



in the proper proportions to meet the require- 

 ment of his ground, as it is granted by scien- 

 tific investigators .that different soils and crops 

 require alterations in the proportions in which 

 the composing substances of the fertilizer are 

 mixed. It is also generally conceded that 

 organic fertilizers are preferable to mineral 

 fertilizers, and that methods of intensive farm- 

 ing and rotation of crops preserve the fertility 

 of the soil and increase crop yields, rendering 

 the use of mineral fertilizers almost unneces- 

 sary. It should be clearly understood that the 

 use of commercial fertilizers must be abso- 

 lutely guided by knowledge of the nature of 

 the soil and the crop to be grown, and that the 

 quantities must vary in different localities and 

 climates. 



In reasonably good loamy soils phosphoric 

 acid fertilizer for corn will be found more 

 necessary than nitrogen, while in sandy soils 

 nitrogen and potash are more important than 

 phosphorus. The hit-or-miss principle of fer- 

 tilization, the addition of a fixed quantity of 

 mixed fertilizer to the soil without careful con- 

 sideration of proportion of the ingredients, 

 should be condemned. Any addition should be 

 the result of intelligent observation of the 

 requirements of the land, either by chemical 

 analysis of the soil or by recorded experiments. 



Lasting Effects. The time during which the 

 fertilizer added to the soil will continue ef- 

 fective must depend on the crop that is grown. 

 The various food elements are not absorbed in 

 equal quantities by the growing plants, but 

 the bulletins issued by government agricultural 

 departments will tell the farmers just what 

 elements are exhausted by certain crops and 

 guide him in refertilization. For instance, it is 

 estimated that 100 bushels of corn during 

 growth remove from the soil 148 pounds of 

 nitrogen, twenty-three pounds of phosphorus 

 and seventy-one pounds of potassium. This 

 must be returned to the soil, and to do it 

 the fertilizer must be mixed in the proper pro- 

 portions. It will be seen that nitrogen will 

 prove the most quickly-exhausted plant food 

 element in the soil. Those lands that are 

 treated with natural manures will more quickly 

 and more naturally receive a quick supply 

 of nitrogen. Nature's way of returning nitro- 

 gen to the soil is through organic decay, yet 

 thousands of tons of this most valuable plant 

 food are wasted every year by farmers who do 

 not carry the farm manure out on to the land. 



The use of fertilizers must be intelligently 

 governed to produce the best results. To use 



fertilizer and then plow only to a depth of 

 three or four inches is not giving the plant 

 food elements a chance to do their work. It 

 is a good plan to plow a little deeper each 

 year, till a depth of eight or ten inches is 

 reached. This prevents the lower stratum from 

 packing and souring and gives the roots free- 

 dom to collect nutrition from the soil. The 

 requirements of crops in certain soil and cli- 

 mate can only be judged by knowledge of the 

 composition of the soil, and farmers should 

 carefully study these requirements so as to 

 put into the soil the necessary plant food ele- 

 ments in the proportions rendering them most 

 readily assimilated by the plants. 



In certain cases commercial fertilizers, while 

 assisting in the production of one crop, may 

 do damage to the actual fertility of the soils. 

 For instance, suppose a farmer applies 200 

 pounds of mixed fertilizer per acre to his land. 

 This may act as a great stimulant and increase 

 the production, but the larger crop will take 

 more food elements out of the soil than the 

 farmer has put in. To prevent wearing out, 

 he must supply more food than is needed by 

 the crop. The cost of high grade fertilizers, 

 from $38 per ton upwards, renders it an ex- 

 pensive matter to keep pace with the food 

 demands of the crops. Part of this cost may be 

 saved by farmers who will carefully study and 

 mix their own fertilizers while supplementing 

 them with all available farm manures. E.G.M. 



Related Subjects. In addition to articles on 

 the ten food products named In the second para- 

 graph, consult the following articles In these 

 volumes : 



Agriculture, subtitle 

 Agricultural Educa- 

 tion 



Manures 



Rotation of Crops 

 Soil 



FES'TIVALS or FEASTS, periods set apart 

 to celebrate some person or event, to rest from 

 labor, or for religious purposes only. Origi- 

 nally all festivals were of the latter character, 

 since the material pleasures connected with 

 them, such as eating and drinking, had to be 

 shared with the gods. The most ancient fes- 

 tivals appear to have been connected with the 

 dead; great banquets were held in their honor, 

 and offerings were made to them. The Greek 

 festivals included the four great national games, 

 Olympian, Isthmian, Nemean and Pythian. 

 The Romans celebrated the Saturnalia, Cere- 

 alia, Lupercalia and others. Among the Ro- 

 man Catholic feasts are the following: 

 Sabbath Christmas Annunciation 



Easter Ascension Purification 



Epiphany Pentecost 



