518 VARIOUS FERTILITY FACTORS 



the investigation of the soils of the state with a view to the ulti- 

 mate adoption of permanent systems of profitable agriculture on 

 every type of soil in every state. 



The first important movement tending in this direction by 

 the national government is represented in " AN ACT donating 

 Public Lands to the several States and Territories which may 

 provide Colleges for the benefit of Agriculture and the Mechanic 

 Arts," which was signed by President Lincoln on July 2, 1862. 

 This, the first "Merrill Bill," was an endowment for instruction only; 

 and it was not until March 2, 1887, that the " Hatch Act " became 

 a law, " AN ACT to establish Agricultural Experiment Stations in 

 connection with the Colleges established in the several States under 

 the provisions of an act approved July 2, 1862." 



Thus, the experiment station, which is the chief source of correct 

 agricultural information, was established twenty-five years later 

 than the agricultural college, with the result that for twenty-five 

 years and more the state agricultural college was required to teach, 

 without facts or knowledge concerning the agriculture of the state. 1 

 Under these conditions it is not so strange that the practice of the 

 American farmer with respect to the use of commerical fertilizers 

 has been essentially a continuation of his previous system of soil 

 depletion, the fertilizer being used almost invariably as a soil and 

 crop stimulant, which leaves the soil poorer and poorer with 

 continued use. 



The following bona fide examples are fair illustrations of the 

 " complete " commercial fertilizers now being used in the United 

 States to the extent of about $75,000,000 annually. 



"HOMESTEAD TOBACCO GROWER 



" Guaranteed Analysis 



Available phosphoric acid 10.00 to 11.00% 



Equal to available bone phosphate 21.00 to 24.00% 



Soluble phosphoric acid 8.00 to 9.00% 



Equal to soluble bone phosphate 17.00 to 19.00% 



Insoluble phosphoric acid 50 to 1.50% 



1 In 1900, when it became the author's duty to teach the subject of soil fertility 

 to Illinois students, there was no source of knowledge concerning the composition 

 of Illinois soils. 



