Fertilizers, What They Are and What 

 They Are Good For. 



While "fertilizer" has become a household word in the 

 humid sections of the United States, it is practically unknown 

 in the arid and semi-arid districts of the West. This, in part 

 at least, is due to the fact that these regions have only in 

 recent times been opened to general farming, and that the 

 freight rates to most of these points west make the purchase 

 of commercial fertilizers too costly at present. There are 

 some other reasons, however, which will be fully discussed 

 further on. 



Since fertilizers are so little known in the regions of low 

 rainfall, it will not be out of place here to give a few explana- 

 tions in regard to their nature and use. It is a well estab- 

 lished and undisputed fact that plants, just as well as animals, 

 cannot grow from nothing. While no farmer would ever be so 

 foolish as to withhold food from his stock and let it starve, 

 there are still many farmers that will leave it to the plant to 

 get its food supply as best it can. Everyone knows that if he 

 wants to get top prices for his cattle, he must fatten them up 

 and must let them have plenty of food for this end. The 

 same is true of plants. You may grow some kind of a crop 

 on almost any land if you give it a little care, but if you want 

 to grow a good crop and plenty of it you must not leave all 

 the work of producing it to the soil alone, lest it go back on 

 you in a short while. 



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