4 POTASH PAYS 



are crop foods. It is simply a question of feeding the crops, 

 as it is in feeding live stock on the farm. Just as different 

 animals require different kinds and amounts of food, so the 

 different soils and crops need certain substances, which are 

 contained in a proper fertilizer, for their best development 

 or condition. 



Some farmers and fruit growers in California and other 

 States may cling to the old notion that, as the soil is still 

 new, it does not need potash and the other elements which 

 have been removed by the successive crops. But this is a 

 mistake. If they did not need potash, California farmers 

 would not buy the large quantities which they do at the 

 present time. Those who are using potash on their farms 

 and orchards in California are getting a good profit on their 

 investment. Their opinion that "potash pays" is the best 

 testimony to its value. Such an opinion is based upon 

 practical experience and upon the actual results from the 

 increased crops which they obtain from the proper use of 

 potash with the other necessary ingredients. 



While certain tests with certain soils in California have 

 shown that they contained considerable potash, yet the 

 important question is: "How much of this potash is avail- 

 able as plant food?" Or, the question may be asked: "Is 

 this potash naturally in the soil in a soluble condition?" 

 If the pot?sh is in an insoluble condition it is useless to 

 plant growth, and potash fertilizers must be used in order 

 to obtain proper yields. The mere statement that a chemical 

 analysis shows considerable potash in a soil is not sufficient, 

 for by present chemical methods it is impossible to determine 

 the quantity of plant food which is available to the different 

 plants growing on the soil. 



How many of our readers ever carefully considered the 

 large quantities of potash, phosphoric acid, and nitrogen 



