278 ILLINOIS STATE DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION 



soil fertility or the reduction of the supply of any single fer- 

 tilizing ingredient in the soil so that profitable crops cannot be 

 grown thereon except by special fertilization. 



Fortunately, stock raising and dairying husbandry are most 

 important branches of agriculture in our state, and large quan- 

 tities of concentrated feeding stuffs are annually purchased by 

 Wisconsin farmers ; these feeds are valuable as food materials, 

 and at the same time enrich the manure produced by farm ani- 

 mals, so that if this is properly cared for, the quantities of fer- 

 tilizing ingredients thus secured will, as a rule, enable the far- 

 mer, to a large extent at least, to maintain the fertility of his 

 land. 



Where systems of continuous grain raising or culture of 

 special crops are followed, however, and where farmyard ma- 

 nure cannot be obtained in sufficient quantities, commercial fer- 

 tilizers will prove excellent substitutes. In case of special crops. 

 like tobacco, garden truck, potatoes, sugar beets, etc., calling 

 for more or less one-sided fertilization, such fertilizers will be 

 found of superior value, as they will supply the fertilizing in- 

 gredients in exactly the proportions required and, if desired, 

 in an immediately available form. Commercial fertilizers are 

 preferred for barnyard manure by many city people for lawns 

 on account of convenience of application or for aesthetic reasons. 



It is impossible to give definite directions as to the kinds and 

 quantities of fertilizers required for different crops, because 

 soils differ greatly in their contents of valuable fertilizing ma- 

 terials and we have no direct or infallible rule by which the 

 amounts of available plant food in the soil can be determined. 

 A rapid growth of foliage and a deep green color of the same 

 give evidence of an ample supply of nitrogen in the soil; if 

 the foliage seems watery and the growth of the plants is more 

 or less rank, there is most likely a need of phosphoric acid, and 

 probably of lime. If the plants make a rather stunted growth, 

 under conditions of normal supply of water, and mature early, 

 there is too much phosphoric acid in the soil to go with the 

 other essential fertilizing elements present, and nitrogen and 

 perhaps potash will be apt to materially improve the crops har- 



