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CONDITIONS UNDER WHICH FERTILIZERS MAT BE PROFITABLY USED. 



With a more or less complete knowledge of the need of artificial sup- 

 plies of fertilizer, the character, composition, and usefulness of the va- 

 rious materials, and the best method of purchase, the practical question 

 arises, Will it pay to use them ? Many of our most successful farmers 

 are by their practice answering this question in the affirmative. It is, 

 however, not entirely a question of plant food with them, and one 

 phase of it may be illustrated by the following typical case : Mr. A 

 applies fertilizer, his crop is doubled or tripled, and a reasonable 

 profit is secured. Mr. B applies the same amount and kind under simi- 

 lar natural conditions of soil and receives no benefit. The difference 

 in results is due not to the fertilizer, but to the farmer himself. In 

 one case the natural agencies— sun, air, and water — were assisted and 

 enabled to do their maximum work, because care was taken to make 

 the conditions other than the supply of plant food as perfect as possi- 

 ble, while in the other they were prevented from exercising their full 

 influence because physical conditions of soil were imperfect, due to care- 

 less plowing, seeding, cultivation, and cropping. 



In other words, the profit from the use of fertilizers is measured to 

 a large degree by the perfection of soil conditions which are entirely 

 within the power of the farmer to control. The production possible 

 from a definite amount of plant food can be secured only when the 

 conditions are such as to permit its proper solution, distribution, and 

 retention by the soil. 



The fact that fertilizers may now be easily secured and are easily 

 applied has encouraged careless use rather than a thoughtful expend- 

 iture or perhaps an equivalent amount of money or energy in the 

 proper preparation of the soil for them. Of course it does not follow 

 that no returns are secured from plant food applied under unfavorable 

 conditions, but it needs to be emphasized that full returns can not be 

 obtained under such circumstances either with or without fertilizers. 

 Good plant food is wasted and the profit possible to be derived is 

 largely reduced. Moreover, farming in its strict sense is the conver- 

 sion of three essential elements into salable products, and therefore 

 the use of plant food must be governed largely by its cost, and the 

 kind of crop upon which it is applied. 



The very high prices paid by many for fertilizers — though admittedly 

 due to their lack of knowledge concerning: what constitutes value in 



O O •••IT 



a fertilizer and to irrational methods of buying — renders it impossible 

 to secure a reasonable profit by their unsystematic use upon such sta- 

 ple products as wheat, corn, oats, cotton, and tobacco, because these 

 crops absorb relatively large amounts of the manurial constituents, and 

 are at the present time products of relatively low value. 



The bushel or pound of crop contains a high content relatively of 

 the fertilizing constituents while the selling price is low, thus leaving 

 but a narrow margin between the cost of the constituent and the price 

 received for it in the product. 



The growth of such crops as potatoes, tomatoes, sweet potatoes 

 forage crops for the dairy, and vegetable crops for the market or can- 

 nery by the use of high-priced plant food is more often attended with, 

 profit, because they are usually crops of high market value and are 



