The Need of Phosphoric Acid in Feeding 
Plants and Animals. 
the form of bone meal increases the efficiency of 
the other ingredients in the ration to assimilate. 
These two great functions of phosphoric acid in 
animal feeding, namely, bone formation and as an 
aid to digestion, cannot be overlooked by the prac¬ 
tical feeder, if he is to attain the greatest success. 
SOME SOURCES OF PHOSPHORIC ACID.— 
d here are two general sources of phosphoric acid 
which the animal feeder can select from, namely, 
hone products and mineral or rock products. The 
poultry feeder, especially, has a great many varie¬ 
ties of phosphoric acid carriers available. Undoubt¬ 
edly. the most efficient for poultry feeding is dry 
granulated bone, meat scrap and fish scrap. Meat 
scrap is the most popular because it not only con¬ 
tains considerable phosphoric acid, depending upon 
the amount of hone present hut it also contains 
much protein and is relished by birds of all 
ages. Rone products come next in popularity, 
and as carriers of phosphoric acid are even 
more efficient. A good quality of dry bone con¬ 
tains about 25 per cent, 
of phosphoric acid in a 
very easily available 
form, and in addition 
has about 2.” per cent, 
of protein, and can be 
purchased at from $1.00 
to $2 per one hundred 
pounds in 100-pound 
lots. This product can 
heartily be recommend¬ 
ed to every poultry 
feeder. In this connec¬ 
tion. I would refer you 
to the New Jersey Bul¬ 
letin No. 205. for a de¬ 
tailed result of work 
showing the value of 
phosphoric acid from 
bone for poultry feed¬ 
ing. This bulletin also 
gives in much detail 
recommended rati o n s 
for old and young birds, 
showing how to use 
bone, especially in ra¬ 
tions for growing 
chicks. Fish scrap is 
another product which 
is very palatable, and 
is relished by poultry. It carries about 40 per cent, 
of protein in addition to a high phosphoric acid con¬ 
tent. Any one or any combination of these three 
carriers of this valuable ash material can he rec¬ 
ommended for your use. 
PHOSPHATE GRIT.—We hear much about the 
value of ground phosphate rock and frequently some 
commercial product is put on the market which is 
derived from this source. None of the products have 
yet been introduced which anywhere near equal the 
efficiency of phosphoric acid from organic sources, as 
hone and fish. This phosphoric acid, although 
known to be present in these inorganic compounds 
by chemical test, does not in actual feeding prac¬ 
tise seem to be utilized by the animal in the same 
efficient way. 
ANIMALS NEED PHOSPHORIC ACID.—The 
uses and sources of phosphoric acid for poultry 
feeding have been outlined, but let us still appre¬ 
ciate that all forms of live stock need this product 
in large quantities and for the same purposes. The 
young pig must make a strong leg bone and good 
heavy frame in order successfully to carry the ex¬ 
cessive weight which he will he expected to put 
W HAT THE CHICKS NEED.—For many 
years the tiller of the soil has known that 
phosphoric acid was a necessary ingredient 
of his fertilizer formulas. Since the more general 
practice of home-mixing, the large quantities of this 
material needed have been more fully appreciated. 
It has been only recently, however, that the great 
benefit of phosphoric acid in the feeding of animals 
has been fully known. Only a short time ago. while 
visiting a la'rge hatching establishment in Southern 
New Jersey, where many thousands of chicks are 
reared to maturity, I was impressed with the sturdy, 
and vigorous appearance of the youngsters. Their 
stout shanks, large long bodies and strong bones 
were self evident. My first remark to the feeder 
was to the effect that lie must be feeding a ration 
high in mineral matter. A broad smile covered his 
face, and he remarked in a low tone, carrying with 
ir the idea of secrecy: 
’Yes, few poultry men 
of my experience have 
even yet come to know 
that phosphoric acid, 
as found in hone, is the 
most necessary part of 
a ration for growing . 
chicks.” This state¬ 
ment from so success¬ 
ful a feeder was very 
gratifying to me, as we 
at the New Jersey 
Agricultural E x p e r i- . 
m ent Station h a v e 
been working along this 
line for a number of 
years, and have deter¬ 
mined by experimental 
means the great value 
of bone meal and gran¬ 
ulated bone in feeding 
the young chicks. 
E F FE C T UPON 
SWINE.—It was but 
last week, while visit¬ 
ing the farm of a suc¬ 
cessful swine breeder, 
that I was strongly im¬ 
pressed with the sturdy, 
healthy condition of his young pigs. In the course 
of his remarks he said : "With all my success, I am 
frank to say that I would not want to he compelled 
to feed growing pigs without an available supply of 
tankage and bone meal, not so much from the fact 
that these products contain protein nutrients as from 
the fact that they both carry phosphoric acid in an 
available form for animal assimilation.” A product 
which wins such praiseworthy remarks by success- 
ful farmers must certainly lie worth a moment’s con¬ 
sideration. 
PHOSPHORIC ACID AND PLANT GROWTH.— 
Phosphoric acid is one of the three basic ingredients 
°f fertilizers, nitrogen and potash being the other 
two. While the nitrogen gives the plant its luxur¬ 
ious green color and keeps it in a healthy condition, 
and while the potash is building the structure of 
the stalk and keeping the plant upright, the phos¬ 
phoric acid is especially concerned in furnishing 
materials for the manufacture of seeds. Soils vary 
greatly in the natural amount of these ingredients 
which they hold. Different crops require different 
amounts of these plant food materials. A knowl¬ 
edge of the source and uses of phosphoric acid for 
The Growing Chick Needs an Abundance of Phosphoric Acid. Fig. 261. 
growing crops, together with the approximate 
amounts required, will serve to stimulate us to a 
greater appreciation of its importance. Phosphoric 
acid as used in fertilizers, comes from two general 
sources, mineral phosphates coming from phosphate 
rock and so-called organic phosphates coming from 
bone. Phosphoric acid exists in a variety of forms, 
some of which are soluble in water, while others 
require considerable weathering before they will 
become available to the plant. The great bulk of 
phosphoric acid offered for sale in the United States 
is of the mineral nature, and is manufactured from 
South Carolina, Florida, or Tennessee phosphate 
rock, its trade name being acid phosphate. These 
rocks are ground and treated with strong sulphuric 
acid, which reduces the phosphate to a more soluble 
and available condition. An average acid phos¬ 
phate contains 11 to 14 per cent, of total phosphoric 
acid. Rock which is treated with larger amounts of 
acid may contain as high as 1<> per cent., but usual¬ 
ly such products are apt to be rather heavy and 
soggy, due to the moisture which has been taken up 
by the increased sulphuric acid. Acid phosphate is 
generally applied in combination with the other fer¬ 
tilizer ingredients, either by broadcasting or drilling. 
There is one great advantage possessed by phos¬ 
phoric acid over nitrogen, namely, the former re¬ 
mains in the soil until taken out by the plant, and 
does not escape into the air and become lost as does 
nitrogen. In view of this fact larger quantities than 
are immediately needed can be applied, thus insur¬ 
ing a sufficient quantity without danger of loss. 
PHOSPHORIC ACID AND ANIMAL GROWTH. 
•—It has long been a generally appreciated fact that 
mineral matter is necessary for the development of 
the skeleton in growing animals. Ash is found to a 
limited extent in all parts of the animal’s body. Ap¬ 
proximately four pei- cent, of the bird’s body and 
4.5 per cent, of the cow’s body is ash. This min¬ 
eral matter is made up largely of lime and phos¬ 
phoric acid. Without lime and phosphoric acid and 
certain other minerals hone formation would he im¬ 
possible. Experiments have been conducted which 
show the great value of phosphoric acid to increase 
digestion. When fed to poultry, phosphoric acid in 
