Soluble Fertilisers. I

Te Aroha News, Volume IV, Issue 168, 4 September 1886, Page 2

Soluble Fertilisers. I

TdK value of artificial 'f*rkillzer«, write* '4k In Jfarm and Jy& jV depend** >spon tlie Beasoiildttring whicttfthey are implied. <la the-scaseX of bone {phosphate of lime/^the particles are given! off very slowly, and the fall is, therefore, the proper time for its application, in order that the action of frost, air, moisture and "rT"Ewfc may more completely render it appropriate as plant food. With superphosphate, which is ground bone rendered soluble with the'aid of sulphuric acid, there will be 'more or less-loss of-soluble' matter from frequent .washing, of the. soil by rains and p ■ mofcing snows. >Y©fe on .a majority of farms the application of superphosphate is made in fch'e ; fall' ior the reason that it is more 'convenient to drill it in along with the . wheat. The loss of. soluble matter, however, depends upon the condition' and ' preparation of the soil. If the ground ] iaB .been deeply and finely prepared. but little danger will en»u« from surface washing, as a few rains early \u the fall will cany down th&phosphate fro* the surface. But the 'water'that finds its outlet below the soil necessarily dissolves: and carries away, beyond the reach of plants, a" proportion df the soluble matter; which oannot be ' avoided if the superphosphate is applied at the time of sowfng wheat in the fall. - There is one advantage, however, which prevents much* of the loss, and thut is the fact that superphosphate usually reverts to the soil. To explain, we will state that the phosphoric acid, being in a free state, and unable to combine* witn the lime, which is united with the - sulphuric acid, attacks other substances in the soil,**that serve a^ bases, and-form insoluble phosphates again, potash, soda and lime previously existing in the soil serving for that purpose, but the recombinations result in the formation of mhtter which is in a minutely divided con dition, so much po as to Quickly enable the reverted phosphoric acid to be easily available *s plant food. Thus, while there is danger of loss by solubility of the particles, yet this is"partially prevented by new combinations, although there is- at least a partial loss. ' ■ 'With the 'nitrogenous compounds, how- ■ ever, the case is different. The sulphate of : anioiiia and nitrate 'of soda, which are the - usual foi ms of commercial nitrogen, are very * soluble, and easily taken uway by the rains, 'as they do not revert and form insoluble com- « pounds. For -that reason such fertilizers should not be npplied at all m the fall, as too large-a-proportion of the fertilizing matter t would be lost,thereby rendering them too expensive compared with the results derived * from their use. - But such fertilizers, If ap- '- plied in the spring, .after the season well " open's, are at once quickly, appropriated by the growing plants,- and.thereby prevented . from being lost. As with nitrogen so with potash, the compounds of which are very <'• .soluble/ .. V w * • , -• .Hard.subsoils, however, serve >to arrest ' and retain much of the escaping material, ■ 'but such subsoils are usually cold and late - in. advancing the.-.crpp&, it being apparent .-that they require drainage, which, while warming them, and allowing of the escape a of. surplus moisture* also allows of the waste of fertilizing material. Light soils permit of the greatest, wasteage, and, should be fertilized in the,fall very cautiously. In the application of fertilizers it will be found more economical to use finely^ ground bone -at this season, and the soluble fertilizers in the spring. If the matter of the use of fertilizers was given the consideration in this respect that it deserves, there would be better results.' Not that we wish to imply that superphosphate should not be applied in the fall, but that it is more economical to do so in the spring, in order to avoid risk of loss from excess of moisture.