Commercial Fertilisers.

King Country Chronicle, Volume III, Issue 133, 22 February 1909, Page 4

Commercial Fertilisers.

Professor Vivian is a strong advocate of the practice of mixing artificial fertilisers on the farm. "It is only by buying the unmixed goods," he states, that one can be certain of the form of the plant food." He quotes a bulletin issued from the New York experimental station at Geneva as follows: "There is little of educational value in using an unknown mixture. To purchase intelligently unmixed fertilising materials wilt ultimately lead in most cases to a well-grounded knowledge of the science of agriculture. One will seek to know what the different forms of plant food are, what they do, from what source they can be obtained, and how he can use them to best advantage. He will become to some extent an investigator, and will, of necessity, take a deeper interest in his work. His entire system of farming will be lifted to a higher plane, and his more intelligent labour will yield more profitable results." There arc a number of substances which are beneficial to the land under some conditions, although adding neither humus nor important quantities of plant food to the soil, and these are dealt with under the heading of "Soil Amendments." Lime, as an important, indirect fertiliser, is discussed as "pro bably the most important substance of this class." Incidentally, acidity of soils is mentioned. "One of the best methods for testing the soil for acidity is what is known as the litmus paper test. The test is applied as follows — A little of the surface soil isscratched aside, and the piece of litmus paper pressed on the moist soil beneath. If, after some time, the paper turns a reddish colour, it shows that the soil is sour. To obtain good results only the best neutral litmus paper should be used."