Complete Fertilisers.

King Country Chronicle, Volume III, Issue 163, 10 June 1909, Page 4

Complete Fertilisers.

What is known as a complete fertiliser contains phosphoric acid, nitrogen, and potash, the three great elements of plant food which are needed to make any completely barren soil productive. But a soil which is wholly destitute of all three of these elements is extremely rare, and it is equally rare that a complete fertiliser, made in the proportions common to most factories, is needed. A soil may have only a small amount of only one or two of these elements, but whatever it may have need not be duplicated in the fer tiliser.

Chemical analysis of a soil gives very little indication of its fertiliser needs, as it cannot «how whether the plant food in the soil is in such a condition that it can be used by the growing plants. Food which cannot be used is of no value to either animals or plants. While no invariable rules can be given for the composition of fertilisers for different soil?, there are a few general rules which will p.V.vays apply. Soils deficient in lime ;-.re usually benefitted by an of caid phosphate Tk<- sa:r:<; is also

profitable for use or, crons which it is desirable to have rr.au;red at the earliest y ossii ''.'■ dav , and it is generally profitable where the rropc"nsists princinallv of seed, a? in oat?, wheat, and corn..' Ni'roperi is needed whenever the growth o'" the plant- is too small, and is sm.-ciallv ;-rofitable where the ero;> consists of pave? and nems. as in cabbage?, cats, r-.r/i other grains cut for hav. and for most garden vegetable?. It is rarely prof-fable to us it on r,"W ground, or on ground where cow peas were- grown the previous season. Potash is needed -.vh'-r-vi-r the crop consists of starchy materials, as in growing fruit trees. It is also highly benedcia! in a market garden, where vegetables grown fur shipment, as it give? the crops better colour and