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Show U S A C Agronomist Gives Information on Fertilizers By GLEN BAIhi U. S. A. C. Extension Strvi.ce The general aim of any farming program is to maintain scil fertility at a maximum level. If this is done, then the yie'd from aU crops will be high. In a general farming pro- 'gram it is more important to maintain soil fertility at a high level for all crops than to heavily fertilize only one crop in p. rctrtion without any par-tku'ar par-tku'ar thought be!ng given to the whole rotation system. Crop rotation, management practices, the use of farm manure and green manure, and the use of commercial fertilizer can be used to maintain soil fertility. In other words, the present thinking think-ing insofar as the use of commercial commer-cial fertilizer is concerned is that it should be applied when convenient in the rotation rather rath-er than for any specific crops. This is especially true of such materials as phosphate that have a relatively long residual effect in the soil. The use of commercial fertilizer fertili-zer in any given area is dependent depend-ent upon the experience that has been gained in that particular particu-lar area during the past years with commercial fertilizer. This experience may have taken any one of several forms such as test plots conducted by counfy agents and cooperating farmers, the experience of farmers in actual ac-tual use of commercial fertilizer, etc. If local experience is lacking lack-ing and definite information is not available as to the value of commercial fertilizer, then each individual farmer should determine deter-mine for himself whether or not he can get response from the application of commercial fertilizer fer-tilizer materials. This can be done by applying fertilizer to part of the field and then making mak-ing observations as to the results on the treated and the untreated areas. A soil test can also be used to determine the general situation insofar as availability of certain plant food elements are concerned. The soil tests cannot be relied upon to give a complete picture, but at least they will indicate what the general gen-eral situation is. Generally, in the Milford area, the following recommendations apply for specific crops: ALFALFA Experience in this as well as other areas of the state indicates that phosphorous is the only fertilizer material that should be used on alfalfa. If a phosphate deficiency is known to exist, rates of 80 to 100 pounds of available phosphate phos-phate per acre, applied each two or three years, should be used. Time of applications is relatively unimportant because of the residual res-idual effect of phosphate. A fall application will give as much return re-turn over a period of a year or two as will a spring application. Broadcasting also is satisfactory. The important thing is to apply the fertilizer as it is needed and method and time of application are relatively unimportant. CORN Corn is a heavy user of nitrogen and unless the soil is in a high state of fertility, insofar in-sofar as nitrogen is concerned, field corn will respond to the use pf nitrogen fertilizer. Generally speaking, the nitrogen level of a soil would be high the year following fol-lowing alfalfa. Rates of at least 50 pounds of available nitrogen per acre should be used. If side dressing equipment is available this nitrogen could be app'ied anytime alter the corn was well emerged. If side dressing equipment equip-ment is not available then the nitrogen fertilizer could be applied ap-plied by broadcasting ahead of seeding. SMALL GRAIN Generally speaking, on irrigated land, small giain does not respond to the application ap-plication of commercial fertilizer. fertiliz-er. An exception to this general recommendation exists when the land is particularly deficient insofar in-sofar as nitrogen is concerned. Such a condition usually exists following several years of grain production. In other words, land in the Miliord area being seeded to grain no doubt will respond re-spond to the application of commercial com-mercial nitrogen fertilizer at at about 40 pounds available nitrogen nit-rogen per acre, unless the land has been recently plowed out of alfalfa. No doubt much of the new land going into grain would respond favorably to the use of commercial nitrogen fertilizer. |