Show the land doctor by vivian She axer the subject of 0 fertilizer and fertilizing Is a big one too big to go into in detal detail I 1 right now heres a tip though that might come in handy until we get around to the fine points the very best and cheapest first line fertilizer is simply the prevention of soil erosion and its first cousin leac leaching liing which we might call nutrient erosion boil soil erosion carries oft off the body of the soil nutrient and all nutrient erosion or leaching happens when water moving through the soil dissolves Talu valuable able plant nutrients and carries them iway arway either up or down wherever the water goes both ot of these losses may be reduces to negligible amounts by the proper preparation of 0 the land and Its proper use when these losses are stopped the amount of additional fertilizers required to replace those elements removed in the harvest hardest does not constitute ute a serious problem I 1 I 1 said additional fertilizer because in ordinary farming the normal proportion of organic matter matier in the soil la is lar largely 9 ly maintained by the return to the land of such residues as thoi the stubble s and aid the roots from the plants continued qu OIL sur the land doctor continued from page one that have boen been harvested this supply of 0 raw organic matter la in generally about all that the boll Is capable of digesting i to replace leplace mineral elements removed in the harvest fertilizing elements such as phosphorous potash lime and so BO forth will be needed to bring the soil up to a iea reasonable seasonable standard of fertility these cases must be treated in accordance with the local conditions which have callb ed the need any land may be eur enil ched with artificial element to the point where it will produce more than can be expected normally No however Howe wever vei in general genera practice it has been found that arter a normal condition ol 01 fertility has been reached any additional d dit fertilizer will not pay for itself something like what they call in business the law daw of diminishing returns in any event the main effort should be to mani maritain tain a proper nitrogen carbon ratio radio tor for this i la Is the ratio that means a well bal alced functioning of the soil something like the work play ratio for youngsters too much of either I 1 work or play upsets i a natural balance so that neither amounts to much with a proper nitrogen alti ogen ratio in the soil any additional mineral ter till tili should bearded be added only at after a borough study of the soil eoll conditions maintaining a proper soil fertility and Is an altogether different matter than that of trying to restore restore an abused field topsoil Is the most precious gift with which the creator has blessed the children of adam andEv and eve eWhen when land loses a part of its topsoil top soll it gets sick but n nearly arly all sick land I 1 Is man hand led land land hardley ever gets geta sick by itself or when properly pio perly used |