UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA. AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. BERKELEY, CAL. Q ^ J E. W. HILGARDj Director. BULLETIN NO. 88. THE USE OF FERTILIZERS IN CALIFORNIA. The fortieth anniversary of the admission of California. The sovereign truth that nothing I '.tlifornia into the Union reminds us that she pays worse than poor crops upon large areas of has ceased to be a stripling. With this advance which the cultivation costs just as much as if it in dignity comes the inference that however were yielding high returns, is quite generally fertile her soils, it is to be expected that those appreciated here. Cultivating too much land long occupied or heavily cropped will now re- poorly, and getting poor returns both as to •jiiire serious care in order to keep up or restore quantity and quality, has been the bane of production. That this is really so is proved by farmers all over the East, and has doubtless the rapidly increasing correspondence on the done at least as much toward ^agricultural de- subject that is addressed to this station; and to pression" as all other causes combined, avoid the unnecessary rehearsal of general But whether fertilization will pay or not statements in each individual case, it seems de- clearly depends directly upon the particular sirable to put in print for general information requirements of each soil. Unlike Europe, what can be stated in a general way on this sub- where long cropping has reduced all soils alike ject. Of course many individual cases will still re- to a condition when they require an "all- (piirespecial consideration on account of peculiar around" fertilizer, the soils of California have conditions of soil or location; for in a great many mostly had only a one-sided wear from the con- instances the failure to produce satisfactory stant succession of one and the same crop. In crops is not at all due to soil exhaustion, but to orchards and vineyards this state of things is improper physical conditions of the subsoils, unavoidable, since they are expected to last 20 unsuitable cultivation or irrigation, alka li, etc. to 40 years without renewal and possibility of The fact that orchards and vineyards form rotation of crops. It is this one-sided wear, in- costly investments of much greater permanence separable from the chief horticultural indus- than the annual crops that occupy the vast ma- tries of the State, that requires special attention jority of the cultivated land east of the at this time; for it is clear that to apply "com- Ilocky mountains, and the high returns so plete" fertilizers in these cases, would be to pay often realized from them, has brought the out a portion of their cost uselessly, since noth- manure question forward here much earlier ing can be gained by adding to the soil more of than has usually been the case in the United the ingredients that are already abundantly States; and happily the silly adage that "ma- present in an available form, nuring is too costly and will never pay," which In order to fertilize intelligently we must has long kept agriculture on the down grade know, first of all, what ingredients are chiefly elsewhere, has never had a serious foothold in drawn upon by the crop sold off the land; 2 secondly, we must know which of these in- four times as much and must therefore be ac- gredients are so abundantly present in the soil counted relatively much more nourishing to (or irrigation water, as the case may be) to ren- man, as well as more exhausting to the soil, der their replacement unnecessary for the pres- While the dat 1 given above in relation to ent at least. the 44 outgo" of soil ingredients through the The subjoined table* gives some insight in- harvesting of the several fruits may be consid- to the amounts removed from the soil by some ered as holding good, practically, in all coun- of the chief fruit crops, of nitrogen, potash, tries and on all soils, the vast differences in the phosphoric acid and lime; these being, accord- nature and composition of different ft)tff ingo- ing to all experience, the only ones of which duce an element of uncertainty as to the need the replacement need ordinal ily be considered of returning to every soil the full aniountof in fertilization. These amounts are expressed the outgoing ingredients. Few soils are about both witli reference to 1000 pounds of fresh evenly constituted with respect to the four ira- fruit, and to what, according to our best infor- portant plant-food substances; there is in most mation, maybe assumed to be a 4< fair crop" cases one or several o/ these present in super- per acre. The latter figure is, of course, liable abundance, so that to replace the small amount to great variations and differences of opinion; carried off by the crop would be as useless as but by the aid of a little arithmetic each one 4 * carrying coals to Newcastle," at least for the can calculate for himself the data suitable to present. The analysis of sotls and irrigation wa- his own case or views. The crop assumed in ters is necessary to gain information on these the case of oranges is 325 boxes per acre of 15- points. year-old trees; that of grapes is intended to As regards waters, the information so ob- representa mean between upland and lowlands, tained is positive and unimpeachable. What- quantities of soil ingredients withdrawn by ever is dissolved in the irrigation water is ab- various fruit crops. Bolntely available to vegetation, and we amount Total Phos- Nitro- annuali y s ° conveyed to the soil is capable of ash, Potash, acid, gen, close calculation on the basis of the current Fresh Frutt. lbs. lbs. lbs. lbs. practice of each irrigation district. If the G rron S of 10 io°ono ih" 8 8 50 1,52 1,70 «nount of any substance so given to the soil per acre . 50 0 15 20 17 00 approximates to, or exceeds the amount with- Oranges (see'dieTsji ' " ' drawn by crops, it is quite certain that no lOJOlbs 6.07 2.78 .67 2.69 money needs be expended in the purchase of Crop of 20.000 lbs. that particular substance as a fertilizer, rffc/ii 13A l 63 e 80 . A ^^^s soil,, the indie. V ions given by crop of 20,000 lbs. chemical analysis are not so definite, because per acre 36.- 10.- 12 - tne aci ds used in the laboratory are more pow- Plums, 3000 lbs 2.9 1.72 .44 4.2 erful than Those at the command of the roots crop of oO.OOO lbs. of plants; although some of the latter (e.g. AmMfc-M 8 $ 13 S ™ l oxa.ic acid tha^of sorrel, rhubarb, etc.) ( ap ? Crop of 20,000 lbs. proximate closely to the same solvent power, per acre 16.00 6.00 12.0 Here experience must be our main guide; and It will be seen that for equal weights of these t nis has shown that practically, soils contain- fruits, grapes take from the soil by far the larg- ing , ( ? y the res ults of analysis) more than a est amount of mineral matter, of which nearly certain percentage of a given substance, may five-ninths is potash; they also carry off the be cons \ d .e r ed ? s abundantly supplied with the largest amount of phosphoric acid. For seed- i a \ ne; whlle /( the percentage so indicated falls kss grapes the latter item, would, however, be below a certain other point, such ingredient considerably smaller. nia y. ^ considered as being deficient. The Next in 'the drain of total mineral matter ZTnfilZ ^ht\^ ^ }* experimental iromthe soil stands the orange; it also draws ^ ? "^en T U f ^V 1 ™' ? n ***** heavily on the potash, and also upon the nitro- * n t 2 ^^1?^" f si* fails 1° P rod » ce ? d f fi ; gen of the soil but less than the grape upon Xp^v^ beconsidered that phosphoric acid. This independently of the ^fnhvin Z P lL\ ' T nt > and vice vma \ seeds, the analysis having been referred to fa * m e r ° t £l sav il of ^ to T secure , to the seedless fruit; seed-bearing (seedling) fruit £™® ^ purchase of super- would draw more heavily both on phosphoric system of ^ acid and nitrogen. system or investigation of soils and waters Pears come next as regards total mineral mat- Jl^pp^whrppH^f f2 beeR i fr °* m the 0lltset ter, but draw quite lightly on nitrogen. ft® \^ Z t ^ °- 3 d * hums (including prunes) are conspicuous D i e 7h^ chieflv for their heavy draught on the nitro- ° ™i P «,f qSJI fo ™ the co ™P^o" of gen of the soil, greatly exceeding in that re- \™llr\* r ^ wan t of funds for fpect the orange' 4 equal weights! and enor- fatLTry' work,^ monsly for an (assumed) average crop been carried out » j to a limked ixrJn? and The difference between apples and pears in chieflv in cer tain r/^inn* ™i extent a " d respect to soil exhaustion for an equal weight St in SS« : ^ considerable of fruit is quite striking, the amount of potash Manifested We Snot tl- ni f rOVement . waS in apples being less than half; the phosphoric ™™d toeive irVfnrm«Hnn Q h ? re f? fe ' as yet ' P re " ac d 1 only a trifle over half as much as in the ^^^m^Tp^^ f^m Je*?* pear; while nitrogen is equal in both and quite wnl hp lnnfy K p f nr p tht* ~ i i s made ' n few as compared ?o the orange, which has over ^fl™™^™^ *£ e ^ ™ "^e analyses of ashes here given are mostly ^°i nts ^l be i?"?V? ered as Poetically settled: thc*e of Eurorean chemists, generally accepted as A ' r rom wimatic as well as geological representing averages, California-grown fruits will causes, nearly all the soils of the State mav be be investigated at this Station the coming season for considered as abundantly sunnlied with >,■*,, this purpose. The chief exceptions occur in the higher por- $ tions of the foothills, where the rainfall is high and summer rains occur. In all the val- ley soils lime is abundant; and liming i< there- fore not among the means of improvement usually to be thought of in California. This applies to the use of quick-lime and ground limestone; not necessarily to the use of marls, which usually contain other ingredients be- sides lime to render their use valuable where it can be done with little cost. 2. Almost the same that is stated above of lime, may be said of potash. The great majority of soils in this State, more especially nearly all valley soils, and absolutely all soils in which there is the least manifestation of alkali, con- tain an abundance of available potash for all agricultural purposes; so much so that dissolved potash salts frequently circulate in the soil water. Most irrigation waters furnish an addi- tional supply, sometimes enough of itself to make up tor all that crops take away. Outside of the rainy belts of the Sierra and of the Northwest Coast, therefore, the addition of potash in fertilization must in general be con- sidered in the light of "carrying coals to New- castle" — superfluous and unprofitable at the present time; and farmers should object to pay- ing for the potash in commercial fertilizers (put there under the Eastern idea of making a "com- plete'' fertilizer), because the investment will pay them no interest. They should demand for their money the ingredients that will pay them for their use in this State, regardless of what may pay elsewhere. The few cases in which at present the use of potash will pay, are those of intense culture in vegetable gardens and berry patches, where crops are grown continuously and successively throughout the season. Here the draft upon the soil ingredients is so heavy that within a few years all require current replacement. 3. Of phosphoric acid, an ingredient so im- portant that even in Europe it is beginning to be claimed as the practical measure of fertility, analysis has shown an almost universal scarcity in the soils of this State; always excepting the alkali soils, in which it, or its compounds, frequently circulate in proportionally large amounts. Phosphoric acid is one of the sud- stances to be first suspected of exhaustion in the non-alkaline soils of California; it is therefore an ingredient that should be prominent in all compound commercial fertilizers, and which will be found to "pay" in most cases of decreas- ing production. 4. As to the fourth of the critical soil and plant ingredients, nitrogen, its ordinary measure in soils is the vegetable mold or humus, the presence of which is generally manifested, and outside of "red" soils is fairly measured, by the more or less blackish tint when wetted. From climatic causes, humus is rarely abundant in the upland soils of the State, and very gener- ally its amounts may be said to be small. This is especially true of the mesa soils of the South — those best adapted to the growth of the citrus fruits — and hence it is reasonable to suppose that a lack of nitrogen will be among the first things to be apprehended when that fruit shrinks in size, and production falls, on these soils. Elsewhere stable manure is the ordinary source of this as well as of the other substances when required only in moderate amounts; but for many reasons stable manure is less available in the dry climate of California than elsewhere. It is produced only in small quantity in horti- cultural communities; and when put in the soil it is long in decaying and becoming effective. It should for our climates be systematically "cured" in the manure-pile before being used — a point of vantage which explains, in part, the good effects of sheep-corral manure. By far the most convenient, and at present certainly the cheapest and most available source of nitrogen at command of the farmer is Chile saltpeter, which contains about 16 per cent of nitrogen, in its most effective form. From 150 to 200 pounds per acre is the usual dose; more than this will not be used by the crop plants in one season, and a surplus is like- ly to be washed out of the soil by the winter rains. Moreover, an excessive application might result in too much wood and too little fruit, and that fruit of a sappy, flavorless char- acter, though of large size. Sulphate of ammonia is the other most avail- able source of nitrogen obtainable in com- merce; a good commercial article contains 20 per cent and over, of nitrogen. It does not, however, act quite as rapidly as the Chile salt- peter. To the citrus-growers, then, who at present appear to be most concerned about the fertil- izer question, I woul i say that, well-cured sta- ble and sheep-corral manure apart, their best resort at present is to the commercial phos- phates and superphosphates of high and hon- est grade, mixed, either by themselves or by the manufacturer, with a proper propor ion of Chile saltpeter or ammonia sulphate; and gen- erally no potash whatever. In order to cover approximately the ground of the questions most commonly propounded in our correspondence on the subject of fertil- izers, the following points are briefly stated: This station has no direct or definite knowl- edge of the quality or " trueness to name" of any of the commercial fertilizers now sold in this State. Analyses of mere samples sent by the manufacturers or others prove little or nothing, so long as no regular " fertilizer con- trol" is established by State anthority. That this should be done as soon as possible, in the interest both of the users and honest manufacturers of fertilizers, is manifest; and nearly all the older States have found this regulation of the fertil- izer trade necessary long ago. At present this station declines to analyze and certify to the composition of fertilizer samples, except in cases of suspected fraud; for the reason that such samples prove nothing as to the general quality of the material put on the market, and their analyses have been used in advertising as though offering a kind of guarantee or recom- mendation on the part of the director. The latter disclaims pointedly any such responsi- bility and does not authorize the use of his name in connection with any fertilizer adver- tised. He has, however, no reason to question the bona fide character of the several fertilizers manufactured in this State. That in individual cases disappointment must often occur, is natu- ral from the causes stated above and proves nothing against the honest composition of the goods, fn this as in other cases, the right thing mav be put in the wrong place. The useless addition of considerable potash is the objection lying against several of the brands in ttie mar- ket. Farmers should be willing to pay a good price for a high-grade fertilizer, especially in the case of superphosphates. The only conse- quence of insisting on too low a price is that 4 the manufacturer, in self-defense, adds to the active matters enough of some cheap, inert material to be able to afford the lower rate; the result being that the farmer pays freitrht, to say the least, on " dirt" which he might as well put in himself on the spot, if so inclined. 1-4 Spent refinery charcoal in coarse grain is about as unprofitable an investment as a farm- er can well make; he should be willing to pay enough to justify the manufacturer in reducing every grain of it to the soluble form by the use of enough sulphuric acid. It is not advisable for any one to attempt to do this at home. In regard to the use of bones, it may be said that any one may with little trouble use all the bones accumulating about a homestead in either of three ways: 1. Bones put info a well-kept (moistened) manure-pile will themselves gradually decay and disappear, enriching the manure'to that extent. 2. Raw bones may be bodily buried in the soil around the trees; if placed at a sufficient depth, beyond the reach of the summer's heat and drought, the rootlets will cluster around each piece and in the course of a few years consume it entirely. But it will not do to have these root-clusters broken up by cultiva- tion every season. 3. Bones may be packed in moist wood ashes, best mixed with a little quicklime; the mass kept moist but never dripping. In a few months the hardest bones will be reduced to a fine mush, which is as effectual as superphos- phate. "Concentrated lye" and soil may be used instead of ashes. In this process the nitro- gen of the bones is lost, going olf in the form of ammonia, the odor of which is very perceptible in the tank used. For neither of these processes should the bones be burnt. The burning of bones is an un- qualified detriment to their effectiveness, which can only be undone by the use of sulphuric acid. 4. Bones steamed for three or four hours in a boiler under a pressure of 85 to 50 pounds, can, after drying, be readily crushed in an ordinary barley-crushing mill, and thus be rendered more* convenient for use. Practically very little of the nitrogen (glue) of the bones need be thus lost. Very good bone-meal is found in the market at reasonable rates. For information concerning the value and proper uses of land plaster or gypsum (also one of the inquiries continually made), 1 refer to pages 144 and 145 of the "Report on lf<r Experi- ment Stations" lately issued, which will be mailed free to any one desiring it. It may here s'mjily be stated that while gypsum is not a general fertilizer like the phosphates and ni- trates, for the simple reason that it does not contain, and therefore cannot supply, the plant- food substances of which the withdrawal by crops causes sterility; yet its uses, especiallv in the irrigated regions and on alkali soil, are so many and so important, that it should be very widely used so soon as a reasonably cheap sup- ply can be obtained. Berkeley, Oct. 6. E. W. Hilgard.