Use of Fertilizers in Britain

Abstract

THE need for maximum food production in Great Britain during the War called for the highest efficiency in the use of what fertilizers were available, and it is generally agreed that a drive for still further improvements must be made in the future if agriculture is to be put on a sound footing. In "Fertilizers During the War and After" (Pamphlet No. 13. Bath and West and Southern Counties Society. 2s.), Dr.E.M. Crowther gives a comprehensive and most lucid survey of the subject, which will both be a valuable guide to all concerned with crop production, and also of considerable historic interest. After comparing the pre-war consumption of fertilizers in Great Britain with that of neighbouring European countries and the United States, it describes the war-time rationing scheme for England and Wales, discusses the basis upon which it was founded and shows how the experience from large-scale field experiments has been utilized. It is impossible to give an adequate picture of the range of subjects dealt with, but among the newer aspects mention may be made of fertilizer placement. Results from field trials indicate that labour may be saved and the efficiency of fertilizers increased if small amounts of well-prepared fertilizer are placed in definite positions near the seed at the time of sowing. Another development that may well occur in the future is in the use of standardized compound fertilizers, which have proved so successful during the War. As regards the fertilizers themselves, Dr. Crowther considers that the technical efficiency of both making and using phosphate fertilizers needs to be improved, and he puts forward a plea for some revision of the Fertilisers and Feeding Stuffs Act Regulations, so that full advantage may be taken of current and future research.