The enquirer southerner., 1874-11-06
What Components are Necessary in
Combination to Produce Good Crops.

Yesterday three cases--Jennings,
Smith & Co., VS.. Smith James,
same VS.. Jesse Burch, and same VS..
C. C. Burch-were tried in the
County Court, Judge Claiborne
Snead presiding. In each case the
plaintiff sued for the value of guano
sold to the defendants and for which
they refused to pay, on the ground
that it was useless and tended
rather to injure than to improve
their crops. One of the injuries
alleged was rust.
F. T. Lockhart, Esq, represen-
ted the plaintiffs, and Jas. G. G.
Black, Esq, the defendants.
Among the witnesses examined
was Col. G. w. Rains, who had
analyzed the guano. His state
ment contains many points of in
terest to the planting community.
He said one great trouble with the
planters, as a general rule, was
that they did not understand what
their lands needed in the way of
fertilizers, and therefore treated
them improperly. Some lands
needed the preseuce of a larger per
centum of ammonia and others OF
phosphoric acid. These two were
the prime requisites in a good ferti>
lizer, but it was essential to know
which was needed most on certain
kinds of lands. Too much ans
monia would make a large and
luxuriant plant and but little fruit,
while too much phosphoric acid
would make q dwarf plant and an
excessive yield of fruit. The two
in proper proportion were necessary
to effect the happy medium. When
an insufficient quantity of concen-
trated fertilizers are used, and the
soil in it's ordinary state contains
but little to assist vegetation, the
plant may grow up finely, and uF
certain period be strong and
healthy, but when the time arrive;
when all the soluble constituents o.
the fertilizers have become absorbed
or exhausted, the plant suddenly
ceases to grow because it has ne
more of its necessary food supply
All of its bolls are opened at al
early period because no new one
are formed, and the surplus squares
cast off from an inability to perfec
their development. In such case
had compost been used with tn
: plant would have continued it
: growth. Fertilizers are valuable il
proportion to the ammonia and bon
earth. Either can be used alone
but by far the largest yield is b.
combining the two together, Rust
he said, is a deceased state of tn
plant which has its juices partl.
absorbed and the remainder great
vitiated by an extremely minut
E vegetable parasite; in the case c
, cotton, it not only attacks the QUITE
parts of the plant, but become
absorbed in the pores of the roots
and thus finds its way even into tn
interior of the cotton fibre itself
The diseased condition of the plar
may spring from too small quan
3 tity of fertilizer having been usee
or from too mnch or too little rair
| Where fertilizers are used the root
of the plant push along the row
and when the fertilizers fail th
e nutriment of the plant is gone. {
I all the fertilizers, ammonia and il
e equivalent heterogeneous compound
are in general the most valuable
p not tissue of the plant can b
= formed without the presence /
nitrogen. A healthy plant ca
y only come from healthy seed Q
parent; it derives its nutriment i
! I;> early growth from the juices {
{. seed " h.ch are sccreted or forme
t from the solid parts of the grain
c the young vegetable being yet tc
undeveloped to obtain its food fro
the earth and air. The average
t ammonia should be about three an
halfper cent. augusta Chronic
and Sentinel.
U