Western sentinel. [volume] (Winston [i.e. Winston-Salem], N.C.) 1856-1886, 1881-04-14
| N. C. Agricultural Experiment Sta.
ton.
BULLETIN No. VII.
CHAPEL Hill, N. c., I
April "a, 1881.
FIELD ExPERIMENTs.

What does my land need to pro.
duce given crop to the best ad-
vantage, is the living, all important
question with the intelligent far,
mer Different soils, have very
different wants. VARYING With their.
original character aud with the
kind of exhaustion to which they
have been subjected. 1t should
be the-aim of the farmer to supply
exactly what ia needed and no,h-
ing else. II ID only in this way
that the highest profits are made.
II, for example, the farmer puts
phosphoric acid, ammonia and
potash ia one of the so-called COM
plete h4anures at the cost of $4,000
per ton, upon his soil, when
really only phospho,ic acid is
needed for his crop upon that soil,
and this can be bad at $4,000 per
ton, for his immediate purposes at
least he is throwing away $1,000.
1t is true that very often our worn
lands need all these elements OF
plant-food, aud the complete ma
nure very generally does we'll
therefore. But it is not by any
means always true tlfat it Els the
thing which it will pay the farmer
BEST 10 use. I very much doubt,
for example, whether in the major
ity of cases he gets any sufficient
return for the 2 to 3 per cent. OF
ammonia in the nitrogenous mat
ter to reuder it worth the fve-and
ten-dollats additional which he has
to pay for it.
The farmer asks then, how shall
I find exactly what 1t will Fay me
best to apply ta my soil for a par
ticular crop? The laborator,
method which has been proposed
!. gives a very uncertain reply. Tue
+ comparison Of the analysis of th'
, soil and the plant teaches Us li:tl'
= definitely. The analysis OF th,
t soil eau of necessity rep, esent onI,
q few ounces of soil at most
!, Thousands of .ons of soil are with
{ in reach of the crop. What prob
It ability is there that the few ounce
g will accurately represent the thou
n sands of tons. There are man
e other reasons why this method
!, very unreliable.
The practical test with the GRO
9 upon the sill is worth more tina
IS all the analysis of soil the chemis
can make. The answer natGr
- - makes to the questions put directl
d to her in field experiments are ia
a clearer and more reliable than tn
d theories of the chemist. Soch ex
i. perilnepts every farmer shout
u conduct for himself. Their result
e would be his su,est guides in fer
r, tiliziDg his land.
n present here simple schem
:. for some such experiments LAWN
'r references to the elements Of plan
of food mos, often needed up a
er inexpensive scale. The questin
A. to which the experimenter seek
Ie the answer is, will it pay me bet
\. to use phosphoric acid, ammoni
u or potash upon my soil with thi
~ crop; will the return be best wit
" any one of these alone, any comb
nation of two cf them or with q
j, three together? An acre of pal
- - TALLY exhausted soil is selected I
! ~ uniform character and as Low
,. a. possible, 1t is accurately d
r vided into ten parallel stripes. Tt
II differ cut substances are apple
to as illustrated by the diagram
f. three lots being left with no %
N nure to serve as standards Of con
parison.