The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1882-02-16
For the Farmer and Mechanic.
for cotton
h0".prof. Dabney's Circular.
q AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT
Y RkrtGU Feb. Y. lSS2.

. AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT
n RALEIGH, Feb. =. lsS2.
interest 10 homemade maunre>
-an;dlvi increasing. A host OF iarmer-
~ the formulas recommended lat
eleu and in spite of the bad season,
Yen report very satisfactory results.
~ such materials as we're found On
- f9rm and supplementing theW with
aoh chemicals as could be Obtained M
merous different mixtures have been
,r;ad The aim of all, however, WAS TO
univ about a5 pounds phospheric acid;
IN 70 twelve pounds of nitrogen and IL
~ IS pounds of potash to the acre;
Let me present here just one general
| and one special case, by way OF lliustra-
Every cotton farmer has cotton seed
nj stable manure and every one IS able
- oct some dissolved bone or dissolved
: q, phosphate and a potash salt. "A
vture like the following was tried by
: treat many farmers last year:
coo his Acid Phosphate about Fl0.00
"a :. Muriate of potash 50
eeNo - or about 20 bushels "
&s00 " stable manure, !"
'S u.king a ton OF 1000 lbs, costing,
nounting the home-materials and
labor, 1898.
I'm. farmer who applied 800 pounds
Of this per acre writes,
II am wonderfully pleased with the
-1. made, in spite of the
drought. $50 pounds seed cotton on
lind that made last year 700 per acre,
b;gbly mauured with a commercial fer
%,;fzer. | had a tenant whose crop
|;n;nei mine Gland equally as good who
ed the -guano and made about 500
nonnds per acre. Ny experience is that
4 is equally as good for corn as for cot
Many farmers added 100 pounds sui
1 nhate of ammonia to similar mixtures
fhis was necessary on some soils when
stable manure and cotton seed were in
sufficient. But no farmer ought ever
10 have to buy all or even a large part
kof his nitrogen. 1t is now the costly
;nyrsdient of commercial fertilizers and
i Is destined to get dearer every year
! %nnle.s farmers save up the home sources
Il Of nitrogen better than they do. With
/ the proper diversity OF crops, with
1 grass, cattle and sheep, farmers ought
70 have a plenty Of nitrogen, without
II buying a pound.
have frequently recommended 400
mounds kainite as a substitute for the
muriate Of potash in this formula wher-
Il ever it could be obtained cheapiy
<enough. Kainite has become very pop
n Mar with cotton planters. 1t probab J
gcts both directly and indirectly TIE
sulphate of potash 1t contains Is quite q
~stimulating food to the cotton plant
=It distinctly promotes the regular ant
early ~ripening of the cotton. kalnitt
ma be used with advantage therefore
2both upon the moist low-laDds Of the
Eastern part Of the State and upon The
hill sides Of the west where cotton i
9zput of its natural kingdom and has tC
be fastened to maturity. The COM
#mon salt, it contains also, acts onl,
zindirectly, | suppose, i'll supplying plan
food. 1t reacts upon the soil and rem
ders available the plaut food locked uE
in insolub,e compounds.
VI While all this probably true 10 al
4 cases, let me speak u warning aRalnS'
Sfhc continual use of kaluite a;uae upoI
the same land. It's cheapness and til,
good results it produces the first yea
fempts the farmer to apply II again anc
again. But these good results vii
prove e~nsnaring, If it's continued to.
long. 1t must be remembered that i
i Ipplies only a single element of plant
God, or counting the magnesia AM