Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1888-10-04
SOUTHERN AGRICULTURAL.
To Double the Yield.

South Carolina correspondent pro-
pounds the following queries, to which
the answers are appended:
L have four acres OF land (sandy loan
with red clay subsidy which yielded
20 bushels OF rcd oats per acre this
year. Please state how should treat it
to double the yield another year. sowed
broadcastlast fall, the middle Of Novem-
Der, and applied 200 pounds of ammoniat-
ed guano per acre at time Of sowing.
After oats were harvested planted whip
poorwill peas in drills three feet apart
and have now very good coat of vines
on the land
2. Which would be safest for big
yield, red oats sown in the fall or Butt
oats sown in the spring? I thought l
would try Burt oats, but will abide by
your decision, as l have no experience
with them. Please give me full par
ticulars as to preparation of soil, time OF
sowing, kind and amount of seed and
fertilizer per acre, etc.
g. have twelve acres Of same kind OF
land as above described that will produce
this year half bale Of cotton per acre.
Please inform me how l shall treat it so
as to make one bale per acre next year.
mean 1t will make half bale to the acre
with the application Of $50 pounds am
nominated guanO per acre.
We are not among those who believe
that specified given amount Of extra
crop can be assured by the application
of certain prescribed amount and
quality of fertilizers. One who is fa-
miliar, by long experience or observa-
ton, with the qualities of a given soil,
its usual yield without fertilizers, and
the average rate OF increased yield
from given amounts of fertilizers ap-
piled, ought to be able to estimate,
with some approach to accuracy, the
am cunt of fertilizer that will be neces-
sary to increase the yield by given
amount. In general way we might
proceed as follows: A certain field is
known to be capable of producing,
without fertilizers, ten bushels of
oats per acre, on the average,
or one year with another. II we
have observed that an application OF
two hundred pounds of given fertil-
izer per acre, on the same or similar
soil. will increase the yield by ten
bushels per acre, then we may safely
assume that double the amount Of fer
tilizer will produce double the yield.
This is not exactly true, either accord
ing to theory or observation, becausethe
ratio of increase yield does not corre-
spond with the ratio of increase in the
amount of fertilizers applied.
l. Let your hogs and other light
stock pasture on the peas when ripe,
and until the vines are well trodder
down. Then turn over the surface SC
as to get the remaining vines out Of
the way of the harrow. Or if practical
BILE break the land with ordinary scoot
ers. AS soon as possible in October sow
the oats with about two hundred
pounds per acre of the same fertilizer
you used before, or some highly
ammoniated fertilizers. Cotton-seed
meal is an excellent fertilizer for oats
The Texas rust-proof oats is very pop
ular In Georgia and Alabama. Sow
about three bushels of seed per acre
A good way to sow is to wet the seet
oats by letting them stand in water 1
few minutes. Then drain off the waite
and stir in the fertilizer according t,
the amount to be applied, to the acre
If necessary, little more water ma,
be applied to the mass, adjusting tn
seed, fertilizer and amount of water 81
that the mixture will SOW easily ant
evenly. Sow on freshly-plowed lam
October / and harrow in. Apply on
hundred pounds Of same fertilizer, o
same amount of cotton-seed meal, as
top-dressing about middle of February
2. Would prefer the red oats in fall
II winter-killed then sow the Burt GA
in the spring. We think, when cor
ditions are most favorable for both, tn
fall sown oats will give at least fit
per cent. greater yield than the sprin
sOwn.
8. The application of five hundre
| pounds of the same fertilizer would b
, likely to bring up the yield to one bale
} Ridge up the ground in March. Abol
} the first of April open out the waite
burrows. apply one-third of the fertilize
in the opening furrow, bed up wit
half turn-shovels or regular turning
, pillow Grows three and a half to fou
feet wide), and apply the remainin
, two-thirds of the fertilizer in the list
= ing-furrows. Follow in each turning
furrow with a long. bull-tongue. Plar
} about April 10 to 10 in some profit
variety of cotton, using fifty pounds c
fertilizer in furrow with the plantin
I seed. Southern CultiUdtor.