The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1888-10-18
SOUTHERN AGRICULTURAL.
To Double the Yield.


A South Carolina correspondent pro-
pounds the following queries, to which
the answers are appended:
1. have four acres or land (sandy loan
with red clay subsidy which yielded
20 bushels of red 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
would try Burt oats, but will abide by
your decision, as I 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.
8. 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 / 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
moniated guano per acre.
We are not among those who believe
that a 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 APP
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 a 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. If 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 trodden
down. Then turn over the surface so
ss to get the remaining vines out of
the way of the harrow. Or if practical
hle break the land with ordinary scoot-
6rs. 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 seed
oats by letting them stand in water a
few minutes. Then drain off the water
and stir in the fertilizer according to
the amount to be applied, to the acre.
If necessary, a little more water may
be applied to the mass, adjusting the
seed, fertilizer and amount of water SO
that the mixture will sow easily and
evenly. Sow on freshly-plowed land
October l and harrow in. Apply one
hundred pounds of same fertilizer, or
same amount of cotton-seed meal, as a
top-dressing about middle of February.
g. Would prefer the red oats in fall.
If winter-killed then sow the Burt oat
in the spring. We think, when con-
ditions are most favorable for both, the
fall sown oats will give at least fifty
per cent. greater yield than the spring
sown.
5. The application of five hundred
pounds of the same fertilizer would be
likely to bring up the yield to one bale.
Ridge up the ground in March. About
the first of April open out the water
burrows, apply one-third of the fertilizer
in the opening furrow, bed up with
half turn-shovels or regular turning
pillow crows three and a half to four
feet wide), and apply the remain ing
two-thirds of the fertilizer in the list
ing-furrows. Follow in each turning
furrow with a long-bull-tongue. Plant
about April 10 to Is in some prolific
variety of cotton, using fifty pounds of
fertilizer in furrow with the planting
seed.-Soutberss CultiUator.
Words of Cheer.
Hon non;oI naa,.a44 @f n-.,.1