The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1889-01-25
CAPT. PETERKIN ON THE COMMERCIAL
FERTILIZER QUESTION. 49,.

| use of too much commercial fertilizer
and tho iDjudicious application of the
| same. For twenty years We have bought
ed for sale. All that has been necessary
was to put something in sack or bar
rel and brand some unusual or peculiar
name on it. do not accuse manufacturers
of fraud; but do accuse my brother
| farmers Of being the biggest set of
fools there issin all the land, and the
writer the king of fools, or the biggest
fool of all. 'i''"T f'"' 20 ''
| For several years bought am monia-
ted fertilizers at high prices, and applied
lin connection With cotton seed meal or
cotton seed in'the natural state. After
spending thousands Of dollars in this
foolish way,. L dropped the ammoniated
goods to. a great degree and bought acid
phosphate apd acidulated rock, aud mix
ed it half acM or acidulated rock and
half cotton seed meal. Three or four
years ago concluded | had enough
sulphuric acid and phosphate in my
| land, and began to put in less phosphate
! and commercial fertiisers, aud brought
it down to one hundred pounds wi;
what ever amount of mcal | used per
acre. / am now satisfied that where
lands lave been continuously planted in
cotton, that it is unnecessary to apply
commercial fertilizers of any kind; the
land needs rest from them for at least
one year. IF you buy at all, only by
to mix with meal, where you plant
N lands that were grown in some
thing beside cotton, and put not over one
hundred pounds to the acre. There
arc various reasons for this. By using
little or no commercial fertilizer the
plant will start off in the spricg little
slow, will havo less fruit in July and
stand the July and August drought
Take the lower aud middle cotton belts
Of the cotton States and we want to
make late or August crcp. We need
| but little if any commercial fertilizer.
The upper or clay belts need little
to get July and August crop, will say
Que ponud of. commercial to. threc Of
meal or its equivalent of seed. The
clay lauds do not require any kainit or
potash. -.. ..
This is not all theory. ! know what
| | I am talking about. 8. know it FROM
actual practice. If the farmers of the
cotton country who buy commercial fer
tilizers will adopt this plan, say use at
least one-sbird Of the amount they have
been in the habit using it will add many
millions to their purses, and enable them
to pay for fertilizers they, foolishly thrown
away, Don't blame the men who man
iacture or sell the fertilizers. We have
encouraged them; and the demand is
n1w so great that we can't be supplied, +,
except at price beyond our reach. The
high price will continue. 1t is impossi-
bic to check it in any way, except by
giving the land rest for say one year.
| If you make the experiment one
year you will continue it, and prices
Will for many years be in due bounds.
Our manufacturers do not claim that
the home demand has increased so much
but foreign demand. Just let the
foreigners have 1t all this year, We will,
save millions. We will have as much
or more cotton, and pay up back indebt-
edness.
Let the agricultural clubs, the Al
lanees and Oranges consider this mat
ter. II there are no societies in your
neighborhood, call the neighbors toge.h-
or and calmly consider this matter. If
you cannot do this let every farmer de-
eide for himself, and say | will for one
year let my land rest from fertilizers
1t will not look so bright for us in May
and June, but October and November
will show you where the millions have
been foolishly spent for the last twenty
years.
have been told of late that farmers
could not buy it; that his only chance
was to get it through his or some one
else's merchant. This may be true to
some extent. OF course money enough
will buy it, but We don't need it. That
is the subject for US to consider, and let
them that have it keep it, Spin out
your cotton seed from fifteen to twenty
bushels to the acre. Mix the stable
manure fine and spread it with the
hand Make it 60 over large area in
stead of carelessly throwing it down in
piles from pitchlork. Too many ferti-
izers are dangerous. They have never
done the great amount of good We have
imagined. Good and proper cultivation
pays better than large quantities of fer
rilizers. There is such a thing as too
much ammonia, and we oftener put too
much than enough. The phosphate and
kaint or potash saltare there to stay. Our
land needs rest from commercial fertll
zlrs as much as they do rotation. ]
am almost tempted to say ifyou take my
advice in this matter and it proves
wrong, appoint a day next fall and hang
me.
James \. Pcterkin.
Fort Motto, January 10.
SOLID FOR CLEvELAND.-The Presi-