The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1889-01-24
,sFACTS-FOR !, /. The FARMERS.
Capt. Poterkin's Solution Of the CONNER
~ ;.is olal Fers5liser Question.

it. do not accuse the manufacturers of
fraud, but do accuse my brother farmers
Of being the biggest set Of fools Il is
in all the land, and the writer the ng:
of fools, or the biggest ofall. @
For several years ! bought ammoniated
fertilizers at high prices, and applied in
connection with cotton seed meal or cot.
ton seed in the natural state. After
spending thousands Of dollars in this
foolish way, I dropped The ammoniated
goods to q great degree and bought acid
phosphate and acidulated rock, and
mixed it half acid or acidulated rock and,
half cotton seed meal. Three or -four
years ago I concluded I had enough sui.
phuric acid and phosphate I'M my land,
and began to put in less phosphate aud
commercial fertilizers, and brought it
down to one hundred pounds with what.
ever amount Of meal I used per acre. ]
am now satisfied that where. lands have
been continuously planted in cotton, that
It IS unnecessary to apply commercial
fertilizers of any kind; the lands need
rest from them for at least one year. If
you buy at all, only buy to mix with
meal, where you plant on lands thatwere.
grown in something Sbesides cotton, and
put not over one hundred pounds to the
acre. There are various reasons for this.
By using little or no commercial fertili.
zer the plant will start offin the spring g
little slow, will have less fruit in July
and stand the July and August drought.
Take the lower and middle cotton belts
of the cotton States and we want to make
late or August crop. We need but lit
tie If any commercial fertilizer. The
upper or clay belts need q little to geta
July aud August crop, will say one pound
Of commercial to three Of meal or its
equivalent Of seed. The clay lands do
notrequire any kainit OF potash.
This is not all theory. ! know what ]
am talking about. I know it from
actual practice. If she farmers of the
cotton country who buy commercial fer.
tilizers will adopt this plan, say use at
least one.third Of the amount they have
been in, the habitofs susing,sit will add
many millions to their purses, and enable
them to pay for fertilizers they have
foolishly thrown away. Don't blame the
men who manufacture or sell the fertili.
zers. We have encouraged them; and
the demand is now so great that we can't
be supplied, except at price beyond our
reach. The high price will continue.
1t is impossible to check it in any way,
except by giving. the land rest for say
one year.
Ifyou 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 for
eigners have it ell this year, We will save
many millions. We will have as much
OF more cotton, and pay up back indebt.
edness.
Let the agricultural clubs. the ALI.
ances, and Oranges consider this matter.
If there are no societies in your neigh.
borhood, call the neighbors together and
calmly consider the matter. You can
not do this let every farmer decide for
himself, and say I 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 ben fool.
ishly 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 though 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 sued from fifteen to twenty
bushels to the acre. Mix the stable
manure fine and spread it with the hand.
a
Make itgo over large area instead of
carelessly throwing it down in piles from
q pitchfork. Too many fertilizers are
dangerous. They have never done the
great amount Of good we have imagined.
Good and proper cultivation pays better
than large quantities Of fertilizers.
There is such q thing as too much am
monia, and We often put too much than
not enough. The phosphate and kainit.
or potash salt, are there to stay. Our
land needs rest from commercial fertil-
izers as much as they do rotation. am
almost tempted to say if you take my
advice in this matter and Improves wrong,
appoint day next fall and hang me.
JAMES A. PETERKIN.
Fort Motto, January 10.