The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1893-04-13

VIII not become involved in a maze of
/ technicalities and give up the effort in
| disgust The complete experiment OF
! giving plant food to the crops at differ
ent periods OF their growth, involves not
only too great risk and expense for the
ordinary farmer, but IS one which calls
! for extra work at time when he can
not very well afford it. But if this ex-
| pertinent is made for him, and the re-
suit established beyond dispute, he can
! go ahead with the certainty of knowl-
edge born, not of his own experience,
but of those whose duty it is, and who
are paid by the government to establish
correct methods. Experiments at various
stations have established the fact that
in most cases the best results are OBJ
tanned when the fertilizer is applied at
the time the land is prepared for the
seed because, while later applications
might, if there was plenty of rain. ma
! terially increase the WELD in case of
| drought, they would be of little bene-
fit because the land would not be
moist enough to take them in soluble
| form to the plants. AS we cannot con-
troll weather conditions, we cannot take
the risk, unless we can use artificial irri-
cation.
Lue llIelllSenC use OF
COMMERCIAL FERTILIZERS
is of grave Importance to the south. and
every opportunity of studying this
question and of acquiring information
which will enable the farmers to derive
the largest returns from this moistant
should be afforded him. The wise APP
pllcation of these prepared manures,
with judicious system Of rotation.
means increased yields andf1A gradual
restoration of elements which enter into
the structure of our cultivated crops
and of which our lands have been de-
prived. Want of information in this
line has cost our farmers thousands of
dollars. The fertilizers have been put on
lands from which has been taken by
successive crops, generally of cotton, all
vegetable matter. The land in this
starved condition cannot utilize the
highly heterogeneous manures, which
have have been put omit and the results
have been most disappointing. To reap
the full benefit of commercial fertilizers
the land must first be supplied with
humus, and this can be done most
cheaply by a udicious rotation of crops.
We all understand that when the land
has been
1hOhOUG11L4 AND DEEPLY PREPARED
and subsequent rains have not COM
pacted the soil, that rapid surface cul-
ture is all that is necessary. But if your
lands are heavy clay, have not been well
prepared or have run together and
baked there is no speedier or more
effective plan than to run a good har-
row across your corn and cotton just as
if you intended to destroy your entire
crop. Run directly across the rows and
while few plants may suffer. the gen
eral result VIII be most gratifying. The
first crop of grass and weeds will be de-
stroyed, the soil will be pulverized and
the young plants show the good effects
at once. | have never seen a farmer
| who have tried this implement who
would not use it again under the same
conditions. l trust that when May
opens the outlook for fair crops will be
more encouraging, and that farmers
throughout the state will have arranged
for plenty of home supplies, even should
the cotton crop be a large one, for home
supplies assured, be cotton high or low,
means independence.
r. T. NESBITT,
Commissioners