The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1894-02-08

S. E. X. Appling, Ga. % | agree with you
fully when you say that Zoo pounds of good
pounds of seed cotton. L have been experi-
menting with twelve acres of land Tor four
years. In 1882 made ga bales on tie II acres,
and in 1898 Il made IL bales on l2Ia acres.
want to see how much can be made on this land
Have been raking straw and leaves and putting
in pens and cow lot since last spring, and have
enough of this thoroughly rotted muck to put
at least 2O2 horse wagon loads per acre. have
already put on 100 bushels OF cotton seed and
ploWed them in | want you to tell me which
Will do best,-to put the lot manure and muck
in the furrow, or broadcast.
l2) What will be proper distance My idea
Is 5X5, one stalk to the hill.
81 | want to get high grade phosphate and
use LOCO pounds per acre; and as L know moth
ing at all about chemistry, please say what
formula to have prepared to use with the cotton
seed and muck, and how much
~ Is 1t best to pillow in cotton seed so early I?
Some argue that it is better to compost with
stable manure and acid and put in the ground
IN April My experience is in favor of putting
IN the SEED green and early enough to prevent
Eprouting, and to put manure on the land broad
cast with the seed.
Answer, by Director Redding: ~ Elk
perience has taught me that when any
thing less than very liberal applica-
ton of fertilizer is made to a crop of
corn or cotton it will be more effective
on the current crop to apply it in the
drill. If using 500 pounds or less of
commercial fertilizer, Tor less than S
tons of stable manure) would put all In
the bedding furrow, taking care to mix
well with the soil by running once or
twice in the furrow with a long scooter.
If 500 to 800 pounds are to be applied
per acre l would put one-third in the
bedding or opening furrow and one
third in each of the two listing burrows,
using the scooter in each furrow to mix
it well. 1t is a good idea to reserve
about so pounds and put it in the furrow
with the planting seed. Think 1t would
be well to manage the stable manure in
the same way, distributing directly
from wagon into the burrows, except
when you apply more than four or five
tons per acre, when it may be broad
! casted.
e. Our experience at this station is
| that feet by IA feet to 4 feet by Q
feet is about the best distance on land
capable of making, with the help of
manure, one bale to one bale and half
per acre.
(3) There is no special advantage in
| using a very "high grade" fertilizer,
| except in the matter of freights. Five
| hundred pounds of a fertilizer, analyz-
ing s-2-2, and costing, say $4,000 a
ton $500 WORTHY would be at least as
effective as $50 pounds $500 WORTHY OF
i brand that analyses 164-4 and cost
ing $4,000 per ton. 1t is only a matter
of freight and handling, and the very
high grades often cost enough more rel
atively to overcome the saving In
| freight.
| A fertilizer for cotton should contain
about 10 per cent phosphoric acid, 3
| per cent. of potash and 3 per cent. OF
nitrogen-say 500 pounds of acid phos-
| phate, $50 pounds of cotton meal and s.
pounds of muriate of potash, or lac
| pounds of kainit.
a. Our experiments show that there
is no great advantage ins composing
| rotted stable manure, acid phosphate
| and cotton meal in the heap several
weeks before planting, compared with
! mixing the same materials in the
burrows and bedding on them just be-
fore planting. But in the case of whole
green seed, or unfermented stable ma
nure, it is best either to compost them
four or five weeks before planting time
or put them in the burrows and bed on
them at least as long before.
| Green cotton seed are not readily
available as plant food, and must de.
compose thoroughly before they will do
much good.
| AS rule, cotton seed should not be
used as fertilizer, i. e., if you can ex-
change for meal on fair bases. For
instance, if you can get 1000 pounds of
meal for each ton of seed and are near
enough to haul several loads back and
forth in day, 700 pounds of meal are
| fully equal in fertilizing value TO one
ton of whole seed.