The Opelousas courier., 1894-04-14
FERTILIZERS FOR COTTON
"A Bulletin OF Great Importance to Cot
ton Planters.

S4 4o4L6IS.
"Fertilizers for Cotton is the title
OF Farmers Bulletin No, IA of the r. s.
department of Agriculture, prepared
toy ). M. McBryde, President Of Virgin
la Agricultural and Mechanical College
ana Director of Virginia Agricultural
Experiment Station. a copy of which
may be seen at our office.
The purpose Of the bulletin is to des-
semlnate more correct ideas regarding
the manuring of cotton and thus pre-
vent as far as possible, the lavish and
lnJudlcious use of fertilizers, which,
there is reason to believe, results in the
waste OF hundreds of thousands of dol
lars by farmers of the South every year.
A BRET discussion is given of the re-
suits OF careful experiments carried out
under the direction Of DR.. McBryde at
the South Carolina Experiment Station.
These experiments extended over three
years and We're conducted on two farms
locatedIln different parts Of the State.
Inc questions studied were "Does
cotton require potash, phosphate,
P%riosphoric acld, and nitrogen 7
II so: 10 what forms9 Does it need
lng7 How should the fertilizers be
applied 2"
Carefully studied in all their bear
ings the results of the experiments
warrant the following conclusions,
which, however in practice must be
modified according to the special g
qulrements of different soils. Cotton
requires a complete fertilizer, i. e., one
containing all three of the elements of
plant food, nitrogen, phosphoric acid.
and potash. OF these, "~phosphoric acid
is relatively the most important and
controls the action Uf the other two,"
that's. with given amount of phospho-
rio acid only certain amounts of nitro
gen and potash can be profitably used.
The proportion of the three elements
should be 1 part of nitrogen to 81 parts
of phospho1ic acid and { part of potash.
A crop yielding 300 pounds Of lint per
acre requires a fertilizer supplying 20
pounds of nitrogen, so pounds Of phos-
phoric acid. and Is pounds of potash.
Potash can be as effectively supplied
by muriate Of potash or kainit as by
sulDhate Of potash.
Phosphoric acid should be used in the
form of acid phosphates containing
considerable amounts of soluble phos-
phoric acid. Insoluble phosphoric acid
in Stag, floats, or mari is of little direct
value to cotton and the use of these ma
terials is in any case of doubtful como
my.
Inorganic nitrogen in the form of
nitrate of soda !; organic nitrogen in the
form of cotton-seed meal. dried blood,
Or stable manure; and mixed nitrogen
in the form of a combination of stable
manure and nitrate Of soda, were of
very nearly equal value for cotton, the
slight difference being in favor Of The
last two.
"Stable manure containing organic
nitrogen is the best fertiliz6, of its
class and is lasting or cumulative in
its effects" Where the supply of the
is limited its organic nitrogen
extent of so per ceut BY inorganic nitro
gen in the form Of initiate Of soda.
"Of the commercial forms of nitro
G among which the farmer has to
choose, the organic nitrogen of dried
blood is perhaps the best, and at pres
ent prices, the cheapest. AS between
cotton seed meal and cotton seed there
is ii slight difference in favor of the
former.
-" Whole cotton seed is as etficarious AS
ground cotton seed.
used alone, or in combination With
commercial fertilizers the lime of mari
ls.Of no direct value to cotton. Mixed
with acid phosphate it may even act in
juriously by retarding or preventing
its solution in the soils. Applied upon
leguminous crops, such as cowpeas,
vetch. etc, which are to be turned un-
der as a preparation for cotton, its indi-
rect value Is great.
"Applications of coppcras are with
out effect upon cotton.
Nitrate of soda should generally be
applied along with the other fertilizers
at the time of planting.
FERTILIZERS may be indifferently
drilled or broadcasted where they are
literally applied, bnt drilling is to be
preferred where small amounts are en-
ployed."
In conclusion the bulletin gives the
composition of Is of the more common
fertilizing materials, together with a
number of formulas showing how to
mix these materials so as to secure the
right proportions Of nitrogen, phos-
phoric acid, and potash for cotton.