The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1895-02-21
against the use % commercial fsr.ili.

AASo. ~ WOuLO DC q very great DlGSS-
ing to any one farmer, or to few farm
ers scattered throughout the country,
II all the other TURNER'S in the country
would cease to use fertilizers. So it
would be, also, to few farmers, if all
the Others acOesd cease to plant cotton.
But all the others caunot be prevailed
on to make such a sacrifice for the ben
ef1t OF a few. Every farmer would pre-
fer to be of that fetD. The truth is, the
judicious use of commercial fertilizers
is just as legitimate as the use of home
made manure; and just as legitimate
and expedient as is the use of improved
machinery and implements; or the Sc
lection of the most prolific varieties of
corn or cotton; or any other improve
ment or invention that would aid in
-avlng labor, or IN making labor more
effective. But it should be expressly
stated that the use of commercial fer
tilizers should be considered as only a
valuable auxiliary to system that in
volves, first, the careful saving Of all
home manures, and, second, a judicious
rotation, including small grain, and
such renovating and manure producing
crops as cowpeaS. clover, and the like.
MIXING MANUBEs AT Hos1E-But
farmers, as a rule, ought to buy the
raw materials" and mix them at home.
Any intelligent farmer, provided he
knows what materials to buy and in
what proportions to mix them, can
make Just as good q fertilizer as the gerry
best reddg-nlGde 0lLG9lo on the market. He
may not succeed In producing as uni
form mixture, either in composition
or in mechanical condition, as those
sold in the market but this is of small
practical Importance. The homemade
guano is not subject to irlspecttou and
analysts, and therefore it is by no means
indispensable that every bagful shall
be just the same as every other bagful,
either In composition or mechanical
condition.
HE MATERIALS REQUIRED.-A care
full study Of Bulletins 17]< and %, pro-
pared by DIR. Fl C. White, Vice-Direc-
tor and Chemist of the Station, will give
much valuable information to farmers
in regard to the food requirements of
different plants, the nature of the sew
eral ingredients which supply these de-
mands, and the sources from which
they are, or may be, obtained. After
such study the farmer will be better
prepared to appreciate the Importance
OF a proper selection of the materials
required for making his nome mixtures.
After carefully conducted expert
ments on the Station farm, covering a
period of five years, the following form
ulas are recommended with much con-
idence, especially those intended for
corn and cotton:
FORMULA Nc. For Corn, Sugar
Cane Sorghum, Grasses, etc.
Acid phosphate. ..... 500 pounds. Cost S. 40
Muriate OF potash, SO OF
Cotton meal. 900 10
1850 Sl4 5s
A ton of this would cost about rs cents
per cwt., or $3.50 per ton. 1t would
analyze ahoat as follows:
Potash (K2 o.....................i so :"
Equivalent to ammonia. .40e
FORMULA, No. 2.-For Cotton.
Acid phosphate, go. 1000 pounds. Cost IS 90
Muriate OF potash. 100 a 2 04
cotton meal 7oO 9 80
1900 sI4 81
This would cost about so cents per
cwt., or $1,000 per ton. It would ana
lyze about as follows:
Available gAeSphorie acid. ...... SEQ per cens.
Potash Potash SK2 oC................;... $50 =
Nitrogen ....... ...............,.. 275 - -
FoBMULA No. 3.-SlOeet PotateGs, Irish
Potatoes, MelorS, Onions, Cabbage
Acid phosphate 900 pounds. Cost IS 60
halhlJ. ............ 6VO 20
Cotton meal. .......... 800 40
1880 sl2 90
In Formula No. 3, when used on Irish
potatoes, it would be advisab BILE to sub
stitute $50 pounds of sulphate of potash,
or 300 pounds of hull ashes inp place of
the kainit. And when applied to mel
ons, onions, cabbages and other quick
maturing crops, it would be well to re-
duce the quantity of cotton meal one
half, and during the earlier stages of
cultivation add about $50 pounds of nj
trate of soda.
formula No. 4.-C0aVpeas.
Aotd phosphate -. 800 to 800 pounds per acre.
KANT 100 - LEO =
The foregoing formulas will cover the
ordinary demands Of the average Geor-
gia farm. In all cases where muriate
of potash occurs in the formulas, four
times the amount of kainit may be sub
stituted, or one-half the amount Of cot
ton hull ashes. Where cotton meal oc-
ours it may be substituted by one-half
its weight of nitrate of soda, or by three
times its weight of cotton seed.
STABLE MANURE CoMPosTs.-In AL of
the above formulas, excepting No. 4,
stable manure may enter as an ingre-
dent, without necessarily displacing
any one of those already named, and
without materially altering the proper
tions. The stable manure may be used
in any convenient or desired quantity.
Composing several weeks before dis
tributing in the soil does not seem to
add materially to she effectiveness of
the mixture. If the manure is well de-
composed it will do just as well to mix
all together and deposit in the soil a
few days before planting, or separately,
one after the other, the same day, as to
mix in heap weeks beforehand. and
will involve considerably less labor of
handling.
How TO Mkt may bet often is
necessary to run through riddle, or
| screen, some Of the ingredients An
ordinary sand screen will answer very
| well. Weigh out the required amount
of each ingredient necessary to make a
given part Of one ton, say 500 pounds,
| and mix with hoes and shovels on q
tight foor or smooth, hard place on
the ground. Sometimes it will facili-
tate after handling if the mass be
| sprinkled with water sufficiently to pre-
vent flying away with the wind.
COST OF INGREDIENTS. The Station
! supply of fertilizing ingredients has
| just been laid in, at the following prices,
| oh "a; LII 4.