The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1896-01-21
HOW TO USE FERTILIZERS.

menG OF run down farm / gave him
advice as to course that considered
the best under the circumstances, and
among other things advised him to
SOW crimson clover, with a liberal
dressing of acid phosphate and potash
as a preparation for the sale crop, feel
ing sure that the true way to improve
the soil and increase the sale crops is to
fertilize literally the crops that are in
tended to improve the soil. Ny cor
respondent lately wrote to me that he
had followed my advice and wished to
give me the results so far. In Septem
Der, 1894, he sowed the land in one
field with crimson clover and used che
fertilizer as advised. The following
spring he cut fine crop of clover hay,
and had it off and the &c d broken and
planted in cotton the first of May, using
no additional fertilizer after the 700
lbs. per acre used with the clover. The
past summer was very unfavorable to
the cotton crop, but the field gave him
over 1000 lbs. of seed cotton per acre,
while adjoining field unfertilized, gave
about half as much. AS soon as the
cultivation Of the cotton was over, he
soWed crimson clover seed again among
the cotton and now he says the cotton
field is "as green as college lawn"
and the land is evidently much inn
proved already. He fertilized another
field and put it in clover the past fall
IN preparation for the next years cot
ton crop. He says that he is fully con
vinced that this kind of farming will
enable the cotton farmer not only to
increase his crops, but at the same time
a moments thought should convince
anyone of the economy OF such farm
ing. The use of 700 lbs. per acre of the
cheaper forms of fertilizer, potash and
phosphoric acid gave him, without
buying any of the costly nitrogen, a
heavy crop of hay, which probably
paid for the fertilizer, and left the soil
in such condition that the cotton crop,
without any further addition of fertili-
zsr, was doubled the first season, and
the land left with cover Of clover for
the winter that is adding fertility to it
for some other crop. We hope that
our friend will not rest on his laurels,
but will help the land to help him still
further. He has adopted the proper
course and the only true business like
course, of using the artificial fertilizers
to accumulate humus in the soil, and
to accumulate the costly nitrogen with
out cost. But this very accumulation
Of humus will enable the land to use
the artificial fertilizers more readily
and proftably. II the crop of clover
now growing on the cotton stalk field
has dressing of potash and phosphate,
it will not only give him a greater crop
of clover hay, but will gather more
nitrogen, and when the land comes in
corn next spring, a heavy crop of corn.
Then next summer, when the corn
crop is laid by, crimson clover can
again be sown among the corn, with
the same top dressing and the follow
season a crop of cotton can be had that
will make the first one look small. And
with all these clover crops he will
be getting back the cost of the fertilizer,
and his cotton will be grown at a
smaller cost per pound. We are so
thoroughly convinced that the only
way out of the difficulty in cotton
growing at low prices is to farm for
cotton and cease to plant and gamble
on the chance to get the money back
from an application of complete fertili
zer to the crop direct. Feed literally
the crops that are going to feed the
land and then depend on the clover or
the COW peas to furnish food for the
sale crop. The gentleman referred to
is in the Piedmont country of 8. Q. and
with him the annual clover is probably
the best recuperative plant he can use.
But in the lower country the COW pea
with the same treatmentas to fertilizer
can profitable take its place. But under
either condition the point wish to
emphasize is, that for the ordinary
farm crops it is not necessary to buy
the complete fertilizers, and that the
same amount spent in the purchase OF
the cheaper potash and phosphate will
give greater results than a complete fer
tilizer applied directly to the sale crop
While for most crops we always advise
the purchase of the concentrated forms
of potash salts, such as muriate and
the cotton farmer would do
better to buy the crude kainit for its
effects in warding off the leaf blight or