The Van Buren press. [volume] (Van Buren, Ark.) 1859-1914, 1896-12-19
FARMER AND PLANTER.
THE COTTON PLANT.
some Hints In Regard to Its Proper Fer
tilization.

| bOine Ifints III ReSAru TO 1ts EIopcH Hoi-
tilization.
A few years ago when DR., McBryde
WAS director of the South Carolina ex-
pertinent station, there was an ex-
haustive series of experiments made
on the proper fertilization of cotton.
The results of these experiments have
been lately published in Farmers bull
letin No. IA by the United States agri-
cultural department. The investiga-
tions were carried ON upon several diff
ferent tracts Of land, and the results
explain the reasons of the poor results
that have often been had by farmers
in the use of fertilizers. The ex-
periments showed that while cot
ton requires nitrogen, potash and
phosphoric acid that neither potash
nor nitrogen will have their proper eff
feet if phosphoric acid is absent That
a good dressing of phosphoric acid
email les the plant to use more potash,
and hence to make better growth
and more fruit 1t is found that the
| proper proportions of these fertilizing
matters in d fertilizer for cotton should
| be between three-sevenths and four
seventies of one per cent. nitrogen, ~
| phosphoric acid and one-half potash;
| or, in other words, crop of only 300
| pounds of lint per acre takes 2opounds
of nitrogen, so pounds of phosphoric
acid and Is pounds of potash. The
amount of nitrogen and potash that
can profitably be used is determined
by the amount of phosphoric acid used.
The notion that the chlorides or pot
ash are in furious was shown to be an
error, for the potash used as kainit
and as muriate gave just as good re-
suits as the sulphate, and the state
ment is made that the muriate is the
cheapest form in which potash can be
used. Preference is given to acid phos-
pilates containing the largest proper
tions of soluble phosphoric acid. In
soluable acid in Stag, floats or mari is
OF little direct value to the crop.
Cotton seed meal was found to
be better fertilizer than cotton seed.
MARI used alone on cotton has no good
effect, and mixed with acid phosphate
alone was an actual injury, in making
the latter insoluble, but used ON pea
crop preceding the crop of cotton,
mari and potassic fertilizers had fine
effect. The bulletin deals only in fer
tilizers to produce moderate crop of
cotton on thin sandy soils, and its ten
deney is to encourage the old waste
full and destructive method of using
fertilizers solely to get crop,
practice that has brought more
ruin in the south than any
other. The following statement is
made: According to the best agri-
cultural experience of our day, the bet
ter plan is to use such fertilizers as
will meet the demands of the crop
upon which they are applied" Now,
we prot est that the best agricultural
experience" has demonstrated nothing
of the sort. On the contrary, the ex-
perience of all who have brought up
farms from poor condition to one of
produetiveness is that the true use of
fertilizers is to enable the farmer to
accumulate fertility in his soil by en-
couraging the growth of crops like
peas and clover, that will add humus
and fix nitrogen for him. That
the small percentage of nitrogen need
ed by the cotton crop can be had more
cheaply by using the cheaper fetilizers,
| potash and phosphoric acid, literally,
to get heavy growth of legumes pre-
ceding the cotton crop. If any extra
amount of the potash and phosphate
is used it will not be lost, for the alb
sorbtive power of the soil will keep
these until some plant wants them,
and they will be there ready to en-
courage growth of some kind and re-
deem the soil from barrenness. If
the waste places of the south are ever
to be redeemed it must be by farm
ing that will accumulate fertility
in the soil, and never by the men who
only aim to put on just enough fertil-
izer to make 300 pounds of lint cotton
per acre. l am thorough believer in
farming with chemical fertilizers, and
l ain unalterably opposed to the prac-
tice of adding only enough of COM
plete fertilizer to squeeze out from the
soil a moderate crop, to be sold off and
leave the latter state of that soil
worse than the first. This kind of
farming may do in chemical expert
ments, but it is ruin in practice, and
is more than anything else the cause
of barrenness in much of the country
to-day.
Acid phosphate and potash in liberal
amount to grow heavy crop of le-
gumes, and by their agency get all the
nitrogen farm crops need, must be the
rule of the farmer of the future in the
south. lie can not afford to buy the
costly nitrogen with four-cent cotton,
and he can not afford to buy it at any
time, when he can get it free of cost
and goood lot of forage thrown in
1t is farming, and not homeopathic
fertilizer dosing that the cotton
interest of the south needs to-
day. Knowing from these admira-
bly-conducted experiments what the
crop needs, let us get the food in
the cheapest way, by buying only
those forms we cannot capture from
the air, and to use them with liberal
hand to enable us to get the ever feet
ing nitrogen in equally liberal quanti-
ties. Then we will not be satisfied
200 pounds of lint per acre, but will
| get more, and the cattle food besides
While dealing in futui es" is ordina-
rily risky sort of business, the farm
er who does not deal in futures with
his soil will inevitably get left"-W
f. MASSEY, South Carolina Expert
ment Station.
THE FARMS FERTILITY.