The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1896-09-12

Rains have robbed it of much OF Its
life blood and an insufficiepcy Of food
has aided to destroy its strength. UNI
til now it is more in condition to be
fed than worked. Everything is there
in the way of bone, muscle, stomach,
ETC., from which 20 make strong /
horse, but he will never become such
until lac has sufficient food end good
treatment Neglect and 100 pounds OF
guano to the acre have brought thou.
sands of acres to almost the point OF
barrenness. When we remember that |
the 100 pounds do not contain moro |
than two pounds of nitrogen, whereas
we have taken from the soil three |
pounds of this element in every |
100 pounds az bushels) of cot
ton seed produced, besides the greater
quantity washed away every year by
the rains through our neglect, it is not
hard to see why many farmers are poor
aud dissatisfied.
The work of increasing the produc-
tiveness. of our lands must be by de-
grees, though not necessarily slow.
After the land intended for cotton has
been we'll supplied with humus in the
shape of decomposing pea vines, a start
with 500 pounds per acre of 4 fertilizer
composed of IL parts acid phosphate,
six parts cotton-seed meal and one part
muriate of potash would not be bad.
This amount could be gradually in
creased each year until 500 to 1000
pounds per acre is reached. What the
limit is to the amount of fertilizer which
IL. h. <riu 6aI
can be determined only by experiment
depending on the composition OF the
soil, and the market value of the fer
tilizers and of the particular crop In
tended to be grown.
The profit derived from the heavy
use of fertilizers is the saving in labor
and In amount of land used There
| need be no more expense in the thor
ough preparation and culture OF an
acre of corn, for example, when it is
; fertilized to make 40 bushels OF
corn to the acre than when fortified
: to make only ten. By SO heavily ma
4 nuring it the labor of man and beast
I expended en- the three additional
acres in order to get 40 bushels,
!, together with the rent of the
4 three acres is to be counted as profit
q to be set against the expense of the in
: creased amount of manure. II the use
$ of small amount of fertilizer gives a
: profit, then it is evident that all that
u the plants can utilize will give larger
= profit. When the amount that a plant
" can use is supplied, the limit to the
profitable use of fertilizers has beer
s. reached.
* Not a small benefit resulting from
u heavy manuring is the satisfaction an'
G contentment that large crops bring t
both farmer and laborer. Even though
ID a bale of cotton should cost as muct
I'd per pound to raise when your field
he weld bale to the acre as when the,
pc yield only one-third of bale. yet Their
Mt is far more pleasure in doing tn
In former than the latter. Laborers wi
It, do more and better work when the RI
u suit of their labor is source of prid
ne to them. In these days of social an
az Industrial unrest and discomfort, ths
'ir which brings contentment Is OF lare
oy moment
die Certain plants. like corn, send the
wv roots out laterally, while others, liL
il. cotton, are largely dependent upon
en- tap root The character OF the roe
a system of plant must determine no
to the fertilizer is to be applied to it
he whether broadcast or in drill. The ru
to to be followed is to put the fertilz
lat where it will be most accessible to Il
to plant and to SO thoroughly mix it Wi
Ire the soil that it becomes part of
list The basic principle of farming is tn
len manure is the plants food and u
We. roots are the mouths through which
est feeds.
in Fertilizer is put in the soil for t
hat sole benefit of the plant, and shou
eks be used by it and not by grass
soil weeds. All that they consume Is jr
18th 90 much lost to the support OF t
me plant. The killing of weeds and grs
her Just as they make their appearan
above ground Dust before would
ter better), and before they have had I
the portunity to steal an npprecia'
oil, amount of the plant food, Is one OF
.om objects of cultivation. Some consit
g is it the only object, but in this they
,ept mistaken. If there were no such thin
has as weeds or grass, still, to get best
for suits, the work of cultivation by pl
ing and hoe would have to go on. Gu
this walton must be done, grass or nogra
Is is for the purpose of regulating and 7
enc venting the waste of moisture in
s is reservoir that we took such trou
for to construct by subsoiling.
dull ground acts in the same way AZ
lamp wick-conducting by capiil
{ as action the moisture below TO the
but face, where 1t is lost to the plant
hich evaporation. When soil is not stir
ant. for two or three weeks, little p.ssa
nth, are found out of the spaces betw
for the grs ms or particles of earth thro'
ants which the moisture ascends to the
face and passes off into vapor.
me. leakage must be stopped. TODD Sc
I'm ia break these little passages or wi
NAV pipes two or three inches under
arti- ground by blowing, SO that the pi;
<La full hauafit of ALL u10lS