The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1896-07-16
QUESTIONS
AND ANSWERS
Commissioner Nesb;tt's In,
quiry Box For the Month.
MUCH INFORMATION FURNISHED

senegal Rules For Applying Fertilizers to
Inherent Qualities of Land-How to De-
stray Parasites In Stock-Cure FOR Grubs
An the Head of sheep-Curiug Corn
n Crop, Etc.
QUEsTIoN.-Can You give me some
ldea about applying plant food to diff.
ferent qualities of land? or course. I
knowthat no specific rules can be given.
but inAa general way would like to
have some reliable guide, so thw when
begin toAmake my estimates for fertil.
izers may not apply, certain kinds
where not Needed, or leave OFF an i'm.
portant constituent where most neces.
sary. / knowxhat have wasted hur.
dreds, may say thousands. of dollars
by an inIudicious use of various plant
foods which, If properly applied, would
nave oeen money III my pocket. Even
at this late day wish, irpossible, to OBJ.
tain aclearer knowledge of certain prin.
clples OF which have been lamentably
ignorant.
ANswER.-It may be set down as a
general rule, that unless land has a rea.
sonable amount of humus. no CONNER.
cial fertilizer will succeed we'll, This is
the one grand mistake that most South.
ern farmers have made. We have sed-
ulously cultivated most of the humus
OUT OF our lands. paid very little at
tentlon to rotation Of crops or other
means for replacing it, and then de-
pended on commercial fertilizers to do
the entire work. We should make
this question of the needs of diff.
ferent crops one of earnest study. Hav-
ing learned their requirements and
habits of growth we become better
qualified to regulate their relations in
our general farm management and thus
secure ourselves against the mistake of
planting in succession two or more crops
on the same land which absorb yery
much the same amounts, as we'll as the
same qualities of plant food. By care
full regulation Of this succession of crops
we can, in great measure, control the
constituents in most soils. and also get
the very best returns from ele-
ments of plant food, which too often,
by thoughtless cultivation. are pre-
vented from doing their best service or
allowed to waste altogether. Your ques-
ton Is comprehensive, because the needs
OF the land are SO intimately associated
with the needs of the crops, that we can
scarcely discuss one without including
the other.
The Cornell Experiment Station gives
some general rules for applying plant
food to the ordinary classes of lands of
which the following are some of the
principal points. Reclaimed low land,
Srich in vegetable matter, is likely to be
rich in nitrogen, but deficient in phos-
ph6ric acid. Well drained highland,
particularly on exposed locations, is
more likely to be deficient in nitrogen
than in phosphoric acid. A small
growth of leaf or stalk. if the plant is
otherwise favorably developed. indicates
a deficiency of nitrogen. For instance,
a large yield of plump. bright grain
from small or moderate sized stalk in
dicates an abundance of phosphoric acid
and potash in the soil and lack of nj
trogen. On the other hand, redun-
dancy of leaf and stalk. with a small
light grain, indicates an abundance of
nitrogen and an insufficient amount of
phosphoric acid and potash. AS rule,
plants having the greatest leaf devel-
opment require the most potash. Farm
manures that have been well cared for
and protected contain about twice as
much nitrogen as phosphoric acid, and
therefore land that has received recent
liberal applications of barnyard man
ures, is not apt to be deficient in nitro.
gen. In purchasing commercial fertil-
izers it is well to remember that high
grade goods give more plant food for
their cost than low grade.
Soils that contain an abundance of
lime do not need much phosphoric acid,
but require potash. If the soil is not
rich in lime, acid phosphate is the best
form as well as the cheapest source of
phosphoric acid. If cotton is the crop
to be grown, the less soluble and less
expensive brands give as good results,
because the plant continues its growth
through long season. But for corn,
grain, or any quickly maturing crop, it
is important to use the more soluble
forms. heterogeneous fertilizers are ex-
pensive and are not needed on soils,
which produce good stalk or leaf
growth, but if the plants are weak and
small. give them nitrogen. Cottonseed
meal and nitrate of soda are the best
forms for general use.
If large amounts of fertilizers are to
be used apply broadcast before planting;
if only limited amount, apply in the
drill, and run long, narrow scooter in
the same furrow, to thoroughly mix the
fertilizer with the soil. In the limits of
an article like this we can only touch
on the most important points of this far
reaching subject 1t is one ever new