St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1897-12-25
FARMER AND PLANTER.
FOR COTTON RA,sERs.

FOR COTTON RAlSERS.
The ..IntensIve" Systea OF Culture On -
Extensive scale-Bst Little slsotAtioa"
and nO "Decrcase In Acreage" Necessary.
We win again commence by stating
the three essentials of the intensive
system, viz: Feed" distance and
couture" and would state, in lam
guage that can not be misinterprcted:
If you are not going to feed, there IL
but little reason to fret about dis
tance," Just go on raising tweed" like
you have always done; but remember,
it is false economy to starve either
plant or animal. True economy has
been defined as 1.-The best use OF means
to the best end, In regard to rational
fertilization, the laws of true econ
omy call for the best plant-food OBJ
tainable. applied at the right time, In q
right manner. and in the greatest pos
sible quantity consistent with. lts
profitable, use. While according to
theory, q fertilizer for cotton should
contain the plant food ingredients In
about the following proportions: Phosr
phoric acid, one part; potash. one
eighth part; and nitrogen, two parts;
still practical experience has demon
strated that more phosphoric acid can
be applied with profit than this for
mula calls for. We have had excellent
results. 400 per cent increase over and
above no fertilizer; 800 per cent in
crease over and above lime alone GOO
pounds per acre); 900 per cent increase
over and above phosphate alone; and
100 per cent increase over and above
that which received the same amounts
of nitrogen and Of phosphoric acid. but
with one-half ration go pounds) OF
potash, from the use OF the following
formula: Acid phosphate. 6l5 pounds;
nitrate Of soda, 400 pounds; muriate OF
potash, 100 pounds; making 9S5 pounds
of fertilizer per acre. This will cost. say
SLIGO for ingredients at seaboard
prices; of course freight will have to
be added. which will bring it up in the
neighborhood Of Si2 per acre. Now,
this is what we used on very poor land
Treen. of Poplarville. Miss, used the
same amount (935 pounds per acre.,
and increased the yield from 700 pounds
of seed cotton per acre to 2,640 pounds,
an increase over that not fertilized OF
2t7 per cent. As c0ttonseed meal is
| rs q source of nitrogen-pOssibly more
convenient to the average cotton raiser
than is the nitrate of soda, it may b
| substituted for it whenever desirable
by using twice as much, or 400 pound.
of it. in lieu of the nitrate; the mea
being the cheapest 81 will be saved
in the substitution. The crude
cotton seed may also. whenever
desirable, be substituted for ths
meal by bearing the fact in mind
that for fertilizing purposes 70;
pounds of cottonseed meal are equa
to a ton OF the crude seed; hence LOO
pounds of cotton seed would equal the
200 pounds of nitrate Of soda and MAJ
be substituted therefor in above form
ula- This brings us to the right tim
to apply fertilizers in order to receive
best results. Potash and phosphate
should, whenever practicable. be up
piled in the fall or during winter, o
very early in spring. some weeks--a
least-before planting. Cotton see'
should be applied in January. by open
ing . furrow, both wide and deep
strewing the seed and listing on same
Nitrate of soda may be applied at tn
rate of so pounds in the drill at plant
ing, the balance to be used as to-
dressing after cotton is up. One hun
dred pounds Of cotton seed meal ma.
be applied in drill at planting, the bal
ance in siding burrows at first work
ing. The object in strewing seed il
January is to keep them from sprout
ing. "A still better plan, and one wide
~ practiced. is to scatter the cottoI
seed broad cast" working them int
the soil in the breaking of the land
The same applies with equal force il
the application Of both phosphotes an,
potash. We prefer to broad cast" n
fertilizers. We come now to the cheap
est plan Of all of feeding the crop
and increasing the fertility Of tn
soil" viz: Raising your own needles
supply of nitrogen 1t home, by mean
of the southern stock or field pea
thereby saving IS per acre in the fer
tilizer bill by having no nitrogenou
fertilizer to buy. This may be don
by laying of all rows on the farm
three feet apart, planting every othe
row in peas; this in both cotton an
corn. Five feet of soil may be give
when necessary to either corn or col
ton ut laying by, - inches being
plenty for the peas. The only pre-
caution necessary where this plan
followed is to plant . bunch" pea o
the yellow Creeper.' we use the In,
ter and find that it neither runs on tn
corn nor interferes in the slightes
with the picking Of the cotton. Tn
peas should be fertilized with from so
to 600 pounds per acre Of mixture o
two parts tby weighD of acid phos
phate and one part kainit The pea
not only furnish nitrogen, but the
also keep up the supply of humus
which latter is SO essential that Their
can be no increase of fertility withou
it. Where the plan is followed q
planting every alternate, row in bot
corn and cotton, in peas, and the pea
literally fertilized, that is all the rota
ton necessary to enlarge the crops an
gradually increase fertility Of soil; bu
double and treble speed is made, an
the two-bale per acre mark far NOR
speedily reached by fertilizing bot
cotton and peaA-L. H. Turner, i
Farm and Ranch.