The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-05-14
studying CROP Needs.

In speaking of crop needs we mean
simply how much nitrogen, phosphoric
ac.d and potash should be supplied to
meet the demands, says the Southern
Planter. These ingredients are all taken
up from the soil through the roots in a
liquid condition. II the land contains an
abundance of them and they are not sod
uble, the plants VITA starve for lack of
nourishment. A hungry plant surrounded
by tons of inscluble plant food is no bet
ter off than a thirsty man in the middle
of the Atlantic ocean with only the salty
undntnkable waiter at hts disposal. The
points 70 he remembered, then, are, first.
crops must have their food in an avail
able or digesuble form; and second; a
sufficiency must be supplied
The insoauble nourishmeuts in the soil
can be made to become soluble by degrees
through tillage and the use of stimulant
fertilizers, such as lime, salt and plaster.
1t Is neither wise nor economical, though,
in the hong run to exhaust the natural
fertility of the soil. The time would
surely come when 1t would not be possible
to raise paying crops. Besides, it costs
much less 10 keep up than to restore fer
tlatty.
Now, about the needs of crops. The
amount of nitrogen, phosphoric acid and
potash they remove will serve as a pretty
fair guide as to how much should be sup
piled to prevent a drain on the soil. 1t Is
known that vegetables of all kinds con-
sumo considerable nitrogen and potash
and but little phosphoric acid. A crop of
200 bushels of potatoes, for example, re-
moves from the land about fifty pounds
of nitrogen seventy pounds of potash and
% pounds of phosphoric acid, and to re-
turn these amounts an application of 235
pounds of nitrate of soda, $50 pounds of
-taN, - o.,I Il
phosphate would be required for each crop
of potatoes.
Cabbage is a heavy feeder; thirty-one
tons of heads per acre, which are often
gathered, contain $50 pounds of nitrogen,
800 pounds of potash and ninety pounds of
phosphoric acid; to renew this, 900 pounds
of nitrate of soda, 600 pounds of muriate
of potash and $50 pounds acid phosphate
would have to be. applied. Probably not
one trucker in thousand would think
of using such large quantity of fertilizer
per acre, but 1t only goes 20 show that
a knowledge of the needs of crops IL
necessary to serve as a guide in feeding
intelligently. Many growers are<~uslng
what they consider large amount of fer
tilizer and still the land does not seem
TO produce as much as it ought. The
whole truth is THAI the amount supplied
annually does not equal the amount re-
moved, therefore the crops are gradually
diminishing the reserve supply, and as
this decreases the yield falls off according
ly.
All vegetables have the same general
characteristics, so far as feeding is con-
cerned. They want plenty of nitrogen
and potash with little phosphoric acid
but in order to force them to maturity as
early as possible, so as to enable the
trucker to get the benefit of the high
prices which prevail at the beginning of
the season, particular attention must be
paid to the forms of nourishment 1t is
essential that the food be Immediately
available, so as to advance the crops lust
at time when they need a little pushing
along. The ordinary acid phosphate or
dissolved bone, and muriate of potash are
all right, so far as the phosphoric acid
and potash are concerned, but in the case
OF nitrogen all sources are not equally
available. Tankage, fish scrap, blood bone
manure, etc, have to decompose In The
soil before they can be taken up by the
plarts, and as II cannot be estimated 60
a certainty just how long this requires
Il is safer to use something quick acting,
like nitrate of soda. which shows its eff
fects almost Immediately. For this rea-
son, also, nitrate can be divided into sev-
ezal doses and used as top dressing dur