The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1900-01-23
NOTES OF THE FARMo
Bv w. F. MASSEY, OF A. & M College.


/ Ill the western part of the State ut is
simply the Black MazZard.' said he To
a fruit grower this settles thf, matter
! Ihe Black Mazzard cherry is Il fruit that
nUrserym6n SOW to raise stocks to bud u.
graft fine cherries on. 1t belongs to the
heart section Of the cherry family a1l
no heart cherry will fruit III the eastern
part Of the State. 1t vii ne even do 50
here, and about the first POINT west Of
Raleigh where the finer cherries will fruit
at all is about the Occ0nee chec hills in
Orange county. 1t will be labor ana
( money thrown away to plant any he art
Of Biggcreau cherries III the eastern part
Cf the State y on can grow the MO1,l-
los and the May Duke and EARLY Rich
mCnd and a few others perhaps. hut FL ne
! cf the finer, sweet cherries. Even if ycu
could grow them you wctlid want a finer
cherry than the Black Mazzard. which no
nurseryman who knows his business sells
fer its fruit.
We are often asked by farmers who
are thIrkln about the fertilizer needs of
their soil if they cannot get their soil an
alyzed by the Station so as to find out
what it needs in the way of Plant food
We have to answer all such that all ay-
ricultural chemists and experience cul
tiv2torS have long ago found that soil
II EMS FOR FARM-TWO g. IS. e
analysis IS useless Il means fc9. know
in@ what to apply to the soil \ soil
nlay by chemical analysis be found to
contain al the food needed by planes. and
vet be 4 very UnprCdlctive piece Of
land. because the clements it contains
are IN such insollble combinations as to
he unavailable to plants. for PLANTS Of all
kinds require that their food in the soil
shall be in perfect solution in the sell
water. Hence : t'ac matters i'll the sod
are not soluble iii water the pants eau
not use them. Every farmer cam find
cut fer himself by Il little experimental
ton, what his soil needs most AMI what
it is useless for him to buy Let him lay
eff a series Of plats fairly representing
his soil. Ca ore plant Il crcp without
fertilizer as measure for the otherS
On the next Use phosphate alone. On
anCthcr, potash alone. on i fcnrth. nj
trCGCn alone in >Care fern. Inen make
various complete mixtures of the three
in different proportions on several M g
FLATS. Now Ey s:ildyinS these plats
and comparing the crops with E:s nlat
that has no fertilizer. he can through Il
series cf seasons find our pretty accu-
rated what his sell is most deficient in.
The ANALYSIS of the various crops, show
ing what they each take from the soil
/
give farmer more accurate information
rs TO the fertilization Of each crop t'l.ln
any soil anal ysis can. We find that
some crcTs are large consumers Of nitro
gen. ard take but little of phosphOlic ac.I
and potash. Then there are ether like
cur field Tea that do not need artificial
nitrogen. since they can get all they.
need from the air through the bacteria
that live on their roC,S. But they are
greedy consumers Of rhoslshoric acid anl
potash. IIcUee If we use Il high grade
complete fertilizer on the peas. we will
I've wasting money. On the other hand
if we give to the oats TIE same fertilizer
We should use On the peas We Will fail to
get the best results because cats need
mere nitrogen and less llcs1)horic acid
ana potash than the peas We could so
on ;rIehnitely to show the various food
requirements of crops. but this Will do
a> an illustration. and will show the IN
pCltauce of the farmer mixing his own
fellilZers iii the proportions tlat each
crop needs. BY using the same fertilizer
for all crops. without inpuirirg into the
special food requirements Of the plants
CT the needs cf his soil. the farmer VIII
IL most cases 10 wasting morey that he
could save. by thc careful study of these
things. This IS all the more important
since the fertilizer makers have advanC. /
the prices Of their mixtures. T.ra last
Legislature reduced the tonnage tax OIL
fertilizer. giving the manufacturers
large >Lm &C money. and ae once the
price tn the tanner gees up. 4t,!l vet
there We're scme Who imn"ined that the
reduction OF tha tax wGC!d benefit the
farmers