The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1901-05-02
The rhaosopny OF Plant Feeding.

YOU 10 explain 4 matter that has long
puzZlpd ne. Here on or hills. if we
apply too heavy al application of cGM-
mcrcial fertilizers il may do more
harm than good by manurin@ the
plants. bur Gown in the coast country.
both in Your State and ours. the COT
ton farmers apply heavy applications
of high grade commercial fertilizers
and make big crops Of cotton. If the
men in Marlboro and Marion can do
this. and as understand III some sec
tions of North Carolina rs we'll. why is
il that it will not do here:
These questions are the kind we
like to get.
1t is true tLat liz this State in parts
of Eastern North Carolina, and no
doubt in the sections of your own
State. the farmers do apply fertilizers
10 the cotton crop IL what would be Il
lavish way in other sections. About
Laurinburs il is Il common practice to
use GOO TO 500 pounds of fertilizer per
acre. Til" same application on TIM
old upland field would particularly in
q dry season. produce bad results in
the cotton crop. In the sections wherr
heavy fertilizinS is practiced you will
find that the soil is not only level. but
moist and dark with decayed organic
matter.
On the upland soil. which has been
year after year cultivated in cotton,
the thin amount of humuS or decayed
organic matter has been burned out OF
the soil. Heavy application Of fertil-
izers alone IS not the thing for these
soils. and in order that we may be
able to use commercial fertilizers
more lavishly and proftably these
soils must be farm2d differently.
While on the low black soils
farmers can grow cotton year after
year with the liberal use of CONNER
cial fertilizers. because of the large
amount Of The misunderstanding hu-
mus their soil contains. the upland
farmer IS more compelled TO farm in
q p"CT,I rotation.
1t Will not do TO assume that be-
cause certan fertilizer formula has
given c%-eilent results in Eastern
North and South Carolina that the
same formula will be the best for Tie
same crop in the upland country.
Years AGO in discussing the fertil!ZinS
of the soil at Farmers Institute III
an Eastern North Carolina County. i
was struck with the unanimity with
which thc best farmers present agreed
that they could get no profitable re-
suits from the use Of phISphoric acid
on their soils in the proportions it is
usually found in commercial fcrtiliz-
crS. but that nitrogen and potash 2l-
way gave good results. We were d.S-
posed TO doubt their results, but sub
seOuent Investigations Of 4 perfectly
accurate nature lave shown that this
is true of their lands and Of all the
section where phosphate rock is
found. and it is evident that for that
section 1T least the ordinary factory
mixed fertilizers are not correctly pro-
portioned. and that for the cotton
crop there they need more nitrogen
and potash tEan in the upper country.
In your section we find diff
ferent state of affairs. There. in
order that the best effect may be
had from the application of potash
salts. there is needed liberal propoT-
tion Of phoSphoric acid. OF which your
lands are deficient. The application
of phosphate alcne will not cure the
evil. nor will the application of potash
alone. but when used together III due
proportion they give the happicst re-
suits. and especially when there is a
complete mixture with due percent
age of nitrogen. If your soil lacks
phoSphoric acid ami potash there is no
way to get them from the air.
But what | was trying 10 come 1t
in your case was the fact that 10 fer
tilizer application will give lis best re-
suits till YOU have by good farming
restored the humuS which enables tie
lcwland :arme: 10 be more lavish with
his fertilizers. He may be using things
he need not buy. and doubtless thou
sands of farmers are doing the same
thing. because they fail to experiment
with their soil and find out what it
really needs. You and YOU alone can
&c this. for the analysis Of the chemi-
cal laboratory will not do it for You.
1t is only by testing on separate plots
the different forms of plant food and
their combinations that any one can
find out the particular manurial needs
of his SOIL If your soil is sandy and
much OF your upland there is sandy.
you may depend upon it that nitrogen
and potash are the main needs of the
soil. and that 10 get the best action Of