The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1901-03-23
FARMER AND PLANTER.
THE SOUTHERN COTTON CROP.
PROFIT to BE Derived From the Liber-
m Use of Fertilizers ON Cot :
ton Lands.

We are constantly reading some
thing in the papers about cutting
down the acreage of cotton in order
to limit the supply, and thereby raise
the price, and many people are al
ready very much afraid that the pres
emit increase in price will result in
more cotton being planted this sea-
son, and lower price next fall. In
this they are probably correct. But
no one can tell what the conditions
will be which will surround the crop
and determine the final output.
Ihave very little patience with those
people, who, by limiting the acreage,
would artificially raise the price. do
not believe it is sound business policy.
for it will simply tend to stimulate
this industry in other countries. But
l am entirely in sympathy with those
who are trying by intelligent work
and fertilizing, to make more cotton
on less land, and thereby increase the
net profit per acre. Cut off those un-
profitable acres if you will; but make
the cotton. 1t is the finest money
crop in the world, because in selling
the lint you sell very little plant food
off the land. Suppose you make 300
pounds of lint, in selling this, you
only sell 81 pounds of ammonia at
Is cents per pound, 10 cents; 2.22
pounds potash at 5 cents, IL cents;
and ISL pounds phosphoric acid at 5
cents per pound, a little less than one
cent; and in all, only 25 cents worth
of plant food. OF course the seed is
very rich in plant food, but this
should be changed into meal and hulls
and fed to stock, by which means you
get the benefit of it's great feeding
value, and will still have nearly 80 per
cent. of its fertilizing value to return
to the soil in manure. The oil mills
will take the seed in carload lots, and
return to the shipper all meal and
hulls they produce, paying the freight
both ways. What they get'is the oil,
which does the farmer no good, and
is. in fact a detriment.
BY referring to the figures given
above you will notice that the plant
food which this lint removes, and
which you sell off the land, is mostly
potash. Now while the chemist may
possibly tell you that your land al
ready contains a large quantity of
potash, at the same time you must re-
member that this potash is mostly in
Over two-thirds of the total
potash in the soil is so locked up in
small particles of sand. that it can
not be counted upon in making crops. |
Now 1T we are to enjoy large and in
creasing crops, we must see that the |
supply of this element OF. plant food |
IS maintained in the soil, and not al |
lowed to diminish. To do this, we |
must see that the analysis of the fer
tilizer we use for our cotton crop is |
light. Most brands of commerciaf fer
iilizers on the market contain entire
y too small per cent. of potash for |
his, and most other crops, for that |
natter. A cotton fertilizer should |
lnalyze ammonia three per cent, pot
ish four per cent. and phosphoric
lcid seven per cent. And if you can
lot get this in the manufactured |
FOODS, it will pay you to mix your
'wn guano. Take 1000 pounds of
lied phosphate, 160 pounds muriate of
potash and $40 pounds cotton seed
neal to make a ton. Pile these up in
ven layers on a tight floor and shovel
'ver three or four times, until the
mass is an even color, and you have
our gauno as good as any you can
'uy, and for less money, and one that
nalyzes just right. Put this on at
he rate of 500 or 600 pounds to the
ere; even as high as 500 pounds is
lot too much. 1t is the little dose
Il 100 pounds or 200 pounds per acre
hat does not pay; and, as some peo-
lie claim, leaves your land poorer
han it found it. These small amounts
imply give the plants a start and
them to use up more of the
atural plant food in the soil, with
ut supplying the needs of the crop.
it costs just as much to
ultivate poor crop as it does good
ne, and that the profit comes with
he extra yield obtained through the
ertility of the soiI.-T. j. Merriam.
attle Hill, Ga.