The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1902-12-12
Experiment Made in Fertilization
and Cultivation of Cotton in
Hardeman County, Ten
neSSee, 1902.


first cultivated in 1913, and has been
continually cultivated in corn and
cotton, except two years III wheat
and two years in pasture, and has
never had fertilizers of any kind.
The soil is sandy loan, red clay
subsoil. Land selected, one acre,
was carefully measured and divided
into three plats of one third of an
acre each, each plat measuring 1861
by 93a feet and marked by stakes at
the boundaries as Nos. l, 2, 3. A
space feet wide was left between
and around the plats and kept free
from grass and weeds.
Land was we'll broken with a dou-
ble-horse pillow, seven inches deep,
April 18th. The blowing was fol-
lowed by the application on plat 2
of 200 pounds of acid phosphate and
100 pounds of kaimit. This had
been well mixed and was spread
evenly over the surface broadcast.
Plat received the same quantity of
acid phosphate, applied in the same
way, but no kaimit. On May 1st
the plats were laid off In rows 81
feet wide, running north and south.
Ridges or beds were thrown up with
one-horse turning pillow. The
ground was in good condition and
the fertilizers we'll mixed with the
soil. On May 9th all three plats
wer. planted with native seeds. I'm
mediately following the planting
plats and received an application
of 80 pounds of nitrate of soda on
each plat. Before being applied the
nitrate of soda was carefully weigh
ed and measured and mixed with
three times it's bulk of dry earth and
spread broadcast by hand. June IL
plats 2 and had applied, after the
first blowing by 16 inch shovel, &c
pounds of soda to each plat. This
was placed in the furrow made by
the shovel pillow. Particular care
was taken in the distribution of al
fertilizers, that they were spread
evenly and that no row or part of &
row should receive more than an
other.
The first week in June the cotton
was scraped and hoed to stand.
then plowed with shovel and the
middles plowed with a hand Guilt
vator. This was kept up at regular
intervals of ten days until the crop
was finished.
The last blowing was the frs
week in August when the middle Of
each row was plowed with 20-incf
sweep. This last blowing was fol
lowed by hoe to cut all weeds ant
grass.
By the middle of June the effects
of the fertilizers could be seen OIL
plats 2 and 3. The plants on these
plats made a greater growth than OF
plat l and had more of that oily APP
pearance that is peculiar to young
cotton plants. and which denotes
health and vigor. This difference
was maintained during the growing
season. In the early part of June
the nights were cool. This caused
the plants 10 be infested with lice
causing much forked cotton.
The latter part of June we hat
fine growing weather for all clo
First week in July drouth set il
lasting five weeks. Besides the lack
of rain we had hot, dry winds fol
four weeks. All vegetation suffered
greatly during this dry weather
The three plats showed less damage
from the dry and hot winds thar
cotton around the plats fertilizeC
with other combinations. This i:
to be attributed to deep and thor
ough blowing of the trial plats il
the spring. Plat 2 during the hot
test and dryest weather made more
growth and kept its color better
than l and 3. After the growing
season was over it could be easily
seen that the stalk and foliage OIL
plat l had been increased in size by
deep blowing. The stalk was long
er and switch like as compared with
cotton on same grade of land, which
had been plowed at the usual depth
of D inches before planting, and
the conclusion reached was that in
creased length of stalk and greater
foliage is to be credited to deep
blowing in the preparation before
planting.
A comparison between plats show
that besides the greater yield, plats