Fitzgerald enterprise. (Fitzgerald, Ga.) 1895-1912, 1902-10-24
Buy your baggingand ties from
Wilson & Mercer.
CORN CULTURE,

Dr1cu blOOd. Nitrate of Soda and
Cotton Meal ms Fertilizer.
An experiment was begun in 1898 at
the Georgia station and has been an
nually repeated since then to deter
mine If the corn plant shows q prefer
ence for any particular form Of nitro
gen. An incidental object was to de-
termine the most economical form of
nitrogen. having regard to the cost Of
the ingredients supplying this element.
The dried blood in each of the four
annual experiments was taken from
the same lot purchased in 1893, but es-
timated at the current prices of the
same quality each year. The acid
phosphate. nitrate of soda and cotton
meal were each of substantially the
same quality each year. Allowance
was made for the available phosphoric
acid and potash supplied by the cotton
meal by reducing the quantities of
acid phosphate and muriate of potash
In the formulas in which cotton meal
entered as the source of nitrogen. So
then the actual number of pounds per
acre Of phosphoric acid, potash and
nitrogen that was contained in each of
the three formulas was the same, the
only practical difference consisting in
the character of the heterogeneous ingre-
|, dent.
The results Of this year confirm
those OF previous years. Comparing
actual yields in bushels Of shelled corn
per acre, the results for each year We're
as follows: In 1898, dried blood, first:
nitrate of soda, second; cotton meal.
third. In 1899, cotton meal, first: dried
blood, second; nitrate, third In 1900.
nitrate, first: dried blood second; cot
ton meal, third. In 1901. nitrate, first:
dried blood second; cotton meal third.
General average of the four years:
Dried blood, first; nitrate of soda, Sec
ond; cotton meal, third.
The differences, however, were in
considerable. In the general average
the dried blood plats yielded only Is
OF bushel per acre more than the nj.
trate Of soda plats and the nitrate of
soda plats only 81 Of q bushel more
than the cotton meal plats. Director
Keddings summary of the tests is:
For practical purposes it may be
safely concluded that the corn plant
has no preference as to the source of
the nitrogen as between nitrate of
soda, cotton meal and dried blood, and
the farmer shall be controlled in his
selection Of the heterogeneous ingredi-
ents to be employed in formulating his
home mixed fertilizers by the cost of
the same. The heterogeneous Ingredients
used in the above experiments contain
ed respectively the following percent
ages Of nitrogen: Nitrate of Soda 1921
per cent; cotton meal, TAG per cent:
dried blood, lila per cent.
The general results of these exneri.
ments confirm the opinion heretofore
and repeatedly expressed that it is not
eXpedient to fertilize corn literally
with commercial fertilizers
We have also additional confirmation
In these results of the fact that nj
trate of soda does not 'leach out'' Of
the soil more readily than other forms
of nitrogen ingredients. There is rem
son to suspect that the prevalent opin-
ION to the contrary is mainly based on
the fact that nitrate Of soda is easiIv
and completely soluble. ignoring anoth-
err fact that when mixed with the soil
it may become so fixed as to effectual.
~ check its liability to leach.