The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1902-04-01
Some Errors in Regard to Fertilizers
(By r. j. Redding. }

Some writer's on agriculture advise
farmers to always broadcast" the fer
tilizers regardless Of the kind Of crop.
or whether the latter be planted in rows
or broadcast.
Most practical farmers, however, have
a sort of intuitive perception that 1t IS
better, especially when the amount OF
fertilizer to be applied is moderate, to
place it near to the young plants, so
that the first r0Otlets that put forth
will find supply of soluble plant food
Just at hand and will not have to Search
the whole width OF a or foot
row to get what they need. When ? very
heavy application of commercial fertili-
ger is to be made it is probably safer to
scatter the same over a larger portion
Of the surface than that represented by
the length and width of the bedding fur
row For instance il the amount per
acre be more than 500 pounds and not
over ! 900 pounds, it would be we'll to
divide it into two or more portions,
placing onethird or one-half in the
bedding furrow and the remainder in the
listing burrows. But it would have to
be / 500 or 1000 pounds Der acre before
it would be advisable to scatter it all
over the surface. OF course, I am now
referring TO such crops corn pota-
toes, cotton, sorghum, etc, planted IN
rows from to feet apart
The advocates of the broadcasting idea
seem to have no broader foundation for
their advice and contention than the
mere sound Of the word broad and it.
derivatives Broad Gauge broad
minded /" broad views" seem to mega
tive anything that is narrow. Facts
are what We should insist upon and
don chr hot jZpI
in moderate quantity should be placed
in the drill and we'll mixed with the soil
of the furrow.
3 Another somewhat popular notion
is that the fertilizer should be divided
into two more portions, one portion
to be applied before or at the time of
planting the crop and the other portion
at successive periods of the cultivation
and growth Of the crop. The idea is that
if the whole amount be applied at one
time before Or at the time of planting
the plants will gorge themselves, 50 to
speak or consume all the fertilizer dur
ing the early priod of growth, and will
suffer hunger before fruiting time Ac-
cording to the results of many tests that
have been made this fear is rather
groundless Some hold back a portion
of the fertilizer intended for corn until
near silking time under the belief that
such late application will cause a large
development of ears. There is some
what more in this idea than in the broad
casting practice; yet the results that
have come under my observation do not
as a rule, justify such division and sue
cessive application of fertilizers to
either corn or cotton excepting that nj
trate of soda will sometimes produce
<,,:Iv 49, tod
late as June IS l recall an expert
ment made in 1892 which is the basis of
the above remark. One acre was fertl-
lied in the drill quite literally before
planting. At the first plowing-April p
one half of the acre received 60 pounds
Of nitrate Of soda; at the third plQwing
June 13-the same half acre received
an additional dose of 50 pounds of nj
trate. The result increased
yield Of only l.5O bushels Of corn, or
three bushels per acre. But the nitrated
half acre made good after crop of
grass, amounting to 900 pounds of cured
hay while the unnitrated half acre made
no grass of consequence. This result
showed that the nitrate applied as early
as April 27 and June 13 was not consumed
by the corn crop, but went mainly into
the grass that came up after June 13.
s. Another very common error is that
one kind of fertilizing ingredient can take
the place of another. For instance some
want to know if kainit or muriate of
potash may not be substituted for nj
trate Of soda 2 top-dressing for small
grain. If a plant is hungry for phophoric
acid or soil is deficient in that ingre-
dent nothing in the shape of 4 fertili-
ger can supply that deficiency unless it
contain phosphoric acid
f. The question is occasionally asked
rs there any difference between the ef-
fectiveness of acid phosphate made from
animal bones and one made from phos-
phate rock?" The answer is there IS
none whatever, provided the percentage
Of available phosphOric acid be the same
in each case. Phophoric acid soluble,
and phosphoric acid reverted, which to-
gether make up the total available OF
a fertilizer are each definite chemical
salts AMI are always and everywhere
lust the same. Sugar made from beets