Lexington gazette. [volume] (Lexington, Va.) 1871-1962, 1903-11-11
COTTON RUST.
Exhaustion of Potash In the Soil
Claimed az Principal Cause.

Exhaustion of Potash In the Sol
Claimed as Principal Cause.
The fact that cotton will rust on on,
piece of land and not be affected In tn,
least on another piece is advanced by {
Southern Cultivator writer to show
that this disease Is caused by improper
soil conditions and an insufficiency o.
the necessary elements of plant food
He says. We find It on the gray, sandy
lands In the different southern states
as we travel toward the coast, while
back on the higher red clay lands 1t Ia
also seen, but less prevalent. Even
here 1t makes its appearance where the
land has become worn and exhausted
We see very little of 1t on new land,
which shows that 1t is very largely
caused by the impoverishmen Of the
soil. The fact that 1t is less prevalent
on red clay land-and this red land Ia
naturally much richer In potash than
gray or sandy land-points to the prin.
cipal cause Of the evil-that Is, to the
exhaustion Of potash In the soil That
rust on cotton is caused by the absence
OF sufficient available plant food in the
soil was shown clearly by some fertili-
yer experiments on cotton conducted
last year by Mr.. A. Willis in Louisiana
Mr.. Willis land Is alluvial, gray,
sandy loan. 1t has been In cultivation
a good many years, and his cotton was
badly affected with rust everywhere
except where he used q liberal amount
OF complete high grade fertilizer. His
experiments consisted Of a number of
plots Of land on which he used differ
ent combinations of nitrogen, phosphor-
&c acid and potash, but only where all
three Of these elements were combined
was the cotton entirely free from rust.
This was on plots Nos. 5 and 9, which
were fortified with 900 pounds acid
phosphate. 4S0 pounds kainit and 200
pounds nitrate OF soda per acre, with
the addition Of 1000 pounds of lime
per acre on plot No. @.
The yield from plot No. was 1850
pounds seed cotton per acre, and from
plot No. Q the yield wa3 LAO pounds
per acre. The average yield Of cotton
on Mr.. Willis land without any fert- |
llzer at all was 935 pounds seed cotton
per acre. This cotton was badly affect
ed with rust. The increase in the pro-
duction Of cotton over no fertilizer on |
plot No. 8 was 725 pounds and on
plot No. 9, 805 pounds. Last year was
very dry In Mr.. Willis locality and
unfavorable for the use
Of commercial fertilizers. Despite this,
however, the yield Of the cotton was
very nearly doubled by their use and
he cotton plant entirely freed from
he Injurious effect of rust where the
ertilizer was applied in the right pro-
PORTION.
While the different combinations,
,ainit and acid phosphate, and nitrate
4 soda, and acid phosphate and nitrate
4 soda. all produced an increase In the
ieId over no fertilizer this increase
Tas not nearly so great as where all
hree of these ingredients were com.
ined, and it was only where the nitro
EN-, phosphoric acid and potash were
sed together that the cotton was en-
rely freed from rust. showing that
mis- land was in need Of all three of
lese elements to produce the best re- I
llts with cotton.
had the pleasure of meeting prom I
lent farmer from Irwin county, Ca,
Tho has reached the point where he
I'D ceased to buy nitrogen entirely.
.e uses an acid and potash for his cot
IN, and he is not troubled with rust.
e rotates his crops, saves all his ma
ure and plants cowpeas