The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1903-01-22
Trucking In the south Atlantic Coast.

Trucking In the south Atlantic Coast.
The market garden soils of the South
Atlantic coast are generally Of u warm
and sandy character, lying level and
close to permanent moisture in the soil.
On such lands it is possible 10 use the
concentrated fertilizers in quantities
that are not possible on dry upland
soils, and the growers instead of seek
Ing to know how little they can get
along with and iaakc crops are seeking
to ascertain how much they can use
prohtably. They have found that the
chief deficiencies OF their sol! is in nj
tr0gen and potash. In many Of these
soils where phosphate rocks occur the
growers have found that phosphoric
acid is less needed than the other con
stitucnts in their fertilizers. Some
years ago the New Yori; station mad"
snmc experiments to determine the diff
ference. between fertilizer for the
Irish potn,o crop based Oh the exact
analysis of The potato. and the fertil-
izer rhat the Long Island growers We're
using in which the plant food constit-
uents were largely in excess of what
the analysis seemed TO show. Then in
the culture Of the early Irish potato in
the sells Of the South Atlantic region
II was found that there hc crop needed
fos the best results larger percentage
of nitrogen than it did in the North.
Growing in thc carly cool spring the
additional! nitrogen seemed TO have the
effect OF rapidly urging growth and
making the crop earlier. and as this
earliness was the important thing in
the competition for the early market
and the biggest prices. the nitrogcnous
part of the fertilizer received increased
attention. But while the nitrogen in
creased the growth it was found that
the potato needed something else for
the formation of big starchy tubers.
The study of theplife history Of reseta-
ton by scientists had shown that the
constituent in Il fertilizer that most IN
crea Sed the formation Of starch was
potash. and hence it was inferred that
plant in which starch storing in the
tubers was OF such importance as it il
in the potato. and which its analysis
showed.sneeded 4 large percentage OF
potash in the fertilizer applied. cspe-
cially in the sandy soils where this
constituent was generally deficient.
So the coast gardeners have grad
usllr worked cut for themselves
formulas to suit the various crops
grown. They have found for the DO
tato crop that while IN immediate ef-
feet and early growth is aided by IN
application Of nitrate of soda that this
effect is not lasting. and that tie full
success of the crop demands some
slower available nitrogen in the form
of organic matter. This they supply
with the readily available fish scrap in
some sections. hut generally in the
form Of cottcnseed meal. Experiments
northWard seemed TO show in most
places that for the crop there grown
! thc potash should bc in the form Of
I. sulphate. since potatoes grown with
this form Of potash seemed more mcaly
! and drye: than those grown with III"
muriate But the Southern gardeners
found that this drynesS was OF less i'm
portance to them. as their crop is large
II sold ~ IN urripa condition. and III"
muratc was not only cheaper but gave
them better results than The sulphatP.
Eut It is not only with the early potato
crop that the Southern market garden
er Uses fertilizers heavily. On land
that has been heavily dressed gear ~
ter year they use from 1@G0 to 1000
pounds of Il high grade mixture. al
ways high III potash content. except
for the early cabbage crop, with wlir.4
it has been found that Il larger ne:-
centaGc OF available pEDSphoric acid ana
nitrogen are OF more Importance than
a large percentage Of potash. Recent
" there has grown up along the South
ern coast great industry in the cul-
ture OF lettuce under cloth protection
in frames during the winter and eavly
spring months. The growers assumed
properly that this crop needs heavy
applications OF nitrogen and potash.
have accordingly mixed fertilizers in
which there is abeut ten per cent. oE
actual potash, and they use this al the
rate of y ton per acre. Some damaging
results have come from this. Where
heavy applications Of potash are need
ed. as in lettuce growing, the applica-
tor should be made 4 month before
setting the plants and the frames left
exposed to the rains. so that the potash
will get assimilated with the soil and
lose much Of It's canstic character. The
potash Will not get away. and there n
no need to be unsasy about this. SOME
growers OF early crops near the ports
Of entry find that they can get potash
cheaper il the form Of kainit, and they
overcome the bad effect of the chlor-
ides by putting all the potash they will
need on The land in the fall. so that the
w:ntar rains will wash out :he chloride