Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1903-01-29

The market. garden soils of the SOutM
Atlantic COAST are generally Of a warm
and sandy character, lying level and
close to perma1 lent moisture in the soil.
On such lands it iss possible to use the
concentrated .ferti Tiers in quantities
that are not ,poss Ible on dry upland
soils, and the grow ers instead of seek
ing to know how little they can get
along with and ma he crops are seeking
to ascertain how much they can use
proftably. They have found that the
chief deficiencies tf their soil is in hi
trogen and potash. In many Of these
soils where phospf ratic rocks occur the
growers have fou nd that phosphoric
acid is less needed than the other con-
stituents in theil: fertilizers. Some
years ago the Neyr York station made
some experiments to determine the diff
ference between a fertilizer for the
Irish potato crop based Oh the exact
analysis Of the p Dtato, and the fertil-
izer that the Ions: Island growers Were
using in Which I he plant food constit-
uents were largely in excess of what
the analysis seer ned to show. Then in
the CultOES Il IL " Cot1y 4I!Su UOtdkO III
the soils Of the South Atlantic region
it was fou I'd that there the crop needed
for the best I esuIts a larger percentage
Of nitroge1l than it did in the North.
Growing -it the early cool spring the
additional nitrogen seemed to have the
effect OF rapidly urging growth and
making the crop earlier, and as this
oor1sn0c, 1ryoCt tho ip1novf0n nj 31iop in
tue competiti on for the early market
and the biggest prices, the heterogeneous
pa4t Of the fertilizer received increased
ATTENTION. But. while the nitrogen in
creased the growth it was found hat
the potato needed something else for
the formation of big starchy tubers.
The study Of the life history Of vegeta-
ton by scientists had shown that the
constituent in a feru lizer that most in
creased the formation Of starch was
potash, and hence it was inferred that
a plant in which starch storing in the
tubers was of such Importance as it is
in the potato, ard which its analysis
showed needed u large percentage OF
potash In the fertilizer applied, espe-
cially in the sa ndy soils where this
constituent was generally deficient.
So the coast gardeners have grad
ually worked out for themselves
formulas to suit. the various crops
grown. They ha ve found for the po-
tato crop that while an immediate eff
feet and early gr owth is aided by an
application of nitrate of soda that this
effect is not lasting, and that the 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, but generally in the
northward seemed to show in most
places that for the crop there grown
the potash should be in the form OF a
sulphate, since potatoes grown with
this form Of potash Sc emed more mealy
and dryer than those grown with the
muriate. But the Southern gardeners
found that this dryness was of less i'm
portance to them, as their crop is large
~ sold in an unripe condition, and the
muriate was not only cheaper but gave
them better results than the sulphate.
But it is not only with the early potato
crop that the Southern market garden
or uses fertilizers heavily. On land
that has been heavily dressed year af-
ter year they use from 1000 to 1000
pounds Of a high grade mixture, al
ways high in potash content, except
for the early cabbage crop, with which
It has been found that a larger per-
centage Of available phOsphoric acid and
nitrogen are of more Importance than
a large percentage of potash. Recent
~ there has grown up along the South
ern coast a great industry in the cul.
ture of lettuce under cloth protection
IN frames during the winter and early
spring months. The growers assumed
properly that this crop needs heavy
applications of nitrogen and potash
have accordingly mixed fertilizers il
which there is about ten per cent. oil
actual potash, and they use this at thu
rate Of q ton per acre. Some damaging
results have ON from this Where
heavy applications of potash are need
ed, as in lettuce growing, the applica
don should be made a month befor,
setting the plants and the frames lef
exposed to the rains, so thattthe potash
will get assimilated with the soil AM
Jose much of its causGc character. TIL
potash will not get away, and there /
10 need 10 be unsasy about this: Som
/ growers Of early crops near thasport
Of entry and that they can get pcxasl
cheaper II The form of kainit, and the.
overcome the bad effect OF the ehlor
ides by putting all the potash they vii
need on the land in the fall. so that til
winter rains will wash out the cllorid
OF sodium, and they have the potasl
as a sulphate, and in the teaching til
: salt renders soluble some other form
Of plant food.-W. E. Massey, Edito
| Of Practical Farmer.