The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1904-03-01
FERTILIZERS FOR T T

have been subjected. A great deal of the cotton
produced in the State is grown on land c~ontinu-
ously in cotton or cotton and corn, with peas in
the latter crop. This method of farming destroys
very rapidly the vegetable matter in the soil
which serves the double purpose of retaining
moisture and furnishing nitrogen, or ammonia,
in it's decomposition for the growth of crops.
As a consequence, cotton does not stand drought
on these lands as it does on lands subject to
rotation, where there is more vegetable material
left in the soil. 1t is well to bear in mind in Sc
Letting a fertilizer for any crop that the nitrogen,
or ammonia, has for it's main oh4ce the develop
ment of the stalk or weed of the plant, and the
phosphoric acid and potash the production of the
fruit, as the boil of cotton, the ear of corn, etc.
Where lands do not have much vegetable matter
in them, as is the case generally with cotton lands,
the material furnishing ammonia for the develop
ment of the stalk is the main deficient element.
A good size stalk is necessary to the production
of a good crop. 1t is therefore necessary, on av-
erage cotton land, to use more ammonia than is
generally put in our cotton fertilizers, with the
view of getting a sufficiently large stalk to carry
a good crop of bolls. The formulas given be-
low have been made up with this idea in view,
and are based on our experimental work, the OBJ
servations of farmers in the State, and results
S1SeWuSre WuoT0 SOu duu Iu1dG COuu1GlouS L
similar to our own.
KINDS OF FERTILIZER MATERIAL BEST SUITED TO
COTTON.
Phosphoric acid from one source is as good
as that from another for cotton, provided it is
equally as soluble or available in the different
sources. In the case of potash material it is bet
ter to use kainit as the source where the land is
at all subject to rust, as kainit is the only materi-
al we can suggest at present for reducing or pre-
venting rust. Common salt has been found effect
i've in some cases and it is possible that it is the
salt in the kainit which gives it value in this re-
gard, as kainit carries about 40 per cent of salt.
Where the land is not subject to rust muriate of
potash is just as good as kainit and one ton will
contain as much potash as four tons of k~ainit, and
will give as much increase in the growth of the
crop. 1t should be then a question of cost, in
Guiding original purchase price, feight, hauling
and handling as to which should be used. / have
yet to see or hear of cotton having rust on red
land.
AS cotton is a long season crop, it is well to
have the nitrogen come from sources that will
feed the crop during the entire growing season.
Cottonseed meal, dried blood and fish scrap are all
good materials for this purpose. Nitrate of
in small quantity serves a splendid purpose in
starting a crop quickly and a top-dressing from
the middle of June to the first of July is valuable
for Fastening growth at this period. We have
found good results from applying half of the nj
trogen material as cottonseed meal or fish scrap
at planting, and the other half as nitrate of soda
at the time indicated above. A good application
as top-dressing is fifty to one hundred pounds per
acre distributed along one side of the row three
or four inches from the plants, or else on a ridge
in the centre of the row, which on after-breaking,
throws the material to the two sides of the row.