The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-03-20
CONDUCTED sr rsos. .. P ,~vnoa-,

CONDUCTED BY FRoS. .. ,~vcoAn. , ty pounds of seed peracre are required. If you plant on sandy land inoculation is quite necessary, and under the cir cumstances. at this late date, l would advise you simply to dip the seed in water in which has been stirred some soil from a field where melilotus had recently grown. !. F. D. Experiment With Corn, Cotton and
 Oats on Prairie Soil in 1904.
 Summary of bulletin No. 22. Cane brake Experiment Station Uniontown, Ala:
 In variety tests, Russell and Peer less cotton stood at the head of the list on bottom land. and King and Pe- terkin on poor upland. The value of the lint and seed grown on an acre of good bottom land was $49.02 greater than on an acre of poor upland similar ly cultivated. the latter entailing finan- cial loss. and the rich land bringing a large profit.
 The results of numerous subsoil ex- periments were variable. a few show ing no decided benefit. In most cases, subsoiling was done under unfavorable conditions.
 Deep and shallow blowing for cot ton gave inconclusive results.
 On poor reddish prairie both acid phosphate and cotton seed meal in- creased the yield quite profitably. the increase with phosphate averaging 721-2 pounds of lint per acre. and with cotton seed meal AZ 12 pounds of lint; kainit here was useless.
 Nitrate of soda. cotton seed meal, cotton seed, and stable manure used separately were profitable for cotton on all grades of prairie land where they were tested.
 Results as to the best time of apply ing nitrate of soda varied with crop and season, good results being some- times obtained when 1t was applied before planting cotton, as well as dur ing the early part of the cultivating season of corn or cotton. Until fur ther data are secured. its use at the first or second cultivation is advised.
 An excellent grade of stable manure lightly drilled in the center furrow gave highly profitable results in both the first and second year after appli- cation, the returns in increased yield of cotton and corn up to the end of the second year being from $40 to $6.10 per ton of manure.
 The incorporation of considerable amounts of low grade vegetable mat ter in the form of corn stover or of cotton SeeQ uullSs 1ldS HUI OCCh Ol marked advantage up to the end of the second year.
 Slag phosphate seemed fully as ef- fective as acid phosphate on poor red soil, in connection with preceding crop of cowpeas. Both this basic slag and acid phosphate failed to increase the yield of cotton on rich black slough land where, however, acid phosphate slightly 'hastened maturity.
 A preceding crop of velvet bean vines plowed under increased the yield of corn 101 bushels per acre. and the blowing under of cowpea vines or of cowpea stubble also considerably in creased the yield of corn.
 The corn crop was decidedly better after crops cultivated late in the sum mer than after forage crops sown broadcast.
 The principal need of prairie soils is believed to be for vegetable mat ter rich in nitrogen, such as that af- forded by cowpeas. melilotus. and vel vet beans.
 Welborn stood first among the va rieties of corn tested in 1904. The av- craze yield from four methods of planting corn showed but slight differ ence.
 Nitrate of soda proved 8 highly prof. itable fertilizer for fall-sown oats both in 1903 and in 1904, the average of a number of experiments showing 2S.S bushels increase per acre from 200 pounds of nitrate of soda and 15.5 bushels increase per acre from 1OO pounds of nitrate of soda.
 Although the exact proportion of fer tilizers best adapted to the several grades of prairie land has not yet been demonstrated. I would suggest the fol- lowing per acre Tor cotton: For gray prairie upland: 100 pounds acid phosphate, 100 to 200 pounds cot ton seed meal. Cor 50 to 100 pounds nj trate of soda); to which add 100 pounds kainit if the land is very subject to rust.
 For red prairie soils: 100 to 15C pounds acid phosphate; 100 to 15c pounds cotton seed meal Cor 0o to "a | pounds nitrate of soda). For oats: 50 to 100 pounds of nitrate of soda. applied during the first hali | of March,
 Utilization of Feed Lot Manure. | A. D. McNair In Farm and Ranch. Several hundred thousand cattle are | fed and fattened every winter in the Southern States on cotton seed meal and hulls. together with slight quan- | tity of hay.
 They are confined, as rule. in small fields where water is accessible. In one instance which recently came under my observation. 400 steers were confined on an area Of fifteen acres. In another instance 250 steers were con- fined on the same area; while in a third case 300 steers were fed in an en- closure of twenty acres. The duration of feeding extends al least over a period of ninety days, and often much longer.
 Most of the feed lots are literally
 black with manure. and when crops are planted on this land they grow 1 to enormous size, provided the rainfall l Is adequate.
 There is an impression, however | among a few men that manure burns up" the crop if the weather is dry l L.. I ls aIantha. of