The Tupelo journal., 1907-04-12
FERTlLizINe THE r o

already growing, on the n to which
the fertilizer is to be applied. AS q rule,
It contains from ten to sixteen per cent.
of more or less promptly available plant
food. In other words, a commercial Ter
tilizer contains in every hundred pounds
weight from 10 to 16 pounds of available
phosphoric acid, either alone, or that
amount of phosphoric acid and potash
combined, or Of these two and nitrogen
combined, making In thel latter case, what
is called a complete" fertilizer. NOV,
this 10 to .1e pounds in each 100 pounds
of the fertilizer is supposed to be, ana
should be, practically soluble and avail
able at once, or within a week or two,
for the use Of the crop, says Virginia
Carolina Fertilizer Almanac.
The remaining portion Of the Fertilizer,
or the 81 to 80 pounds in each 100 pounds,
Is q mixture Of insoluble phosphate ana
sulphate Of lime. some sand water, or or
necessarily incident to the manufacture.
and ,annot be economically removed.
They are of very little immediate value
20 either the crop or the soil, eo,+,-
izer to the soil the object is to supply
the plants with soluble plant food and
increase the yield of h cotton, grain,
grass, or whatever the crop may be.
Incidentally, however, this fertilizer does
help the land, because 1t induces a larger
growth of stalk, roots and foliage OF the
plants-or those parts that Will be re-
turned to, and become part of the soil.
A dose Of this fertilizer, for instance,
not only increases the yield of seed cot
ton, but also the size of the stalks,
the foliage, hulls and other parts that
go Immediately back and form a part OK
the soil in the. shape of humus (decayed
vegetable natter. But the principal way
to improve the soil itself, is to add vege-
table matter to it in the form Of stable
manure r~enovating crops, rotation OF
crops, etc. in O more direct manner.
1t would seem manifest. then, II we
wish to increase the yield Of corn, cotton
wheat, oats, grass, etc, that the fertiiizer
should contain the three elements" OF
plant food in the proportions that are
best suited to the particular crop. This
is particularly true If the purpose Is TO
use liberal amounts Of fertilizer per acre.
In such case the deficient supply, In the
natural soil, of any o>le or more or the
three valuable" dement's ~(phosphoric
acid, nitrogen and potash) need not be
specially considered.
According to carefully conducted field
experiments, conducted ct many of the
experiment stations, 1t has been found
that cotton requires q fertilizer that con-
tains about one part each of nitrogen and
potash and 8 1-3 parts of available phos.
phoric acid. This demand would be met
by a fertilizer containing 10 per cent:
available phosphoric acid, 8 per cent. or
nitrogen and 8 per cent. OF potash; or,
as ordinarily expressed, a 10-3-3 fertilizer.
One ~analyZing 9L2.70-1.70; or 8-2.40-2.40;
or 7-2.10-2.10, ETC., would answer Just al
well, provided these lower grades be ap-
pueQ In heavier quantities.
So 1t has been foundt that corn, sugar
cane, sorghum, grasses and other crops
belonging to the grass family respond
best to a fertilizer that shall contain 10
parts Of ~phosphoric acid, 5 parts OF nitro.
gen and 2 parts of potash or a. 1O-5-a
fertilizer. The following formulas are
in precisely the same proportions, only
they are of lower grade, and would give
correspondingly larger application shall
be made per acre-viZ., 9.50-1.80; or
A.OO-l.0; or 7-3.5o-l.40, and so on. OF
course, these lower grades can be sold
but, as a rule, the farmer will find it
more economical to buy the high grades,
both Oh account of their cheaper price
per unit and also the saving OF freight
the latter being precisely the same, per
ton, for both high n low grades.
APPLYING FERTILIZER WHEN
PLANTING.
While it is certainly true, in u K
p~erience, that the greater part OF the fer
tilizer should be applied about two weeks
mixed in the soil of the bedding furrow
and bedded on, there are circumstances
that would justify a farmer In making
one or more intercultural applications,
including one at the actual date of plant
ing. The following are such circumstsa-
ceS:
ID When a farmer has not been able
to secure the whole amount Of his fer
pCIo40 lCllIA16 LIN
% When he concludes, after his crop
has been planted and is growing, that
he did not buy and apply as much as he
should have lone before planting.
() When the yellowish green color ana
want of vigor in the appearance of the
plants indicate that more nitrogen Is
needed by the crop.
We believe it may be safely accepted
as q general rule that a small portion
of Virginia Carolina Fertilizer should be
applied with, or near the seed, at the
time Of planting. The effect Of this small
application is to supply the young plants
with available food during the first stage
of their growth, inducing prompt and
vigorous development. For this purpose
40 to so pounds per acre may be applied
of the same fertilizer that had been bed
ded on two weeks before planting. 1
A second application of high-grade fer
tilizers may be made at the second or
third blowing Of cotton, or at six or eight
inches height Of the plants up to Is inch
es, or the middle to last Of May, and the
middle to last of June.
The i~nterculturaI applications may be
made in the siding furrow, or the fer
tilizer may be strewn along in the mfddles
ahead of the plow or cultivator. There
is no need to fear that the plants will
not get the benefit Of a high-grade fer
tilizer If put anyhcre, on or between the
rows. Tune 18th is the latest date at
tilizer in this way to either corn or cot
ton, although there is little reason to
doubt that even later applications would
benefit the crop; but probably not enough
70 pay the cost of the fertilizer.