The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1907-02-15

the tsrtfsis<r va .rplied Ia the fuFrowz
with b seeds While thks result was MOI
contemplated. IL was quickly explained
by the fact that the fertisiser that had
been 10 the ground two weeks had under
gone the rhcmicat changes already alfud-
the Immediate wants OF the young plants.
This result suggests that Il may be ex-
reairnt. Ih any case To apply = small
aaanusy-say ~ 10 s ~pounds-of nitrate
81 soda IN the same furfuw with the cot
ton or csffn seeds. which may be done
with perfect safety with cotton seeds.
and wst.loat danger 90 corn II not placed
n immediate contart with the seed.
APPLYING FERTILIZER AT THE
TINE OF PLANTING.
This may be understood to mean either
applying the fertilizer. bedding IN IL and
Immediately planting the seed; or Il may
refer TO the practice OF putting the fer
tha latter case. there 10 always a mani
fest danger that the coming growing sea-
sen may be unusually dry, In which event
the FERTILIZER, being so lightly covered,
msy not be dissolved and properly dis
s~enainsted through tina soil. II may also
feslow that the fertilizer being SO concen-
trased-en niAsse, as II were--around the
tender rootlets OF the young plants that
the latter riay be injured. or ''~bufned"-
a not inecnsiderabia danger. The plan
is not advisable except when a very
light application is 10 be made per acre.
This caution lis especially applicable to
seeds that are planted In very shallow
faryVws and bat lightly covered. such as
cotton, N IL Is gereraiiy safer to inter
pose some soil, or better. deposit the fer
tiisssr in enc Farrow and plant the seeds
In a furro@ immediately beside; or. vice
versa. plant the seeds first in the furrow,
and then the fertilizer In a furrow close
beside IT. But the preferred plan is to
bed on the FERTILIZER. n then plant the
seeds, after narrowing down the beds,
a often applied 30 to 100 pounds of
n complete fertilizer per acre In the
furrow with the cotton seeds: but it was
away back In the late sixties and early
seventies when fertilizers sold at $40 to $50
a ton, and very light applications were
supposed TO be in the interest of a wise
economy. We did not know much about
fertilizers In those days, and were afraid
10 put too much guano on the cotton"
That time has passed and gone, and the
up-to-iate farmer has found that 800 and
500 pounds of fertilizer for cotton. a
properly balanced high-grade fertilizer, to
each acre Of cotton is not dangerous or
excessive, but simply liberal and judi
Indeed, II is a question OF simple
arithmetic. II 100 pounds per acre is
profitable, and 1t costs. no more labor to
an acre with 500 pounds of ap-
piled fertilizer, then why not increase
the amount invested in fertilizers. and.
II thought advisable, reduce the area and
the labor accountg
Now. the well-informed farmer only
wants to know IL the fertilizer be proper
ly balanced for the crop he wishes to
grow. and Is SOLD at a fair price, and he
literally. just as he would do In
buying anything at such a price tina he
sell at a profit of from % to 100 per
centurn and upward. A high-grade, hon
est fertilizer will meet this requirement.
There Is another justification for the
Of applying fertilizers at the
of pldnting-viz, when the farmer
failed to put In his order at the prop |
time, He may then. according to the
proverb-'better late than not at ALL t
put IN the fertilizer with the seed. or at
the tine Of planting.