The Rice belt journal., 1907-04-19
FERTILIZlNG THE CROP.

that is to be immedia tely grown, or is
already growing. on the land to which
the fertilizer is to be applied AS a rule
it contains from ten to sixteen per cent
of more or less promptly available plant
food. In other words, q commercial fer.
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 the latter case, what
Is called q complete" fertilizer. Now,
this 10 to l6 pounds in each 100 pounds
OF the fertilizer is supposed to be- and
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 "a to 80 pounds in each 100 pounds,
is a mixture Of insoluble phosphate and
sulphate Of lime, some sand water, or
gantc matter and other things that are
necessarily incident to the manufacture.
and >annot be economically removed.
They are OF very little immediate value
TO either the crop or the soil.
SO when we apply high grade ferttI-
izer to the soil the object is to supply
the plants with soluble plant food and
increase the yield Of the cotton, grain,
grass, or whatever the crop may be.
Incidentally however, this fertilizer doea
growth OF stalk, roots and foliage of tho
plants-Or those parts that will be re-
turned to, and become part OF the soil.
A dose Ot 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 q part OF
the soil in the shape of humus (decayed
vegetable matter). But the principal Way
to improve the soil itself, is to add vege-
table matter to it in the form Of stable
manure Tenoyating crops, rotation OF
crops, etc, in more direct manner.
1t would seem manifest, then, If we
wish to Increase the yield Of corn, cotton
! wheat, oats, grass, etc, that the fertilizer
should contain the three elements" OF
plant food in the proportions that are
best suited to the particular crop. This
Is particularly true II the purpose is to
! use liberal amounts OF fertilizer per acre.
In such case the deficient supply, in the
natural soil, Of any one or more Of the
three valuable" elements (phosphoriC
acid, nitrogen and pOtash) need not be
specially considered.
According to carefully conducted field
experiments conducted at many Of the
| experiment stations, 1t has been found
that cotton requires fertilizer that con-
| tains about one part each Of nitrogen and
| potash and 1-3 parts OF available phos-
| phoric acid This demand would be met
by fertilizer containing 10 per cent.
available phosphoric acid, 8 per cent Of
nitrogen and 3 per cent. Of potash; or,
as ordinarily expressed, a 1913 fertilizer.
One analyZing 9-270-l7O; or 8-2N-2. 40;
or 7-3le-2,l0, ETC., would answer just as
well, provided these lower grades be al.
piled in heavier quantities.
So 1t has been found that corn, sugar
cane, sorghum, grasses and other crops
belonging to the grass family respond
/ n n fnrff lt1na Nhrk NaII
parts OF phosphoric acid, parts Of nitro
gen and parts Of potash or a 10-5-2
fertilizer. TIE following formulas are
In precisely the same proportions, only
they are Of lower grade and would give
practically the same results only when a
correspondingly larger application shall
be made per acre-viz., S-50-1.S0; or
| S-.N-l.60; or 7-3.50-1.4O, and so on. OF
course, these lower grades can be sold
at lower prices than the high grades;
but, as rule, the farmer will find 1t
more economical to buy the high grades,
both on account Of their cheaper price
per unit" and also the saving Of freight
the latter being precisely the same, per
ton. for both high and loT grades.
APPLYING FERTILIZER WHEN
PLANTING.
While It is certainly true, in our ex-
perience, that the greater part Of the fer
| tiliZer should be applied about two weeks
before the crop Is to be planted, well
mixed in the soil Of the bedding furrow
and bedded on. there are circumstances
that would justify farmer In making
one or more intercultural applications,
| including one at the actual date of plant
ing. The following are such circumstan-
| ces:
o. When farmer has not been able
to secure the whole amount Of his fer
tilizers before planting time.
Nhnn hn Ind oftn III
has been planted and Is growing, that
he did not buy and apply as much as he
should have done before planting.
90 When the yellowish green color and
want Of vigor in the appearance Of the
plants indicate that more nitrogen u
needed by the crop.
We believe 1t may be safely accepted
as a 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.
A second application Of high grade fer
tiliZers may be made at the second or
third plowing 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 intercultural applications may be
made in the siding furrow, or the fer
tilizer may be strewn along in the middles
ahead Of the plow or cultivator. There
Is no need to fear that the plants will
not get the benefit Of high-grade fer
tirizer If put anyhere, on or between the
rows June 26th is the latest date at
which the writer has ever applied fer
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
to pay the cost Of the fertilizer.