The Forrest City times., 1907-04-19
FERrlliztNe THE cFep.

Is Co produce a larger yield of the crop that is to be immediately grown, CT Is already growing. on the land to which the fertilizer Is to be applied. As rule, 1t contains from ten to sixteen per cent. of more or less promptly available plant food. In other words, a commercial fer ,iirer contains in every hundred pounds weight frCm 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 a complete fertilizer. Now, this 10 to 1s pounds in each loo pounds of the fertilizer Is supposed to Dc. and should be, practically soluble md 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 % pounds in each 100 pounds, Is a mixture of insoluble phosphate and sulphate of lime. some sand. water. or eanic matter and other things that arc necessarily incident to the manufacture. and ,annot be economically removed. Thee are of very little immediate value to either the crop or the soil.
 So when we apply a high-grade fertil- 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 does help the land. because 1t induces larger 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 ct 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 @ part of
 the soil fin the shape of humus tdecayed vegetable natter. But the principal way to improve the soil itself. is to add vege- table matter 10 it in the form of stable manure, renoyating crops, rotation of crops. etc. in more direct manner.
 IL would seem manifest. then. if we ! fsh fvrr he 1-Fe.td ff nnr 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 If 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" clements tphosphoric acid. nitrogen and Iotash) 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 a fertilizer that con- tains about one part each of nitrogen and potash and l.3 parts ot available phos- phoric acid. This demand would be met by fertilizer containing 10 per cent. available phosphoriC acid. per cent. of nitrogen and 3 per cent. Of potash; or. as ordinarily expressed. a IU-3-3 fertilizer. | One analyzing 121e-l 70. or S-2. 40-2 40; or - 1o-2 1e. etc, would answer just as well. provided these lower grades be ay piled f7 heavier quantities.
 So II has been found that corn, sugar csle, sorghum. grasses and other crops belonging 10 the grass family respond best to R fertilizer that shall contain 10 parts Of phosphoric acid. parts of nitro gen and parts of potash or a 10-5-2 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 aere-viz, 9- 5o-1 So; or s-40-l6Q; or -SQ-14o, and so on. Of course. these lower grades can be gold at lower prices than the high grades; but, as q 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 loS grades. APPLYING FERTILIZER WHEN PLANTING.
 While it is certainly true, in our ex- perteuce. that the greater part of the fer ulizer should be applied about two weeks before the crop is 10 be planted. well mixed in the soil of the bedding furrow 1 and hedded CT. there are circumstances
 that would justify q farmer in making
 one or more intercultural applications. 1 including one at the actual date of plant
 ing. The following are such circumstan-
 CD When a farmer has not been able
 to secure the whole amount of his fer
 tilizers before planting time
 l has been planted and is growing, that
 he did not buy and apply as much as he
 should have done before planting. C0 When the yellowish green color and | want Of yigor in the appearance of the
 plants indicate that more nitrogen is needed by the crop.
 l We believe 1t may be safely accepted
 as a general rule that small portion l of Virginia Carolina Fertilizer should be applied with. or near the seed. at the
 time of planting. The effect of this small l 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
 70 to 5o p&unds 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 l 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 | middle to last Of June.
 The intercultural applications may be 1 made in the siding furrow, or the fer
 tilizer may be strewn along in the middles
 Is no rted to fear that the plants will
 not get the benefit of a high grade fer l tilizer 1: put anyhere, on or between the
 rows June s2eth fs the latest date at
 which the writer has ever applied fer 1 tlizer fin this way to either corn or cot 1 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.
 Soldering in China.
 Corporal Frank Hayden. of the
 army recruiting station. Nho spent
 year of army segVlee in China. says
 1t $ good country 10 soldier" in.