The log cabin Democrat., 1907-04-18
FERTiLiZING THE CROP.

tne fertilizer IS 10 De applied. AS a rule, 1t contains from ten to sixteen per cent. of more or less promptly available plant food. In other words, a 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, CT of these two and nitrogen combined, making in the latter case, what is called a "oompete'' fertilizer. Now, this 10 to 1s pounds in each 100 pounds of the fertilizer Is supposed to bc, and should be. practically soluble md avail able at once, or within Q week or two, for the use of the crop. says Virginia Carolina Fertilizer Almanac.
 The remaining portion of the fertilizer, or the S4 to 90 pounds in each 100 pounds, is a mixture of insoluble phosphate and sulphate of lime, some sand water, or ganic matter and other things that are necessarily incident to the manufacture, and cannot be economically removed. They are of very little immediate value to either the crop or the soil.
 So when we apply 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 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 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 a 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 1t in the form of stable manure. renovating crops. rotation of crops etc. in a more direct hammer.
 It would seem manifest, then, If we wish to increase the yield of corn, cotton |, 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 In such case the deficient supply, in the natural soil. of any one or more of the three "valuable'' clements (phosphoric acid, nitrogen. and potash) need not be
 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 n fertilizer containing 10 per cent. available phosphoric acid, per cent. of nitrogen and 3 per cent. of potash; or, as ordinarily expressed, 1O-3-3 fertilizer. One analysing 9-2W-1.70; or S-240-240; or 7-2.10-2.10, etc, would answer just as we'll, provided these lower grades be ap- piled in heavier quantities.
 So 1t has been found that corn, sugar cane, sorghum, grasses and other crops
 
 best to a fertilizer that shall contain 10 parts of phosphoric acid, parts of nitro gen and parts of potash or 10-5-2 fertilizer The 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 s4Oo-1.6o; or 7-3.5Q-1.40, and so on. Of course, these lower grades can be sold at lower prices than the high grades; 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 10 " 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, we'll 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 circumstan- CeS:
 Q When a farmer has not been able to secure the whole amount of his fer tilizers before planting time.
 @ When he concludes, after his crop has been planted and is growing, that he did not buy and apply as much as he
 
 (9 When the yellowish green color and want of vigor in the appearance of the plants indicate that more nitrogen IS needed by the crop.
 We believe 1t may be safely accepted as 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 50 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-gra 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 intercultural applications may be made in the siding furrow, or the fer tilizer may be strewn along in the middles ahead of the blow or cultivator. There is no need to fear that the plants will not get the benefit of a high-grade fer tilizer 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 fo nav tho cOST of fhe fertiliZer-I