Shiner gazette. [volume] (Shiner, Tex.) 1893-current, 1907-03-21
HOW MUCH FERTlLIzER 70


The question. 'EIow much fertilizer
should be used per acre?" cannot be an
ewered definitely. but only in @ general
What is the I most profitSle am nous that
may be applied per acre2'' Neither can
the question in the amended form be
exactly and accurately answered. The
soil, its character. condition, preparation,
etc, may be well known, or controllablo
factors, but we know not what the seas
DIr e Georgia Ssg ESpeT ph Station De-
partment of Agriculture, in the Virginia-
Carolina Fertilizer Almanac.
We know that some crops will bear
larger amounts of fertilizers with reason
able assurance of profitable returns than
may be expected OF other SOILS. A crop
that occupies the soil from the fall season
until spring, or early summer, Will bear
heavier fertilizing than will crop that
Is planted In the spring and ripens for
harvest in midsummer. The first case 10
illustrated by oats, wheat, or other small
grain. or grass especially when sown in
ahe fall of the year. Such crop occu
pies the soil during the late fall and win
ter, and early spring-during which pc
riods the rains are usually abundant
ripening for harvest in late spring, or
very early summer. before the burning
summer heat and possible drouths of
June and July. Oats and wheat therefore
are ideal crops for liberal fertilizing-
Corn is rather an uncertain crop on the
ordinary dry uplands of the South. 1t
has but short period in which to devel-
OPP it's fiowers-tassels and sills-cover-
ing but q few days. If very dry weather
shall prevail when this critical period is
approaching, and for some time after 1t
IS passed, the crops may prove a greater
or less failure. There can be no second
effort, no second period of blooming.
1t is different in the case of cotton,
which commences to bloom and make
fruit In June Tor even earlieD and con-
tinues throughout the summer until
checked by a severe frost in November.
1t has a number OF "chances."
Cotton is therefore another ideal crop
for liberal fertllizing. A small amount
OF Fertilizers applied per acre will no
doubt yield a larger percentage profit
on its cost than will a larger amount.
To illustrate: An application OF 50 worth
or FERTILIZER per acre may cause aR in
creased yield OF cotton lat 10 cents per
pound of the value OF Sc to IS, or n profit
frequently had such results. But It does
not follow that twice as heavy an applI-
cation will produce twice as large re-
suits. or that three times as much would
cause three times as great an increase
N the yield. In other words, the rate
of increase In tho yield OF cotton will
not be in proportion to the increase in
the amount OF fertilizers applied Two
dollars worth of fertilizer per acre may
yield an increase In the crop OF Sc; but
increase OF SIS.
But careful observation has shown that
an application OF IS to Sc worth of fertile
lzers properly balanced Is a safe amount
20 apply per acre on cotton Many farm
ers in Georgia have secured satisfactory
returns from an application of so much
as 800 pounds per acre.
I think 600 pounds a perfectly safe limit
on upland in fairly good condition, well
prepared and properly cultivated in cot
ton. For corn, would limit the amount
60 200 to 300 pounds Der aero on old up
lands.