The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1907-01-26
FARrlER AND PLANTER
AFTER HEATING AND sPRourINc.
How Cotton Seed, in That Condition
May Be Utilized.

Frequently large quantities Of cot
ton seed on the farm heat or sprout;
and thereby become unsaited eether
for the cotton oil mill or 10x plant
ing purposes, as the germs In the
heating or sprouting process have
been killed largely and the oil chang
ed to a much deteriorated form.
Notwithstanding these changes, the
seed, from fertiizing standpoint, are
about as valuable after heating or
sprouting as before, /. e., IL seed have
not been exposed to the weather too
long and allowed to rot and leach out
the plant-food constituents contained
in them. The only fertilizing constit-
uents that could possibly be liberated
into the air by the heating or sprout-
ing is the ammonia, and 1t has been
found by frequent chemical analyses
that the loss of this constituent is little
or none from these causes. In fact,
IL would seem that the phosphoric
acid, potash and ammonia in sprouted
or heated seed are changed to form
slightly more readily taken up by
growing plants than If the raw seed
were used as the fertilizing material.
/ Average good cottonseed, heated,
sprouted or not, will contain about
81 per cent nitrogen equal to 3.76
per cent ammonia); 1.3 per cent
phosphoric acid, and IL per cent
potash.
When assigning to the nitrogen (am-
monia), phosphoric acid and potash
contained in damaged cottonseed the
values that prevailed in this state for
these constituents in mixed fertilizers
during the past season, such seed Is
seen to be worth $14.90 a ton for
fertilizing purposes.
Should Not Be Exposed to Rains
Cotton seed are classed as fertiliz-
ing material containing its fertilizing
constituents in rather slowly avail
able form, as the seed have to rot In
the soil before their content of am
monia, phosphoric acid and potash can
be dissolved by the moisture present
in the soil and be taken up by the feed
ing roots of growing plants. 1t should
be remembered that all fertilizing con-
stituents present in the soil, either
naturally or by addition, have to be-
come dissolved by the water in the
soil before they can be utilized by
growing plants for the construction of
| their tissues.
Seed that have heated or spronted
should thereafter be kept under cover
o-1 vo% ho <vpocoH To r-oi,c
A well-balanced proportion in which
to compost, in ton lots, is as follows
for general farm purposes:
Pounds.
Cotton seed (13h bushels) ...... 400
| Acid phosphate ................ 300
Barnyard manure ...............1,22 5
Total. .Z,O0O
This mixture will analyze &c per
cent phosphoric acid; 0.9 per cent
potash, and IL per cent ammonia.
Six hundred or 500 pounds of this
mixture will be a good application
for corn when applied in the drill
just before planting, while 800 to 1000
pounds in the drill would be good
one for cotton.
For corn, from 400 to 500 pounds
Of the following MIXTURE, calculated
for ton lots, per acre, will be found
well-suited when applied in the drill:
Pounds
Acid phosphate, IA per cent. oS5
Cotton seed GAG bushels) 49,. 1875
KafnH .................. AZ
IOtdl $500. l,VVV
For cotton, 1t will be well to use
from 600 to 1000 pounds per acre OF
the following mixture applied in the
drill before planting:
Pounds
Acid phosphate, IA per cent. 80. $50
Cotton seed (39 % bushels).... 1880
| ka1n1t NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.. 1SO
| lOtdi Z,VOO
Where cotton seed whether heat
ed, sprouted or mott is used for fer
tilizing purposes as suggested in the
above two formulas, 1t will usually
be found best to apply them very
early in the spring in the drill; cover
and let stand two to four weeks be
fore the other materials are added
The acid phosphate and kainit may
then be mixed and applied in the
drill just before or at planting time
II spare time is not at hand, early
IN the spring, the cotton seed for fer.
tilizing purposes may go in the drill
and the mixture of acid phosphate
and kainit directly on top Of them
| met hof~ro nloutfnO Thio lot$av