The Carlisle independent., 1907-04-18
FERTlLIzlNG THE CROP.

The primary object in using fertilizer | Is to produce a larger yield of the crop
 that is to be immediately grown, or Is
 already growing, on the land to which the fertilizer is to be applied. AS rule, | 1t contains from ten to sixteen per cent. | 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 thaS amount of phoSphoric acid and potasb combined, or of these two and nitrogen combined, making in the latter case, what is called a "complete'' fertilizer. Now, this 10 to Is pounds in each 100 pounds
 of the fertilizer is supposed to be. and should be, practically soluble and avail able at once, or within 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
 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 a high grade fertil 1zer 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
 Aelp the land, because 1t induces larger STOWlH OL SLdlh, FOCUS anu 1ClldS6 O1 IH6
 plants-or those parts that will be re- turned to, and become part of the soil.
 A dose of 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 in the shape of humus (decayed vegetable matter). But the principal way | table matter to it in the form of stable | manure, renovating crops, rotation Of | crops, etc, in more direct manner. It would seem manifest, then, if we l wish to increase the yield of corn, cotton l 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 l is particularly true if the purpose is to
 use liberal amounts of fertilizer per acre.
 In such case the deficient supply, in the | three Valuable" clements (phosphoric | acid, nitrogen and potash) need not be | specially considered.
 1 According to carefully conducted field | experiments, conducted at many of the l experiment stations, it has been found
 that cotton requires a fertilizer that con- 1 tains about one part each of nitrogen and
 potash and Is parts of available phos-
 phoric acid. This demand would be met | by fertilizer containing 10 per cent.
 available phosphoric acid, per cent. Of
 as ordinarily expressed, 1e-3-S fertilizer. One ana1yzing 9-2.70@1.70; or S-2.40-240; {;
 or 7-21e-2.10, etc., would answer Just aa
 well, provided these lower grades be ap-
 piled in heavier quantities.
 So it has been found that corn, sugar
 ca.1e, sorghum, grasses and other crops | belonging to the grass family respond
 best to fertilizer that shall contain 10
 gen and parts of potash or a. 1e-5-2
 fertilizer. The following formulas are
 in precisely the same proportions, only
 they are of lower grade, and would give l Vr nfj 1Ixr hn co 1fS vyhn a
 correspondingly larger application shall l be made per acre-viz., 9+50-1.S0 or
 S40o-1.6D; or 7-S.50-14o. 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 1 the latter being precisely the same, per
 ton. for both high and low grades.
 APPLYING FERTILIZER WHEN
 PLANTING.
 While 1t 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 a farmer in making
 one or more intercultural applications, including one at the actual date of plant
 ing. The following are such circumstan- O When 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
 should have done before planting.
 (3) 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 it may be safely accepted
 as g. general rule that 8 small portion of Virginia Carolina Fertilizer should be 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
 ded on two weeks before planting. { A second application of gh-grade 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 high-grade fer tiliZer If put anyhere, on or between the rows. June 26th Is the latest date at 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.
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