Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1907-04-13
FERTlLlzlNG THE CROP.

Tho primary object IN using fertilizer
/ Is to produce a larger yield Of the crop
that ia to be Immediately grown, or is
/ already growing, on the land TO which
the fertilizer Is 10 be applied. As rule,
it contains from ten to sixteen per cent.
/ OF more or less promptly available plant
food. In other words, q commercial fer
ttlizer contains in every hundred pounds
weight from 10 to 16 pounds Of available
/ phosphoric acid, either alone, or that
amount Of phosphorlc 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 l5 pounds in each 100 pounds
! of the fertilizer Is supposed to be, and
| should be, practically soluble and avail
/ able at once, or within o week or two,
/ for the use Of the crop, says Virginia
! Carolina Fertilizer Almanac.
/ The remaining portion Of the fertilizer,
! or the 50 to 30 pounds in each 100 pounds,
/ Is 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 ,annot be economically removed.
( They are Of very little immediate value
| to either the crop or the soil.
/ So when we apply a hlgh-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 it induces larger
| growth of stalk, roots and foliage of the
/ plants-or those parts that will be re-
I 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 (decaved
] Vnwnf9bIn r1nffuYl TfrrF fbA nPinHiDnA
/ to improve the soil itself, Is to add Yege-
table matter to It in the form Of stable
| manure, renovating crops, rotation Of
/ crops, etc, in a more direct manner.
1t would seem manifest, then, II we
wish to increase the yield Of corn, cotton
| 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
10 particularly true If the purpose is TO
use liberal amounts Of fertilizer per acre.
/ In such case the deficient supply, In the
-atural soil of any one or more OF the
! three valuable" elements pHUSl hortc
acid nitrogen and potash) 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 fertilizer that con-
tans about one part each Of nitrogen and
potash and l-3 parts OF available phos-
phoric acid. This demand would be met
by fertilizer containing 10 per cent.
available phosphoric acid, per cent. of
nitrogen and per cent. Of potash; or.
as ordinarily expressed, ly-3-3 fertilizer.
One Analysing g-2.70-1.70; or S-2,40-24O;
or 7--2,1Q-2,lQ, ETC., would answer just as
we'll provided these lower grades be ar,
piled in heavier quantities.
So 1t has been found that corn, sugar
c1re, sorghum, grasses and other crops
hal I HfrfF IN F1V,
best 10 q fertilizer that shall contain 10
parts of phosphoric acid, parts of nitro
gen and parts of potash or q 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
cOrrespondingly larger application shall
be made per acre-viz, 9-i59-l.S0; or
8-4,00-l6O: or 7-35G-1.4O, 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 it
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 low grades.
APPLYING FERTILIZER WHEN
PLANTING.
While 1t is certainly true, in our exa
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 q farmer in making
one or more intercultural applications,
including one at the actual date of plant
ing. The following are such oircumstan-
ceS:
~ When O. 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 no
should have done before planting.
90 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 general rule that q small portion
of Virginia Carolina Fertilizer should be
applied with, or near the seed, at tho
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 80 pounds per acre may be applied
OF the same fertilizer that had been bed
ded on two weeks before planting. i
A second application of high-grade fer
/ tillzers may be made at the second or
third plowlng of cotton. or at six or eight
inches height OF the plants up to 10 inch-
es. or the middle to last of May, and the
middle to last of June.
Tho intercultural applications may be
made in the siding furrow, or the fer
tilizer may be strewn along in the middes
ahead OF the plow 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
tilizeT In this way to either corn or cot
doubt that even later applications would
benefit the crop; but probably not enough
to pay the cost OF the fertilizer.