The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1909-02-17
SOILS AND FERTILIZERS
by Terrell County at an Agricuural COLLEGE,
(CONTINUED.)

Nitrate of soda is mined On the
rainless coast of Chilli. This form of
nitrogen is very soluble, and is read
I lily taken up by the plant; therefore.
you should not apply it until you
are ready for your plant to take it
up. There are several other forms
of nitrogen, but it is needless to
mention them here, for the farmer
uses them only very little in this
section Of the country.
Sources of Phosphate.
We obtain phosphoric acid from
several sources, but the usual one
is the mineral form. These mines
are found with abundance of phos-
plate rock in them in South Caro-
lima, Tennessee and Florida. These
rocks vary some in the amount of
phosphate they contain The South
Carolina rock contains from 26 to
28 per cent. phosphate; Florida rock
contains from IS to 80 per cent, the
better grades as high as 40 per cent
The Tennessee rock contains a high
er per cent. of phosphate, ranging
These phosphates have got to be
brought into a soluble form; there
fore, the rock is ground into pow
der and then treated with equal
amounts of sulphuric acid and then
it is in the soluble form that plants
can take up. There are other things
from which we get phosphoric, but
not as important as the mineral form.
Potash.-This element is found in
mines of Germany in large quaint
ties as kainit and muriate Muriate
is used largely by the farmer, and
is the cheapest form in which the
farmer can purchase potash. An
other form, and the best form, of
potash is sulphate of potash.
Next of Importance is the analysis
of fertilizers. This the farmer
should be very much interested in,
and he will have to know before he
can mix his fertilizers judiciOusly.
Always bear in mind the analysis
of the different kinds of fertilizer
and you will know what you are
buying I will give you few anal
Uses of different fertilizers: Cotton
meal from 5 to per cent. nitrogen,
small per cent. of potash and phos-
phoric acid; tankage, concentrated
form, II to 1925. 1t is advisable to
buy this form of tankage. Dried
blood 70 to IA high grade; low
grade 10 to H. fish scrap 7 to g.
nitrate of soda 10 to 16 per cent.
nitrogen; phosphoric acid 70, IA
and 1G per cent. of soluble phos-
phoric acid; potash kainit II per
cent; murfate As to so per cent;
sulphate so to 50 per cent
| Now we are to the point every
farmer should be interested in. The
Drice of nitrogen is so much a unit.
! All nitrogen is figured this way, and
one form would be about as cheap
as another. There is one form the
farmer connot afford to use, and that
! is cotton seed. Do you know what
cotton seed analyses? Every farmer
| should bear in mind the following
when he buys fertilizer or exchanges
seed for meal: The actual amount
of plant food in a ton of cotton seed
is nitrogen 626 pounds, phosphoric
acid 25.4 pounds. potash PA
mounds. Now let's see what the seed
are worth as fertilizer. Figuring
the nitrogen at 20 cents per pound
and the phosphoric acid and potash
at 5 cents each we find that ton
of seed is worth as fertilizer SASS
per ton. Now, this is all your seed
are worth to you; they will add
little humus to your soil, and very
little. When the farmer can get
sis for his seed it is advisable to
sell them. You can purchase at pres