The progressive farmer and southern farm gazette., 1910-07-16
Intercultural Fertilization.

the South. asking when, during the
Il growth of CROP it is best to apply second
third application of commercial fertilizers.
Now, do not believe in the value of these second
and third applications far as the phosphoric
acid and potash used concerned l believe
that the time for the use of all of these that
needed is before planting the crop. Phosphorc
acid and potash do not wash or leach from the
soil nitrogen in the form of nitrate does.
The soil will hold on to them for years till used
up by plants, and l can get better results from
these by being liberal enough with the first appli
cation so that more will be needed
But with nitrogen the is different, epecial-
ly where the nitrogen applied at the start was In
the form of nitrate OF soda, which rapidly teaches
from the soil. and which is always better and
more prontably applied during the growth of the
crop.
cotton grain farmer needs to buy nitrogen
if he farms right. With a short rotation of
crops, the growing of an abundance OF legume for
age and the feeding of 1t to stock, and using the
manure on the land, the farmer maintain and
increase the productivity Of his acres without
spending cent for nitrogen.
This is especially true with the cotton farmer
who wisely exchanges his seed for meal and hulls,
and feeds the meal with his roughage. The
wheat growers of eastern Maryland have long
since found that this is true and the ma
jority Of them have not bought ammonia In a fer
tilizer for many years, and during that time have
seen their crops doubled and trebled over what
they were when using a complete fertilizer and
depending on 1t alone.
l am heartily in favor of the liberal use of fer
tilizers, far liberal than the cotton farmers
ia general use. / know that the men who have
for years been drbbling 200 pounds OF 2-S-2
per acre have wasted their money and impover-
ished their SOIL and that II they had dropped the
first 2' and doubled the money spent for the other
plant foods. there would have been more profit
provided they had the help Of their cottonseed
meal and the legume forage.
/ have consistently opposed the growing of the
corn crop with the OF the complete CONNER
cial fertilizers, knowing we'll that the best prepa
ration for the corn crop is clover sod which
the farm manure has been spread in winter
And also know that IL is the phosphoric acid
and potash that make the cotton fiber rather than
the nitrogen, and having plenty of nitrogen be-
coming available through the whole growth of the
crop from clover and peas, and the residue of
the manure used, there will be weed" enough
without applications OF nitrogen in the fertilizer
for the main OF the nitrogen is to maintain
the vital activity of the plant.
But where the farmer is merely growing cot
ton and gambling the chances with fertilizers
alone, IL may be of value to him to use nitrate OF
soda during the growth Of the crop provided he
has used an abundance OF phosphoric acid and
potash at the start If he has used only 200
pounds OF 2-8-2 at the start, then he might add
more phosphate and potash with the nitrate and
risk results. But this is not farming. II is
merely growing cotton with the aid OF fertilizers
and the man who farms right can afford TO use
phosphoric acid and potash far more literally
and never needs to spend cent for ammonia or
nitrogen in any form.