The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1910-04-27

crimson clover sod on which the farm
manure has been broadcasted during
the winter. I would not give such a
preparation for all the fertilizer Mr..
Williamson cures his stunted corn
with There Is nothing that tires me
so much as the constant dependence
Of our farmers on fertilizers to grow
crops. Now and then 1 am encourage
ed by one who writes asking the best
rotation of crops for his land, for /
think that here is at least one who is
trying to get out of the bondage tc
the fertilizer trust, and to go to farm
ing in reality.
One reader asks: 'Is cottonseed
meal and acid phosphate mixed in
equal parts better for corn than So
3 fertilizer" In such a mixture
he would get over 9 per cent of phos-
phOric acid, more than twice as much
nearly as much potash. The diff
Guilty is, that farmers will not study
the amounts of plant food contained
in the different materials used IN
mixing fertilizer nor the cost of the
elements they want in each. At pres
ent prices nitrogen in cOttonseed
meal is rather costly as compared
with nitrate of soda, but if nitrogen
is used, we need some organic form
to go with the nitrate to keep up the
feeding of the crop, and you cen refer
to the bulletins of the State depart
ments of agriculture and Of the .ex.
pertinent stations and find out what
nitrogen costs in various materials.
But while nitrogen is costly in any
form when bought in a fertilizer, it is
the cheapest thing the farmer can
get If he farms right, and uses the le-
gumes to get it for him. Then he
never needs to spend a cent for nitro
gen in a fertilizer, and can. for tht
same money he has been spending
for complete fertilizer mixtures, get
far more phosphoric acid and pot
ash, that will stay in his soil till some
plant calls for them, and will not
leach away as nitrogen does as soon
as it is in form that plants can use.
All over the South men are paying
20 cents or more a pound for nitro
gen in mixed fertilizers, when by
proper systematic farming they could
have free on every acre cultivated
more nitrogen than a whole ton Of
S-2-2 will give them. Two hun
dred pounds of S-2-2 adds less
than 4 pounds of nitrogen when
spread over a whole acre, yet many
farmers expect this to have a great
effect
Try to spread 25 pounds of nitrate
Of soda evenly over a whole acre,
and you will find that it is put there
very thinly. And yet that will be
about equal to the 4 pounds of am
monia in the 200 pounds of S-2-2
\ ton Of the S-2-2 will contain "a
pounds of actual nitrogen. A crop of
crimson clover turned under mature
will give you from 40 to so pounds
an acre of nitrogen, or far more than
you would get In whole ton Of the
S-2-2. Yet you will pay hard cash
to the tune Of nearly 81 for the nitro
gen in the ton Of fertilizer, when the
clover will give you almost twice as
much and will add humus to the soil
Thousands are using a little over
three pounds of actual nitrogen when
they could have turned under to the
crop over 40 pounds in crop OF
clover, and would have added perma-
nent Improvement to the soil; and
millions of tons of S-2-2 are sold
under over 200 different brands
while unestmated millions of pounds
| Of nitrogen float over every acre
waiting for some one to catch them
and get paid for the catching in the
increased production of his land
SO Southern farmers wade through
sea Of nitrogen and dream golden
dreams over a little sack of fertilizer
they pay their hard cash for, because
the sack stinks and the air does not
though nature is ready to supply all
needed nitrogen if the farmer will
only use the means for getting it
Prof. Massey in Progressive Farmer.
The Sumter high school team were
beaten Friday in Florence by a