Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1910-05-03

CORRECTING DEFECTS IN LOVELY
ING LANDS
AcIditv is often met with in low wet
sands This is due to an excess Of organic
nt.ids. resulting from the fermentation
mo decay OF the materials OF winch the
.soI is composed At least many OF the
N.trffyins organisms can not live IN an
mid medium Therefore, this CONDITION
sNust be corrected before the lands can
sie brought under highly profitable cui-
1Ivstion. There is a specific remedy Tor
Al i trouble. however. found in the ap-
ra,cation OF lime. The lime may be used
n one OF several forms. Finely ground
raw limestone rock may be applied at the
rate OF FIVE or more tons per acre The
amount TO apply viii depend somewhat
on the purity of the parent rock from
which the lime dust is derived. ton OF
high-grade caustic lime per acre should
eweeten most soils, but if the acid test
SHOWS that IL has not been effective, as
much more should be applied. The ap-
pIication OF lime is. as a rule, best made
in the autumn
some Tow soils prove Improbable be-
cause OF the injurious plant pOisons coin
tanned therein. Among these are the OK
ICES of iron. Where they exist their per
nicious influence can only be obviated by
frequent cultivation. The land should be
deeply and thoroughly broken so as 10
expose as much of it TO the air as posi-
bic. This win aid oxidation and will tend
TO remove the objectionable materials.
some low lands are not sufhcteptly de-
composed TO be cuItivat ted profitably. This
is due 20 the fact that the materials are
in such a coarse condition that they dry
out very quickly and become so loose and
oueu that they lose their capacity TO
raise water by capillarity- Again, fire.
Quent cultivation is the plan TO be follow
ed with soils OF this texture SO that they
may be broken down more rapidly ami
completely and pulverized sufficiently to
insure the retention and ready move
5 nent of water from the lower to the up
per soil areas. Drainage will often bring
lands Of this type into ideal condition
and the use OF farmyard manure or other
organic materials sometimes hastens de-
composition through setting the nitrl-
tying organisms to work.
II Is a common complaint that crops
grown on low, wet lands do not yield
well. Sometimes there is superabun-
dance OF stalk produced. and this is rue
Of corn, wheat. oats and cotton. This
development OF stalk at the expense of
grain or ear, as the case may be. is due
10 the deficiency of vegetable matter.
which has already been mentioned.
Some swamp lands may not contain over
500 pounds OF phosphoric acid per acre
foot. In some instances they have been
shown TO contain even less potash; yet
il has been demonstrated that where
liberal applications of the essential ele-
ments are made large yields OF grain
have been secured Georgia has an i'm
mense area of low-lying soils along the
coast. These lands eoHtain a good deal
!. OF vegetable matter. and some Of them
are fairly well supplied with lime. They
could be made among the most fertile
and desirable lands for cultivation in the
state. II they were drained They woulu
not only produce an excellent quality of
Sea Island cotton, but a variety of crops
which are not now grown in the state as
extensively as they should be. They would
make excellent truck soils. Their drain
age IN many cases would not be unrea-
sonably expensive and owing TO their sit
uatfon in relation to markets. climate
and water supply, they are among the
r1ost favorably located lands in the world.
tho draining Of these lands could probab-
IL not be undertaken advantageously by
the Individual; the cooperation OF tine
ouners would be necessary. as in some
Instances rather large drainage bitches
would probably have TO be constructed.
The opening up and development of these
lands would add much TO the wealth OF
Anc STATE anu lcHu 10 ktNc ANiNiACA
nnanency to our agriculture Some of the
larger towns and cities located in the
vicinity Of these lands could we'll afford
70 organize companies and even to lit
vest something In their drainage and
Improvement. II is not. improper that
the state should undertake the systematic
drainage OF land of this character.
LATE MATURITY OF COTTON AND
THE REMEDY.
G. H c. TurberviIle. s. c., writes: L
have field with a sandy soil which
has been planted in corn and oats for
four or five years, until Jhis year when
II was put in cotton The bolls did not
mature as they should. and the leaves
fell off before they opened. As L want
10 plant IL in cotton another year would
lice to know what TO do TO Dla1e the
bolls mature and the plant hold the TO
liage.
You do not state the kind and amount
o. fertilizer you useu under your cotton.
From your description the plants may
have Deen suffering from one of several
things; possibly from dearth OF phos-
pilates ana potash IN the soil. This is
indicated by the failure OF the bolls to
mature. lnosphoric acid has to do with
the Formation Of the seed ana hastens
maturity as well Ne would advise you
~ Ar~ = uAkn-kfd01 A~sAAAA1rT NVuAHiuthE
high per cent Of phOsphoric acid next
year. Inc rusting OF cotton is due to
deficiency Of potash in the soil. and
without plentiful supply of potash the
plant does not make a proper grow
This Is evidenced by the stunning Of the
crop and the shielding or the leaves. We
would also use a considerable percentage
OF potash on this land for the reason as
signed
az is possible from the description con
tainea in your letter thar your plants
are attacked by what is known as cotton
wilt Some people call il black root
from the fact that the root looks black
when cut omen. Black root or cotton