Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1910-09-30
A WELCOME INQUIRY ON FERTIL
IZERg

w. I.s SpaTtanDurR, - T., writes:
have been enjoying the agricultural page
of the Semi-Weekly for several years,
and think it has been a decided benefit
to one reading its columns. Heretofore,
have been letting the other man do the
questioning, while l picked out and used
such as needed. For a long time have
been on the lookout for a general fer
tilizer formula, and thought Mr.. S. r. p.
Midtown, Ga, was going to get 1t for
US, but I can not figure out the answer
/ gather from your columns that a
bale of cotton $500 pounds) together with
seed removes from soil rs pounds of nj
trogen, pounds of phosphoric acid and
Is pounds of potash. I want to know how
to figure general formula from ingred-
tents composed of different percentages
of available plant food, such as cotton
seed meal per cent, nitrate of soda Is
per cent. potash 90 per cent, acid phos-
phate 16 per cent, etc., all percentages
being known, of course. OF course, a
filler is added to make 1t come out even
when it does not do so.
We are pleased to know that you find
, the agricultural columns of The Semi
Weekly Journal so helpful, and are glad
to know that you have decided to come
in and ask information along the lines In
which you are interested, rather than to
pick out what you wanted from the
other mans questions
II is true that bale of cotton with the
seed removes from the land something
like Is pounds of nitrogen, pounds of
phosphoric acid and 10 pounds of potash.
Some variation in these figures must be
allowed for, since all analyses will not be
the same. OF course, II takes much
more plant food than this to produce a
crop of cotton. since the stalk and leaves
must be developed before we can hope for
line and seed. Then, 1t should not be
| forgotten that no crop takes UP all of
the plant food supplied to 1t, or probably
all that is available in the soil. Certainly,
it does not and could not take up all that
the soil contains, for much of that is
not I'm form which the plant can utilize.
Therefore, I'm applying a fertilizer to cot
ton II would be improper to conclude that
all we need to do to grow a bale is to
apply certain definite amounts of fer
| tilizer. Season, soil, cultivation and
seed all exert a very important inf1u-
ence on the yied, influences, in fact,
which no man has ever been able to
| measure accurately.
/ AS a matter of fact, 1t would appear
! as If much larger proportion of nitro
gen should be used in the fertilizer for
cotton than has ordinarily been applied
Ihere is possibly some truth in this sug-
gestion, since we find on the college
| farm that we secure better results where
more nitrogen is used than is ordinarily
applied. Probably the reason for the use
of so small a per cent of nitrogen in cot
| ton fertilizer has been due to the cost OF
this element, the desire of the farmer ia
: purchase cheap fertilizing material, and
] of the manufacturer to put something on
| the market that would not be too costly
J Investigations indicate, however, that a
/ good fertilizer for cotton will be possibly
/ a 2-S-3 on lands well supplied with vege-
| table matter and Of a clayey character;
a 1913 on soils not so we'll supplied with
vegetable matter; and to per cent
J nitrogen, 10 per cent phosphoric acid and
| possibly I per cent of potash on still
| poorer lands. s the sane increases In
/ the soil run the per cent of potash up,
] increasing 1t to or 6 per cent on very
sandy lands, and certainly on those SUBJ
{, ject to rust. Presenting that the land
which you desire to fertiliZe for cotton
! is of only moderate fertility, we would
| suggest a 3-10-4 fertilizer. this to be used
| in connection with at least two tons OF
! well-rotted yard manure or compost pei