Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1910-04-12
Agricultural
Queries Answered
Continued from Page 10

Continued from Page 10
may not be necessary to apply nitrate
Of soda. Nevertheless, we would lay in a
supply of this material, and unless the
wheat makes an unsual development, put
on at least rs pounds per acre just about
the time 1t begins to shoot into head.
! This is a period when the stimulation OF
growth is important in order that 1t may
be able to gather all the plant food in
the soil and store it for the perfection
of the grain. You may wonder why the
use of phosphates and potash is not ad-
vised at this season, but when you recol-
lect that these materials become rather
slowly available in the soil, and that yoI
could only use them as top dressing
without even an opportunity to harrow
over the land and scratch them into the
surface, you can see that they could no.
be expected to be of material assistance
to the present crop. For this reason
wheat should be fertilized more heavily
in the fall with phosphates and potash
than is the general practice, while a
part of the needed nitrogen may easily
be held in reserve and applied as a top
dressing in the spring.
Rye certainly makes an excellent cover
crop and can be depended on to improve
the soil and hold the available plant
food materials therein, and thus prevent
their teaching away. 1t is not very
god hay crop, however, containing d
considerable amount of crude fiber. and
not being overpalatable. For this rea-
son we would prefer to pillow rye under.
since vegetable matter Is certainly eS-
sential to the growth of large crops or
corn If the rye is to be turned under
for corn, ii should be plowed down imme-
diately, because this crop makes heavy
draft on soil moisture, and If allowed u
shoot into head before being turned un-
der, will, as a rule, cause the soil to
dry out rapidly, and make 1t difficult of
preparation for the following crop. Near
ly all who attempt to use rye for green
manure make this mistake, and then
conclude that the rye has been OF but
little benefit to the soil, which is true.
as a matter of fact. because they have
not handled the rye satisfactorily. we
would not like to plant corn after rye
which has been cut for hay If we could
avoid il since it dries the land out, and
does not leave it in good physical con-
dition for a succeeding crop. Moreover,
you are working the land over time, and
YOU would have to fertiliZe it unusually
we'll to. secure a good crop of corn. A
good crop of rye will make anywhere
from one to two and a half tons OF hay
per acre. If the rye has not made
strong and vigorous crop and you are de-
termined to make 1t into hay, some nj
trate of soda will, of course, stimulate
II and increase the vigor of the plants,
hut we believe II would be better policy
TO plow the rye under Immediately, pre-
pare a good seed bed, and plant the corn
and use the nitrate of soda as top dress
ing on the latter crop.
COMBINING PHOSPHATE AND YARD
MANURE.
G.. B. S., Nunez, Ca, writes: nave
seen II stated that home-raised manure
composted with ground phosphate rock
would make a maximum crop on any
land. rich or poor. Please tell me how
to compost and how much to apply to the
acre for corn or cotton.
r.
AS a matter of fact, the greater part
if not all of our Georgia soil is quite de-
ficient in phosphoric acid, and In some
instances markedly so; so much so as 20
characterize the soil as unfertile so FAR
as this constituent is concerned. As you
probably know phosphoric acid is con-
cerned in the formation of grain and the
maturity Of the crop. 1t is one of the
absolutely essential elements to plant
growth When IL. is absent from The
soil the formation of grain will not go
forward as 1t should, and the yield OF
lint and seed will both be unsatisfactory.
We must, therefore, apply phosphates to
the soil In liberal amounts. This may
be done in several ways-by using acid
phosphate, basic Stag or bone, or what
is known as floats. Floats is simply the
finely ground phosphate-bearing rock.
Floats, however, does not contain phos-
phoric acid in an available form, and
it decays very slowly In the soil, and 1t
will not supply to the average crop grown
in Georgia enough phosphoric acid to
meet its needs. 1t Is for this reason that
acid phosphate is used, since the high
grade article contains 16 per cent of
available plant food. Floats will give
much better results in proportion on Illi-
nois soils than on Georgia soils because
of the higher content of vegetable mat
ter in the former. When soil is very
abundantly supplied with decaying veg
etable matter or organic matter floats
may be used advantageously, but when
depleted In this material, as is the case
with most of our lands, 1t will hardly be
found satisfactory. Floats may be mixed
with farm yard manure at the rate of