Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1911-05-26
PHosPHoRIC ACID AND POTASH
NEEDED

II AAOoA AAOLN4N ALL All Vi <aoAA
NEEDED.
W. T. B.. Gainesville, Ca. writes;
have some good red limestone land which
will make weed enough for a bale to
the acre without fertilizers. What fer
tilizers shall use to make 1t fruit more
abundantly? I have been advised to use
an SSH What do you think of this
formula?
Your land undoubtedly needs a heavy
application OF the mineral elements. and
under the circumstances would suggest
that you use 500 to 800 pounds under the
drill row OF fertilizer containing 10 per
cent of phosphorus. 2 per cent of nitro
gen. and s per cent of potash. 1t would
hardly seem necessary to use anything
like u per cent of potash on soil such
as you describe. Most of the lands in
your section contain an abundance of
potash but much of it is not in an avail
able form. You can improve these soils
materially by an application of lime in
the fall of the year at the rate of one
ton per acre. This would put them in
good shape for crop production in 1872
An application OF lime at this season
is hardly advisable. Some of the soils
in your section are not well supplied with
phosphorus, and If either one of the
mineral elements mentioned be deficient
il viii limit crop production. Two per
cent of nitrogen is not heavy applica-
ton even where you make a good stalk,
and some of this form Of plant food
will probably be helpful in stimulating
plant growth and insuring a good crop
yield.
ADDITIONAL FERTILIZERS FOR
COTTON.
E A H, Pennington, Ca, writes:
want some information in regard to the
fertilization Of my cotton. I have put
500 pounds to the acre and bedded on
it. 1 want to put 400 more while the
cotton is growing and 100 pounds of nj
trate of soda. When is the best time to
use the 400 pounds and the nitrate? 1
have the land broken from is to IS inches
deep. The fertilizer 1 have used is an
spa
When land has been well prepared there
is no objection to putting 800 pounds Of
fertilizer under the drill row, provided
you do not use a formula which con-
tains an excessive amount of very quick
ly available nitrogen. In that case, there
is liable to be some loss by leaching1 or
course on heavy clay lands an applfca-
ton of fertilizer under the drill row is
not so liable TO result in the loss of nj
trogen as on sandy soils which are more
open and porous, and from which the
soil water escapes more readily. In using
100 pounds as a side application the hrst
should be made about the middle of May
and the second about the first Of June,
and then the nitrate used as top dress
ing about the 18th of June. OF course,
the time for making side applications de-
pends much on the season and the rate
of development the plants make. A good
formula TO use under cotton on red clay
lands is a S-3-4. This should answer well
for the side applications, and of course,
only high-grade nitrate OF soda should be
used for top dressing. The deep cultiva-
! ton OF the land especially through the
middles should be done early in the sea-
son as the roots of the cotton plants
strike out through the soil and soon reach
development where deep blowing will
result in the destruction of many OF
them. and OF course. as the roots con-
stftute the arteries of the plant, one
should be careful not to destroy them
DATA RELATIVE TO VELVET BEANS.
A correspondent. Augusta. Ga, writes:
wish all the information you can give
me concerning the velvet bean, as I am
thinking of trying some on my place.
! The velvet bean is undoubtedly enc OF
the best legumes which can be cultivated
1 I'm this state for the Improvement OF thin
lands It is a hardy, vigorous plant and
/ viii grow and thrive undsr a variety OF
soil conditions to which cowpeas and
/ soy beans are not so well adapted. It can
/ be used with great advantage on all lands
where IL is desired to grow a crop to be
| plowed under for soil impro. ement. In