Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1911-08-18

regard to your cow peas and soy beans
We have had so little trouble in estap-
fishing any of these crops as 10 De
somewhat skeptical about the use of
artificial cultures and about which
there is some uncertainty of opinion on
the part of investigators.
A CITY BOY DESIRES TO LEARN
FARMING.
S. M. R., Augusta, Ga, writes: 1 am
city-raised boy with a country banker
ing, and am determined to make of my
self thorough farmer, yet without
the slightest idea as to how to secure
the necessary farm knowledge, 1 find
myself forced to call upon you for adj
vice. Will you be kind enough to rec
ommend me textbooks upon the fol-
lowing subjects: judging cows, corn cul-
ture. Berkshire hogs, cover crops, and
pruning of fruit trees.
Your desire to secure some land and
commence farming is to be commended,
and more especially so since you are
endeavoring to fit yourself by the ac-
quirement of special knowledge for the
undertaking of farm work. 1t is a
beautiful and significant fact as well
that the people of the state are realiz-
relation between semitic knowledge and
successful farm practice Millions of
dollars are uselessly wasted every year
because certain information now avail
able is not utilized as It should be-
Among the best books for you to Sc
cure to give you the information de-
sired would be, Judging Live Stock"
by John A. Craig This will give you
much useful information concerning the
different breeds, including the Berk-
shires, and is an excellent handbook
for the farmers library.
Probably one of the best modern
books on corn culture is by Bowman &
Crossley. You will find it very helpful
in giving you information along many
lines 1t probably does not treat ex-
tensively of the fertilizer subject. but
this you can secure through purchasing
copy of Fertilizers" by Voorhees,, an
excellent book on the subject mem
toned. Another good book for you TO
secure is the Fertility of the Land"
by Roberts. A general book on breeds
of live stock, including information rel
alive to Berkshires is Breeds and
Types of Farm Animals" by Plumb.
There is no special book dealing with
cover crops that 1 know of, but good
book along this line is Grasses and
Forage Crops" by Shaw. A good book
on pruning is the Pruning Book" by
Bailey while the best general book on
animal nutrition is Feeds and Feed
ing" by Henry. These books will fur
nish the basis of a very interesting and
valuable agricultural library. You
should also secure some of the farmers
bulletins published by the United States
department of agriculture, Washington,
d. c. Your congressman will be pleased
xx~4f1, Ncf
PLANT FOOD REMOVED FROM SOIL
BY CROPS.
]. d. P, Columbus, Ga, writes: How
much phosphoric acid, ammonia and pot
ash will the following take from the
ground. 100 bushels of oats; also the
straw from 100 bushels of oats; 100
bushels of corn; also the cob from 100
bushels and the shuck from 100 bushels,
and the corn stalk and leaves; 500 pounds
of lint cotton, 1000 pounds of cotton seed
and the stalk necessary to produce $500
pounds of seed cotton? The corn and
cotton stalks go hack into the ground.
What per cent of ammonia taken up by
plant is brought into the ground by
/ rain. Is there any way of the earth alb
/ sorbing phosphoric acid and potash from
the atmosphere? How do these plants
get their, carbon? Is the application of
4 phosphoric acid and potash necessary TO
combine and utilize the ammonia which
comes down with the rain?
One hundred bushels of oats would take
from the soil $50 pounds of nitrogen,
249 pounds of phosphoric acid and 1873
pounds of potash. 1t is generally esti-
mated that two pounds of straw will
be required to produce one pound of
grain. On this basis the straw required
to produce 100 bushels of oats would re-
move from the soil 37.12 pounds of nh
trogen, 1872 pounds of phosphoric acid
and 1928 pounds of potash. You will
thus see that the largest amount of pot
ash would be removed by the straw, but
If the straw were made into manure and
returned to the land at least rs per cent
of the fertilizing constituents contained
therein would be conserved.
One hundred bushels of shelled corn
will take from the soil approximately
lo2 pounds of nitrogen, 49, pounds Of
phosphorus and 244 pounds Of potash.