Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1911-03-24

at least semf-darkness or elevated slightly
above the floor the habit may be reduced,
and its formation prevented. Unless the
chicken, of chickens, acquiring this habit
are very valuable, it is best to destroy
them. and under any circumstances they
should at least be removed from contact
with others as soon as the habit is OBJ
served. as others are likely to acquire the
habit.
FERTILIZERS FOR COTTON ON RED
AND GRAY LANDS.
n. T. W., Woodstock, Ca, writes:
have a low fiat field which is gray soil
with a red clay subsoi which makes
about a half bale of COTTON per acre
with about 300 pounds of 1922 fertilizer.
1 also have another field of red land
which made about 800 pounds of seed cot
ton again on both of these fields this
year. The land has been turned four to
eight inches deep. What fertilizer would
you recommand? What is the best time
to sow watermelon seed?
There is comparatively little difference
between gray soil with red clay subsoiI
and soil which is red on the top and on
the bottom as well. The gray land has
evidently been leached more than the req
land. the difference in the color being due
in these soils chiefly to the loss of iron.
If the gray land is low and wet you will
never secure the best results from Its
cultivation until you underdrain 1T, but
no doubt an application of lime would
help it. 1t would be better, however, in
our judgment, TO defer applying the lime
until the tall of the year. In the mean
time a fertilizer formula containing say
10 per cent phosphoric acid, per cent nj
trogen and 5 per cent potash should be
used on the land. Apply not less than
AGO to 500 pounds per acre, of which zOU
to 300 pounds may be put under the drill
row and 100 to 200 pounds used as side
dressing If this land were well supplied
with vegetable matter 1t would be ali
right to put all the fertilizer under the
drill row, but under the circumstances "a
side dressing seems to be best.
/ On your red clay land probably an
s-3-4 fertilizer. used atsrate of 500 pounds
per acre will answer very well. TINS
formula has given very good results on
lands of a similar character. OF course
the red lands may contain considerable
amount of PHOSPHORUS and potash ahG
this material not be in a form available
to the plant. In that case heavier apph-
cation OF PHOSPHORUS and potash is al
WAYS desirable. Part of the fertllzer
should be put in the drill row and should
be mixed with the soil by means or
bull tongue. This would not be necessary
had your land been plowed deeper, put
/ under the circumstances l think you Will
find this method of applying it advisable.
! There is no reason why you should not
plant waterInelons successfully at the
! time indicated in your letter The whole
proposition is to start the plant, say IN
/ a cold frame, in some small sort Oh rack
4 so that they can beetransplanted 70 the
/ ground and grow OF quickly and Vlgor-
ously early in the season. The time OF
seeding can only be determined by the
time the frosts cease to fall.
CURING A COW OF SUCKING HER
SELF
j. C. T., Double Springs, Ala, writes;
l have a young COW with fresh calf ana
she sucks herself What is the causeF
lis II the lack of some kind of food o.
is it natural, and what will prevent 1t?
Some COWS seem naturally addicted to
the habit of sucking themselves. Ii the
animal is a valuable one 1t Will pay TO
| try to rid her OF the defect; if not 1t is
| generally best to dispose of her. The
| trouble with this habit is that it is likely
to recur with each new lactation period.
A good way to prevent cows from SUCK
ing themselves is to make a halter of
| leather, and stud that part of it which
surrounds the muzzle with nails These
should be rather sharp pointed and not
l1ess than three inches in length. They
are held in place by double hand OF
| leather The points are so sharp and so
long that they prevent the COW from
reaching the udder without infiicting such
| injury and punishment as to effectually
prevent them from continuing the habit.
There is no lack in the feeding, and
nothing can be fed to correct this trou-
BILE.
FASTING DOWN THE LINT ON COT
TONSEED.
S. w. r., Tusculum, Ga, writes: Please
advise me how to prepare cottonseed
with flour. as l want to drop them by
hand.
The tendency of cottonseed to adhere
closely together owing to the presence of
a considerable amount of lint which still
remains attached to them after ginning
may be overcome as follows: Take an or
binary petroleum barrel and pass an
axle through the center, then put the
barrel on trunnels of convenient size. Put
in some cottonseed and mix with it some
sand or fine dry soil. Mix thoroughly
and roll As the rolling process contin-
ues add more water. Any of the ma
terials mentioned are cheap and may be
conveniently secured. Too much water
should not be added, and the process
must be continued long enough to thor
oughly paste down all the seed.
Another and better method probably
is to use flour paste. Take, for instance,
drinking glass fun of flour and mix
with one pint of water. stirring until
thoroughly dissolved. Add one quart
more water and boil until the mixture
becomes thickened and pasty. Having
cooled the paste, put the seed in the
barrel as above described and pour the
paste over it. This should be rolled thor
oughly for period of ten minutes. Seed
prepared in this way may be spread out
in layers three or four INCHES deep and
will dry without difficulty. This is prob
ably the most satisfactory method yet
devised for rolling seed.
PREPARING LAND FOR CORN.
Q. W. s., Waterloo, S. c., writes: 1
have an acre of land infested with nut
grass on which 1 want to make 100 BUSH
els of corn. i have it bedded the second
time, using two big mules and a 17-inch
middle buster furrow in the middles in
tend to subsol this furrow and plant my
corn u inches with 400 pounds of cotton
seed meal and acid, and feed il along
with guano and soda. What do you
think of this plan? L have a fine mule