Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1911-05-16

phvsicai condition, weeds and grass more
completely held in check, and the plant
supplied more uniformly with the neces-
sary food-laden moisture essential to its
growth and development.
WHEN AND HOW TO USE SIDE AP-
PLICATIONS.
A subscriber. Darlington, S. c.. writes;
I have made a mixture consisting of 800
pounds OF cotton seed meal, 500 pounds
OF Thomas phosphate and go pounds of
kainit. and put on an average Of 200
pounds under the cotton before planting.
/ expect TO put 400 pounds in the middle
OF the row during the first and second
week in May. I put this in the middle
in orcsr TO furnish food at fruiting time
when the roots are in the middle. VIII
this second application be too early to
use in May. and should il be put deep?
Later 1 expect to use 100 pounds of nj
trate OF soda per acre. have this year
planted burp< and crimson clover The
former is doing well. but on the latter
l can find no nodules. Can Ilinoculate
the crimson clover with soil from burn
clover? VIII Il be necessary TO inocu-
late the same soil for crimson clover
should plant the land In crimson clover
another YEAR,
An application of 100 pounds of the mix
ture suggested will supply fair amount
OF plant food to the average land for a
cotton crop. The fact that you expect to
follow this up with 400 pounds in the
middle OF the drill row about the sec
ond week in May should furnish a suffi-
cient amount of plant food to insure a
good crop of cotton under ordinary sea-
sonal conditions and with proper cultiva-
ton. 1t is not too early to put side
application on the second week in May,
and il should be covered into the soil.
II would be preferable to broadcast ii
rather than TO put it all in the mid
die of the row. If this is done ahead
OF the cultivator enough soil should be
mixed with il and covered over it TO
answer ever purpose. 1t would not be
wen in our judgment to put 1t in too
deeply as the feeding roots of the crop
come rather close TO the surface. Tor
dressing with nitrate later in the sea-
son will be all right.
The burr clover is evidently well sup
piled with nodules or it would not be
showing, such excellent development al
the present time The failure of the Grim
son clover is no doubt due to the alb
sence OF the bacteria which enable 1t to
assimiIate atmospheric nitrogen. The sol
from a DuIE Clover ACiu VIII nut AlAo(AAS-NS
the land for crimson clover in so far as
we know at the present time, and while
the crimson clover has failed this year
IL win often happen that planting it on
the same land another year will result
i'm securing a good crop. The failure OF
the crimson clover may not be due to the
absence of the bacteria, but to the acid
condition of the soil, and the fact thai
ii was not well prepared and made rich
and friabIe before planting the crop
Crimson clover is more particular about
che kind of soil it grows on than many
of the clovers, and will only give its best
results on soils that are in fairly good
condition. The best plan to pursue in re-
planting crimson clover would be to Sc
cure some soil from field where it has
grown successfully and scatter 200 pounds
over each acre. If you can not find such
soil in the vicinity of your farm, you
might try one of the artificial cultures
now on the market for inoculating clover
we have not had great success will
these. however, and hardly feel justified
in recommending their extensive use al
this time.
SUITABLE TOP DRESSINGS FoF
COTTON.
w. A. T., Bowman. Ca. writes: d.
As a good thing to use on cotton? OF
what should it consist, and when is The
best time to apply it?
Where land is in good physical condi
ton and contains a fair amount OF de
lcaving vegetable matter all OF the com
pIete fertilizer can, as a rule, be use'
under the drill row before planting. Thi:
| is virtually true in all types of soil
Where the land is not in good physical
condition and likely to leach badly.
probably not more than two-thirds OF
the complete fertilizer should be pu
under the drill row at the time of plant
ing, one-third being reserved to use as
side application early in the season
say 80 days after the crop is planted
or from two to four weeks after germi
nation. The exact time to use a SIDE
application will depend 4 very much OF
the season and the character of tho
crop. Additional top dressings to corr
and cotton should consist of some
quickly available form of nitrogen, a.
rule, and for this purpose two Of thu
best materi. Is to use are nitrate of soda
and suIphate Of ammonia Occasion
ally. with long seasoned crops ii is pos
sible TO use some dried blood or ever
cotton seed meal, but these materials
would have to be put on relatively ear
! " and covered into the soil, whereas
the nitrate and sulphate are applied
strictly as top dressings alongside CT
I in the middle of the drill row. The!
should not be covered into the GROUND
and should be put on after rain rathei
than before one. They may be used a.
the rate Of 100 to 200 pounds per acre
depending upon the apparent need OF
nitrogen by the soil. Some crops vii
need a great deal more than others, de
pending on the natural richness of th'
land and the character of growth evi
denced at the season when the applica
ton SHOULD be made, 1t is general,
best to put these materials on at two
applications rather than one. The frs
might properly be made about the frs
OF June, and the second about the 15tl
of June. From our observation and ex
perience we have found that the us'
OF nitrate and sulphate on oats and 9th
er winter grAwing cereals and on corr
land cotton VIII often prove a profitable
investment on the part Of the farmer
OF course. it is always best for him e
so enrich his soil with yard manure b,