Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1911-02-17

west, are coming into more and more
general use IN the south indicates a revo-
luton in methods OF farm practice, and
signifies that the work OF cultivating our
lands effectively may be accomplished
with a minimum amount OF labor In pro-
portion to that which was formerly re-
quIred under the inefficient methods of
practice so long followed on the south
ern plantation.
FLOATS OR GROUND ROCK AS
FERTILIZER
w H B. LyerIy, Ga, writes: Can l
buy phosphate direct from the mines In
car lots. and will IL be ready TO mix with
murate of potash and cotton seed meal,
and what should il cost? Want II to be
a Is per cent goods, but prefer 20 per
cent II can get it What can 1 do to
keep melon vines from dying near the
roots? Ny land is OF strong lime 4
use barnyard manure and guano as a top
dressing. have tried TO raise melons
on my land for several years, and can
not make any good melons.
You can buy floats or finely ground
phosphate rock direct from the mill. This
material has, however, not been treated
with sulphuric acid and does not contain
the plant food In quickly available
form. In the manufacture of acid phos-
plate about equal weights of finely
ground rock and sulphuric acid are mix
ed together. If high-grade rock be used
a material is obtained which is known
as acid phosphate and which carries
about 16 per cent of available phosphoric
acid This material can be mixed with
muriate of potash and cotton seed meal,
ana viii make very fine fertilizer.
A good formula to use for corn and
cotton is to mix together 600 pounds cot
ton seed meal, 100 pounds acid phos-
phate and 200 pounds muriate of potash.
This formula might contain little more
potash than is necessary for clay soils,
and might be little lower in nitrogen
than is desirable for some locations. TINS
difficulty can be overcome by using 700
pounds OF seed meal and 100 pounds
mnriate of potash. Ordinarily you can
not secure an acid phosphate containing
more than 16, per cent available phos
phoric acid. There is a superphosphate
made, however, which runs much higher
than this. Il is not manufactured to
any extent in this country, and I doubt
II you can secure il commercially.
Sometimes floats of the finely ground
phosphate rock Is used directly as a fer
tilizer. When this is done at least l.
900 pounds per acre should be applied, and
II you hope to secure good results you
should only use It in the presence OF
large quantities OF vegetable matter. On
account Of the bulk OF this material
which should be used it can not be adj
yantageously mixed with other forms of
commercial fertilizer
1t is probable that your melon vines
are affected with a bacteria disease which
causes them to wilt and die away. This
is serious trouble to melon growers and
one of the best ways to combat the trou-
bic Is TO plant the melons on fresh land
each year. and pull up and burn any
vines which are affected. No specific
remedy for the trouble has been found
in so far as i know.
SPRING FERTILIZATION OF THE
DAT CROP.
N w H, Ocilla, Ca, writes: Would it
be OF any benefit to broadcast guano over
oats now which were sown in November,
putting II on during a rainy spell? What
fertilizer should / use on corn where
the land is black pebbly with red clay
subsoil? I will break the land with a
two-horse pillow followed with a scooter.
It has been in cultivation about five
years.
Top dressing winter sown oats with
nitrate of soda is an excellent practice.
Sulphate of ammonia may also be used
for this purpose. Which 20 use viii de-
pend to considerable degree on the rela-
tive cost. When a pound of plant food
can be purchased in each at the same
price there is little to choose between the
two. though nitrate is probably a little
more quickly available. II Is somewhat
early in the season 10 apply nitrate. We
would rather wait for couple of weeks
in your locality, and in the northern part
OF the state probably until the first of
April. Scatter the nitrate as a top dress
ing on the oats at the rate of 70 to 100
pounds per acres when they are dry. If
applied when wet It may burn the leaves.
A second application may be made just
when the oats are punching to shoot into
head.
A good formula for corn on land such
as you describe would be a 2-s-4. We
Judge this land TO be in fairly good con-
dition from your description. OF course,
II there is a tendency to produce an
oYerabundance of stalk, and not as many
ears as desirable, increase the phosphorus
to 10 per cent and the potash to 6 per
cent. II you are not now securing as
much growth of leaf and stalk as is de-