Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1912-02-20


or even under horses or mules. If you
can secure some yard manure to mix
with them, you can help them decay
rather rapidly. About 400 pounds of ma
nure ard leaves mighs DE mixed with
300 pounds of acid phosphate and 100
pounds of kainit or muriate of potash,
depending on the nature Of the soil. If
the soil is very sandy use the muriate;
if it is heavy clay use the kainit. The
compost heap should be kept well COM
pacted and should be convenient to a
supply oe water, so it may be kept
moist all the time, and thus prevent it
from heating.
good fertilizer to use under cotton
on red clay land viii be about an 1874
at the rate of 800 to 400 pounds under
the drill row.
TOMATO WILT IN FLORIDA.
N. l.. H., Live Oak, Fla, writes; 1
am told that tomatoes are difficult to
grow down here. and that when they
get to be quite a size they die and the
roots are found to be OF a black color.
Can you tell me what is the cause and
what is the best fertilizer to use to Sc
cure good results.
The trouble affecting your tomatoes is
probably what is known as the wilt form
of Solonacae. The trouble is due to a
germ which is particularly destructive to
this crop in the southern part of the
United States This trouble has also
been found in Europe and Asia. There
is no specific remedy known for it at
the present time, though some attempts
are being made to produce a resistant
strain of tomatoes. This wilt is some
what similar in character to that affect
ing corn, cotton and other farm crops.
Fairly resistant strains of cotton and
cowpeas have been developed, and it is
reasonable to believe that a strain of to-
matoes will soon be found capable of re-
sisting this trouble. The only recourse
at present in contending with it is to
rotate crops and not plant tomatoes on
the same land oftener than once in three
or four years. A good fertilizer to use
under tomatoes is one prepared by mix
ing together 500 POUNDS of acid phos-
phate, 100 pounds of nitrate of soda, 800
pounds of cotton seed meal, and 800
pounds of muriate of potash. This will
give you formula running approximate
ly "a per cent of phosphoric acid, ass
per cent of nitrogen, and SO per cent of
potash. 1t is limpor ,ant to have the to-
matoes come on early, and they should
therefore be forced in cold frames, and
transplanted early i'm the field after be-
ing hardened off so as to prevent injury
from the shock incident 10 transplant
ing. Shallow surface cultivation is an
important matter. Keep the ground we'll
pulverized. and stake all three varieties.
A NORTH CAROLINA FARMERS
TROUBLE.
]. NJ. c., Washington, N. c., writes:
The freezes are causing our bitches to
fill up badly and in cleaning them out
we get a considerable bank of clay. Il
wish to know If this clay could be used
with lime, woods mold, or ashes to any
advantage, or would it be better broad
casted alone? Considering the low price
of cotton seed this season compared with
cotton seed meal, many or our farm
ers have decided to compost their seed
or grind them up themselves. Would 1t
pay to give three pounds of seed for two
pounds of meal?
Judging from the description given in
your letter, the character of soil aecu-
mulating in your bitches will not enrich
land very much to which it may be APP
piled. 1t is no doubt richer than the
surrounding soil as it is composed partly
of washing from the surface area, and
therefore contains the finest, most fri
able part of the top soil. 1t would not
pay to use this as compost, however
D
it will be we'll to scatter it uniformly
over the surface of the ground and
mix it with the soil when blowing. Even
the richest muck land will often not pay
for handling as a compost proposition.
but 1t may be used to scatter over
CALLED places. Instead of making a COM
post with this soil by using lime and
ashes, it would be better to scatter these
materials over the surface of the land
A ton of caustic lime per acre can be
used with good effect. 1t should be put
on at least 30 days before planting and
before other fertilizers If you have
woods mold this may be used as a COM
post in the drill row. Unleached wood
ashes will supply considerable quanti-
ties of potash. The ashes had best be
scattered uniformly over the land
Cotton seed contain about S1l worth of
plant food per ton at a fair price for
available phosphorus and potash. A ton
of cotton seed meal contains els per
cent of available nitrogen, per cent
Of phosphorus and lis per cent of pot
ash, and would contain fertilizing con-
stitutents worth about $24 per ton. OF
course, some of the meal on the market
may not be as high grade as that indi-
Gated, and hence it woxld be worth rela-
lively less. but on the basis suggested, a
ton of good average meal would contain
about twice as much plant food as ton
of seed. The advisability of using seed
would depend much on the price you
could obtain them for. If you can Sc
cure them for $1,000 to $1700 a ton, or
If you can exchange a ton of seed for a
ton of meal, it will be good practice to
do so, since about 800 pounds of meal
are equivalent TO a ton of seed in fer
tilizer value. In making the exchange
one must take into consideration the
cost of freight and hauling. 1t does not
seem TO us that an exchange of 5000
pounds of seed for 200 pounds of meal
would be a profitable transaction for the
farmer. A ton of good seed will make
AZ gallons of oil, equivalent to 315 pounds
by weight, S25 pounds OF meal, 40
pounds of linters and 200 pounds OF bulls.
The waste will amount to about 12S
pounds per ton. II one desires to COM
post seed it will be we'll to mix together
about 40 bushels of seed, zoo pounds of
acid phosphate, and at least 100 pounds
of muriate of potash. This would make
a mixture containing approximately $50
pounds of available nitrogen, 1246 pounds
of phosphoric acid, and 63.1 pounds of
potash per ton. This mixture, if used
at the rate of half a. ton per acre, would