Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1912-10-11


some information in regard to ground or
pulverized limestone for apple trees,
peach and other fruit trees and farm
products. / can get the ground lime
stone delivered at my station at $3.50
per ton, and burnt unslaked lime at 81.
Do yon think it will be better to get
ground phosphate rock at 81 per ton. de-
livered, or acid phosphate at S11?
In suggestions where the soil is utterly
devoid of lime, it is probable that lime
stone could be used to advantage on the
different varieties of fruit trees Ordi-
narily, it would not be considered so i'm
portant however as a plentiful supply of
nitrogen, phosphOric acid and potash. The
approximate amount of plant food con-
stituents used annually by fruit trees
per acre has been summarized as follows:
Peach trees. 5000 per acre; nitrogen, 10
pounds; phosphorus, 80 pounds; potash,
Z pounds.
Peach trees, 5000 per acre; nitrogen,
rs pounds; phosphorus. pounds; potash,
4 pounds.
1t viii thus be seen that the young
and growing trees require fairly liberal
fertilization with nitrogen and potash.
PHOSPHORUS OF course Is an eSSeQIldl ete-
ment and must not be overlooked. A
good plant food formula to apply to or
chards contains 2 per cent and upwards
of nitrogen, 5 per cent and upwards of
phosphoric acid and to 10 per cent of
potash. We think you would find, for
instance. a mixture of 400 pounds of cot
ton seed meal, 400 pounds of bone meal,
100 pounds of muriate of potash and $50
pounds of kainit good formula to use
on peach and apple trees. This formula
should be applied at the rate of to 5
pounds per tree. Where soils have be-
come acid, an application of lime may
often prove desirable. A ton of caustic
lime has about twice the sweetening
power of ton Of the finely ground rock.
Therefore, we believe that there is little
to choose between the two forms of lime.
according to the prices mentioned in your
letter, provided both are prepared from
a high-grade limestone rock.
There is some question as to the desir-
ability of applying complete fertilizer
to peach or apple orchards in the fall,
because that is the dormant season for
them, and the nitrogen may be leached
out of the soil before the trees can util-
ize it. On this account, mixtures contain
ing phosphorus and potash are often APP
piled in the fall and a second applica-
fertilizer which runs relatively high in
nitrogen. You should bear in mind that
acid phosphate carries about 1000 pounds
of gypsum per ton and that this will in
some measure take the place of lime.
VETCH AS A SOILING CROP.
]. L. D., Talbotton, Ga, writes: How
will vetch do sown with rye this fall
for green soiling in the early spring?
want to put one acre in barley. What
kind of clover will do best sown with
1T? What variety of wheat would do best?
Everything is to be well fertilized.
Vetch and rye make an excellent COM
bination for soiling purposes. You
should seed the rye at the rate Of one
bushel per acre and use with it thirty
pounds of hairy vetch. The hairy vetch
does not grow much until the early
spring, while the Oregon vetch has the
advantage of making a good growth in
the fall and early winter, but it is quite
sensitive to cold and is very often de-
stroyed by a hard freeze. On this ac-
count we do not feel like recommending
it for general use except in the south
ern part of the state You might try
twenty pounds of hairy vetch with ten
pounds of Oregon vetch, and a bushel
of rye. If the Oregon vetch comes
through the fall and winter all right,
you will be very much pleased with it.
Barley requires better land than any
of the other cereals. Our experience in
dictates that sowing a bushel and half
to two bushels per acre is quite as sat
isfactory as using the larger amount
you have suggested. We know of no
clover which Is likely to succeed better
with barley than alsike or red clover,
though red clover is not likely to do
we'll except on lands especially well sup
piled with lime or on low moist bot
toms Alsike clover will also do very
well under these conditions. Neither of
these clovers seem to be so we'll adapted
to Georgia, however. as does well when
gumes. Crimson clover does we'll when
sowu early in the fall, but 1t would
not be satisfactory to use 1t with bar
ley as the two crops would mature about
the same time.
There are many varieties of wheat on
the market, and many of the old stand
ard sorts are now masquerading under
new names. In our experience we have
found the old Fulcaster, Mediterranean
and Deitz amber among the best for
southern conditions. do not think you
will have great trouble in securing seed
Of some of these standard sorts. We
would suggest that you use an applica-
ton of 500 pounds per acre of a formula
containing per cent of organic nitro
gen, per cent of phosphoric acid, and
g to per cent of potash ON the crops
mentioned We would use ton Of lime
-. =. 80 -, tba land inf for cIOVar-