Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1912-04-05

yield of 100 bushels, however is rather
unusual, and a yield of so bushels may
be regarded as a fair crop. The aver
age for the entire crop last year was
not over rs bushels. Peanuts belong to
the family of legumes, and can gather a
good part of the nitrogen they need
from the air. They, however, make
rather heavy drafts on phosphoric acid
and potash and we think you will find
about a 9-1-5 a good formula to use.
| If you can lime your land at the rate
of 1000 to 1900 pounds per acre ten
days before planting the crop, it will
be an advantage.
A WARNING AGAINST BURNING.
]. NJ. Duke, Duke, Ala, writes: II have
about two and a half acres of red land
with red clay subsoil that has been lying
out for several years. 1t had heavy
coat of sedge, and in cleaning up, burned
it off. Have broken it once with one
horse turning pillow, and intend breaking
and cutting again before planting. l
want to make two bales of cotton on the
two and half acres, if possible What
fertilizer should / use?
1t was good practice to turn /the land,
/ but a mistake to burn off the grass, as
| the grass contained a very considerable
amount of vegetable matter which would
have enriched your soil and helped 1t to
resist drought later on. People do not
realize how much loss of nitrogen and
vegetable matter comes from burning, or
else this practice would be abandoned.
] realize fully how difficult it is to turn
under sedge grass and other litter, but it
will pay handsomely to do it. BY all
means stir the land again and put 1t in
/ the best possible condition before plant
| ing. On soil of this character use an
S-3-4 for cotton, applying not less than
| 500 pounds per acre. While on strong soil
with a tenacious subsoil it would be safe
to apply all the fertilizer under the drill
row, you might find it an advantage to
use part of II as a side application,
say 80 days or six weeks after the crop
is up. The time to make the second APP
plication will be determined largely by
seasonal conditions. 1t will often pay to
use nitrate of soda as a top dressing on
| cotton at the rate of 100 pounds per
acre. If the cotton is ina healthy con-
dition and shows plenty of stalk, 1t will
not be necessary to use the nitrate; 9TH
erwise. it will be good practice to use it.
APPLYING NITRATE AS A TOP
DRESSING.
j. L. L., Dublin, Ga, writes: have
/ gray sandy soil with clay sub-soil and
very old soil. I ordered a 1916 fertil-
| izer but when it came it was a 9-2-3,
| and / send a sample of the cards that
were on eevry sack. What do you think
/ of this formula for corn and cotton?
| Could apply nitrate of soda after the
second blowing? Is there any way for
me to know that the fertilizer analyses
what it is supposed to?
In our judgment a 9-3-5 should prove
a very satisfactory fertilizer on soil
such as you describe. The tags sent
/ me do not indicate anything about the
/ percentage composition of the fertiii-
ger you have purchased. If you nave
secured a formula deriving the phos-
| phoric acid from acid phosphate AMI
tankage and blood and the potash from
! fish tankage, the nitrogen from fish
nluriate and kainit, it should prove sat
| isfactory for corn and cotton. A 9-2-3
formula will not answer your purpose
as we'll as a 9-3-5 for it is low in pot
! ash and nitrogen. You may overcome
the deficiency in nitrogen by using nj
trate of soda as a top dressing at the
rate of 100 pounds per acre. This had
best be put on the crop after the sec
ond blowing, as you suggest. Put IT
on top of the ground and after rather
than before a rain If possible. The de-
| ficiency in potash might be made up
1 by adding 25 pounds of muriate of pot
ash to the amount applied to each acre.
| If my memory serves me right 1T was
suggested that you use not less than
i 500 pounds under cotton, and 500 to 700
| pounds for corn. Hon. T. G. Hudson
| is commissioner of agriculture, and If
you desire to have your fertilizer anal
yzed you should apply to him and he
will instruct an inspector to take the
samples and have them sent to the hab-
oratories in Atlanta where they Will
analyze them and report the results TO
You as 1 understand 1t.
! INCREASING THE SIZE OF STALK
IN COTTON.
E. o. F., Haleyville, Ala, writes: The
land / am cultivating has a light sandy
soil with yellowish clay subsoil. Part
of the land makes a good stalk and
part does not. Would like to know
how to prepare the land and what fer
tilizer, and what varieties of corn and
cotton to plant. We have very short
season here for cotton; it sometimes
frosts as late as May 10, and as early
as October 1.
Light sandy land with yellow clay
subsoil is not likely to be very rich
HMG NaA