The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1914-03-28

w. r. MASSEY. glad to know what
sort of grass mixture Will be best for
hay l would suggest mixture OF Ten
mounds of Tall Meadow Fescue, ten
pounds of Red Top and five pounds o."
Alsilc clover an acre.
Preparing for Corn.
Surry County, y. G.: Il havo q piece
Of land on which l grew crop OF
peas and SOY beans last summer. ana
after cutting these for hay, sowed rye
on the land. ] have spread what ma
nure 1 can get on the ryo this winter,
and will turn the rye under to plant
corn. What Kind OF fertilizer nun
use. and how much an acre You do
not say that you applied any fertilizer
to the peas and beans, and you took
them off the land. and sowcd rye with
out any fertilization. The mere grow =
ing of peas and beans Will not inn
prove, but rather eNhousts the soil,
for they draw heavily on tho mineral
plant foods in tho soil. Under good
cultivation and the increase OF tho
humus In the soil. and an occasional
lining, your soil will never need an
application or potash, but its great
lack IS phosphorus and nitrogen. The
manure applied and the stubble OF the
peas and beans will have supplied
some nitrogen, and the best thing you
can now do Is TO be liberal in the ap-
plication OF phosphate. II you can get
the Thomas phosphate, also called
basic Stag. would suggest 800 pounds
Of this an acre broadcast, after turn
ing the rye. II this Is not to be had
then use acid phosphate, OF the 10 per
cent grade.
Fertilizers.
l am getting hundreds OF letters, as
usual, in the spring of tho year, the
whole burden of which is what kind OF
fertilizer, and how much TO use an
acre for cotton, for corn, for potatoes
and this and that, and tho other crop.
Now for me to tell every one Just what
their land needs. land that | never
saw. and the needs OF which | know
nothing about, savors too much of
puackery. But back OF all these let
tiers from Southern farmers lies the
fact that the men, as Il rule who are
so anxious for fertilizer formulas are
not really farming at all They are
SIMPLY planting crops year after year,
and gambling on the chances with FER
iiliHer, trying one mixture this wear
and another next year, and all the
time ncSlecting the systematic work
that would build up the fertility of
their soil, and save them a large part
of the money they are now spending
Tor fertilizers. II is not that | am on
posed to the use OF commercial fer
tilizers. but to the thoughtless use OF
them. the dribbling OF just enough to
make the plants grow a little stronger.
ana enable them to draw more heavily
on Inc natural resources of the soil
so that, with all their fertilization.
the soil grows poorer and poorer every
year
One man in North Carolina writes
that lie wishes TO know what kind OF
fertilizer Will make his cotton open
better He says that the land has
neeh in cotton for fifteen years. and OF
course thcre Is not particle of
humus left in il. and when the sum
mer drouGhts come. there is nothing
10 retain moisture in the dead soil.
The bacteria that work for the farmer
all starved out, and conditions are
such that the plant roots cannot get
the food placed in the soil, and. of
course the holls fail to open, and, nm
DER inc conditions prevailing in such
soil, II Is doubtful that any fertilizer
alone VIII! remedy the trouble The
only thing is to farm the land and
stop merely planting cotton.
Then nearly every one OF these let
ters asks for a fertilizer formula for
cotton and one for corn. evidently SUN
posing that a peculiar formula must
he used for both crops. Now have
OFTEN said that there is no profit i'm de-
pending on complete fertilizer mis-
lures TO grow corn. OF course, Won
may show a profit in the application
apparently. but, as compared with the
cost OF corn grown in q rotation on n
turncd-undcr sod of clover, there viii
be shown an actual loss.
Then. in Eastern North Carolina
hundreds have come to the conclusion
mat their land does not need phos-
phate The most probable thing is
that the long use of acid phosphate
has robbed the soil OF lime. and il has
become acid and that good lining TO
restore the aikalinity of the soil
would show that there is a decided
need Tor phosphorus more than other
forms of plant food. on most soils
the phosphoric acid I'm Il fertilizer mix
iurc Is the controlling material. for
nero Is III most soils IL greater de-
liclencE OF phosphorus than any other
eteihcht, except nitrogen, and az we
can get all the nitrogen VIC need
through the growing and using OF the
icgume crops. there is more need for
ilberality in the application OF phos-
phorlc acid than anything else. Hut
YOU can depend on this, that the farmer
who depends altogether on commercial