Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1916-02-15

pound OF the same formula. We
would, of course, plant the cotton on a
shallow bed. and would mix the fertil-
i1er under the drill row before bedding
and planting the cotton.
If you desire to grow a few canta-
loupes for home use, we believe YOU
will tnd no variety better to cultivate
in this section than the Rocky Ford
Put the hills about three to four feet
apart in each direction The seed
should be planted about an inch and a
half deep. Two or three forkfuls of
manure should be put in the bottom OF
the hills and then put some top soil on
and compact il and as soon as danger Of
frost is past plant the seed Early
planting is desirable. though this will
rot prevent the pickle. or melon worm,
from mjuring the crop. There is no
known method of preventing the depre-
dationS of these insects.
II is not desirable to fertilize wheat
in the spring, unless you mean to use
nitrate of soda or some other carrier of
nitrogen i'm a quickly available form. In
other words. we do not advise the use of
a complete fertilizer at this season of
the year. We suggest that if you use
nitrate of soda or SOME other nitrogen
carrier that YOU apply it very soon at
the rate of 30 to 100 pounds per acre.
.FERTILIZING IRISH POTATOES.
l.. r. s. Shellman Ga. writes: viii
yon please advise me a good fertilizer for
Irish potatoes where | cannot get potash.
and also have manure. The soil is gray
pebble with clay subsoil.
OF course, you understand that ferti-
lizer for Irish potatoes should under
normal conditions contain a fairly lib
eral percentage of phosphoric acid and
potash. as well as nitrogen. Under ex-
listing conditions you will not be able
to secure potash this year unless you
happen to have a supply of unleached
hardwood ashes on hand which may be
scattered over the ground at the rate
of 500 pounds per acre and upwards and
narrowed into the soil. 1t is true that
cotton seed meal carries some potash,
and IL you mix this material in the pro
portion of 900 pounds of cotton seed
meal. 1,Uvv pounds of acid phosphate,
and 100 pounds of dried blood, nitrate
of soda or sulphate of ammonia, you
will secure a very good formula for
Irish potatoes. This formula should be
used under the drill row at the time of
planting the potatoes at the rate of 500
pounds per acre Fairly liberal fertiliza-
tion is necessary on soil such as you
many other mixtures, for instance, 800
pounds of acid phosphate, 500 pounds
of dried fish and 200 pounds of sulphate
of ammonia with 400 pounds of dried
earth to make the tonnage will consti-
tute a very good formula. The above
mixture will contain approximately GO
per cent of available phosphoric acid
and per cent of available nitrogen.
FEEDING VALUE OF VELVET
BEANS.
l.. ID. s., Haipes City, Fla. writes: Would
velvet beans and pods ground be a suitable
feed for a horse il fed i'm combination with
shorts bran. and what proportion of each
should be fedE
Velvet bean seeds and pods together
contain about 14.9 pounds of digestible
protein, 5l.7 pounds CT digestible car
bohydrates and 3.S pounds of digestible
fat per 100 pounds. Their composition
does not differ materially from that of
cowpeas. though they contain more fat
than cowpeas. Their composition is also
quite similar to that of wheat bran,
though the bean contains a little more
protein. We can see no objection to reed
ing a limited amount of velvet beans
ground with the pods to horses and
mules OF course, the pods should be
well ground. We think it would be much
better practice to mix the VelVet pedli
meal with corn than, with either shorts
or bran Corn, as you know, is low in
protein and should be balanced up in this
respect when fed to horses and mules.
The velvet beans would do this to very
good advantage. We think you coulc
feed about two-thirCts corn and one
third velvet bean meal. If you were to
add velvet bean meal to shorts and bran
you would be making a ration very rich
IN protein, more so in fact than horses
and mules need. The chances are you
would surfeit the system with nitrogen
and probably produce azoturia, disease
with which you are no doubt familiar.
Bran by itself can be fed to horses
to very good advantage. Shorts are not
so well adapted to feeding to horses as
to hogs. Bran can be mixed with oats
or with corn.