The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1916-02-02
SOME RECOMMENDATIONS As TO TIE
PURCHASE AND USE OF
FERTILIZERS.

FERTILIZERS.
by T. E. Keitt, Chemist, South Car
olina Experiment station.l
The standard materials that
have formerly been used as fer
tilizers are both scarce and high
in price. Many materials are be-
ing pressed on the market as
substitutes, and there is : grave
danger that our farmers will be-
come over enthusiastic and waste
a considerable amount Of money
at a time when they can i'll afford
the loss.
Such materials as land plaster
and phosphate-lime are being
offered at comparatively high
prices. Farmers are being led to
believe that these materials will
liberate considerable quantities
of potash from the insoluable
supply already present in the
soil. AS a rule they do not re
alize that they have been apply
ing land plaster for years in the
acid phosphate that have gone
into both home.mixed and fac
tory. mixed fertilizers. Therefore,
we should expect that most of
the results to be derived from
this material have already been
accomplished.
The use of ground limestone
for the correction of acidity IN
the soil aud for the growth OF
certain legumes is highly de-
sirable, but it cannot be consid
cred a ''cure all," and If it is
fpushed to such an extent that
there is considerable p :cunlary
tloss, there IS a danger that its
use for the above named pur-
1poses will be reduced in the
future.
Ground phosphate rock can be
used to advantage only on GER
tain classes of soils, or in com.
Ibination with animal manure or
green manures-such as are furn-
ished by cover crops. 1t IS pre-
ferable to apply it to the soil in
Ifall, when the cover crop is
planted. In this way all OF the
phosphorus that the cover crop
takes up will be stored in the
soil in the readily available or
ganic form when that crop is
turned under. The. phosphorus
of this organic matter will be
liberated as nitrifcation proceeds
and the products of nitrifcation,
such as organic acids aud carbon
dioxide, will act on the applied
phosphate rock to some extent.
Ground phosphate rock may be
|sprinkled in the stalls or manure
pit at the rate of from so to 25O
pounds per ton Of manure &C.
cumulated, depending upon the
quantity of the manure that you
intend to apply peracre. in order
to get the proper application OF
ground rock per acre. Our ex-
periments show that an applica-
ton ofabout 500 pounds per acre
gives best results from none
tary standpoint. Ground phos-
phate rock may be used to ad'
vantage on soils in a high state
| of cultivation as there is a go cd
good supply of organic matter
present in such soils. For use on
very poor to ordinary lands, it is
almost valueless. This material
seems to give comparatively bet
ter results on corn than on cot.
ton. It gives better results after
being used several years than in
the beginning if its use. See Bull
letin 178, S. G. Experiment Sta
ton.
The reader is referred to S. G.
Experiment Station. Bulletin
| 1872, for a treatise On various ma
|terials found on the farm that
contain potash. OF these mater.
| ials animal manure is the one
most generally available. 1t
should be applied to cotton lands
in very light applications-abont
two tons per acre deep in the
drill. It will give better returns
applied to cotton than to any
other general farm crop.
There are three fertilizing ma:
terials of which our farmers can
m l-o coo5 uSe Of on land that is