The states-graphic. (Brownsville, Tenn.) 1???-1984, 1916-10-13
WILL CHECK COTTON PLAGUE.
Government Nitrate Plant Expected to
be of Help TO Farmers in War
on Boil Weeyil..

There is little connection apparel
between the establishment of a GO
eminent plant for the manufacture
nitrates from the nitrogen of the a
moSphere and the little boil weeyi
which is such an important factor
the life of the cotton farmers of tn
country. Yet many observers Of tn
activity of this well known insect be
lieve that in establishing a plant t
draw on the nitrogen of the atmos
phere for the various needs of tn
country, one of the strongest weapon
is being provided for the fight agains
the cotton farmers foe. This, o
course will be felt by every user o
eotton-meaning every individual, TO
cotton is today the universally used ar
ticle. This war is to be waged il
large part by bringing the crop to ear
" maturity. The weevil begins It's
attack upon the cotton plant when il
is in the bud and works upon the crop
until the bolls are half matured. The
first appearance of the Weevil takes
place in June, when the buds are be-
ginning to form, but its worst and
most effectual ravages are in August,
when it is too late for the plant to put
on more buds. 1t is therefore neeessa-
ny to bring about an earlier maturing
of the crop.
Nitrogen put into the soil in some
form where it can be taken up by the
growing plant is the element playing
the strongest part in this work. 1t is
also the element first exhausted, and
cotton is a plant making the greatest
demands upon soil fertility For this
reason, successful cotton growing, with
a production that viii keep up with
the country's supply Of this material,
demands that the farmer be provided
Eith some fertilizer that is both high
in per centage of nitrogen and that it
be supplied at a price That win enable
him 10 make a liberal use Of il,
With the exhaustion Of plant food
that Is used by the cotton crop, the
production per acre is reduced 1t re-
qujres Sour acres now, with four times
the toll and expenditure, to produce
the amount of cotton produced on one
acre originally For this reason, the .
farmer, in order to reach certain pro-
duction, reduces the attention given to
each, permitting the boil weevil to
thrive and increase in numbers and
activity.
That the production Of each acre can
be greatly INCREASED, provided that
the farmer does have a supply of fer
tilizer at a price he can afford to pay,
is shown by the results of the state
test farms Of North Carolina, of which
Dr. B. W, Kilgore, the famous agricul-
tural expert, is the director. These
tests covered period of five years,
under all sorts of conditions, On land
that was not fortified, the average
crop was only 1865 pounds per acre,
But when 200 pounds of a heterogeneous
fertilizer was applied, the same Ground I !.
Welded 656.J pounds Of cotJo. al
profit Of s2 cr hnn3r7 0Wnrle
.,--.ou. An applicatio Of 400 pounds /
per acre brought about a pro iea
Of 912.9 pounds wi. profit o- aa
acre Of S2z.5J, l,vvv pounds produc-
ing 1,180.9 pounds of cotton with an
average profit of $3.50.
On account of the demands of the
cotton crop, the farmers in the seven /
cotton states are now using 60 per G
cent of the fertilizer sold in this coun- t
try They are paying a freight rate a
Of S. ton, an enormous profit to the G
nitrate field owners of Chile, an export t
tax and ocean freights. All of this v
will be remedied by the establishment e
Of government plant for obtaining il
nitrogen from the air. Because of the C
enormous initial investment required, S
and the fact that a great water power a
S necessary, it is recognized by the o
'armers union and the national grange e
hat the government is the proper a
builder Of such a plant if the price is
o be kept low. In resolutions pre- b
sented to congress recently, they ask c
ID that such a plant be located in the a
'egion where the greatest supply of +
'ertilizer is needed. a
Another requisite of a plant of this j
character is a large supply of phos- +
lhate rock close at hand, because the c
1est form for this fertilizer is ammon- c
um phosphate which combines two S
great plant foods and also contains 60 e
GER cent Of plant food as against II
Der cent in the ordinary fertilizer, c
nus reducing the bulk of material re- c
luired by the farmer, with a result q
mt reduction in hauling, and labor of t
applying. f
To operate the nitrogen plant It c
will be necessary to have an enormous !
mount Of cheap power, which is de- $
eloped best and most economically /
" water power. The only place in the I
outh at which this can be done, &C |
ording to government Investigations, I
S Mussel Shoals, on the Tennessee riv- +
r. where, according to board of ar
ny engineers, a minimum of 10000 I
orse power is available, which can be {
increased when necessary, to 100000 {
orse power for a large part of the I
ear. This site, fortunately, is located /
within 60 miles of the center of one {
At