Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1917-11-27

your cotton and as soon as 1t comes up
out OF the ground. pick the weevils or
The weevils damage the leaves very
early in the season. Picking and de-
stroying weevils at this time of the year
means the destruction of the progeni-
tors OF weevils which would total mill
lions later on in the season. Keep on
picking and cultivating carefully. Take
off the damaged or injured squares as
soon as they appear. Persist in this
treatment until the middle of July or
the first OF August
Under the conditions indicated you
should be able to make very fair crop
Of cotton. Remember that the skill ana
management with which you handle your
cotton will determine the amount OF
weevil damage.
THE FERTILIZING VALUE OF
VELVET BEANS.
p. u. r., Colquitt, Ca. writes: is 1t
good practice to use velvet bean meal n,,.,,n as
the same under the crop when II is plant
ed. or should it be put down before the
everv year and am anxious to know how
10 them as fertilizer Instead OF buying
There is only one objection to using
velvet bean meal as a fertilizer, in that
II is a good food for practically all
classes of animals which may be fed
under Georgia conditions. 1t is mat
ter of great regret, however. that 1t
should be applied directly to the soil
without it's animal producing food val
ue having first been obtained. II is
economically wrong that we should put
Into the soil a valuable animal food. L
am sure you see the force OF this ar
gument. This is particularly true at
the present time when all sorts OF
food stuffs for both animal and human
consumption are exceedingly high prlc-
ed. relatively scarce and in very great
demand We should use every pound
of velvet beans available for the pro-
duction of some sort of animal food
or for human food. We can use the
beans for animal food and still OBTAIN
anywhere from IS to 50 per cent of the
fertilizing value in the form of yard
manure. which when applied TO our
soils at the rate of to tons per
acre makes a very effective and deslr-
! able fertilizer.
ON the other hand, the man who is
determined 20 use velvet beans as
I source of fertilizer direct will not make
/ a mistake in mixing 1000 pounds eacn
| of velvet bean meal and acid phosphate
/ together. This will not make nearly as
| hiSherade q mixture as where cotton
/ seed meal and acid phosphate are USED
/ but still IL will answer very we'll pro-
! vided a sufficient application per acre
/ is made Velvet bean meal is. OF course
an organic food, hence the nitrogen IL
| contains does not become as quickly
| available in the soil as that derived
| from suphate of ammonia or nitrate OF
/ soda Nevertheless, it will become
! available with a fair degree OF rapidlty
| because all organic substances VIII uh-
/ dergo fermentation quite readily IN the
| soil. The chances are that the plah1
! food material contained in velvet oean
meal will become availablee TO TN crop
as soon as needed. 1t may of course
| be used very early in the growing
! season as a top dressing but in that
! event a should be incorporated with the
| soil by being scattered ahead OF the
cultivator. .,..,-
| we think A mixture such as you pro-
nose to make should be used at the rate
of at least 500 pounds per acre
! Rdnginx Texas Csttls to Georgia to
A X NJ Lyons, TIA. writes: some
! farmers OF this county who have iarge
surplus Of beans and rongnsge are oe EnncSs
! OF getting In touch with the Texas rahcn-
! men I'm the ckinfested section VINO nave
/ cattle for sale suitable for fatenlng anu
heifer breeding stock we would IKE T 70
! be put intouch with the best place III leA5s
! TO 90 TO buy these cattle. -,
II is gratifying to learn that the
farmers in your section of the state
are interested in securing western cat
tie to be finished on the surplus rough
age and velvet beans which nave peer
nroduced in your section of Georgia
This should prove to be a wise and de-
sirable undertaking on your part and
nrodtabIe as we'll If you buy the right
cattle. There isa severe drought II
the southwestern country which l>
| forcing tine cattle 10 be sent oHt 81
that section to save them. They car
he purchased at reasonable price pu'
the cost of transportation is exceed
ingly heavy. On that account we have
thought it might be well in some IN
stances for our farmers to purchase
cattle near by and we have advised
them to do this on a number of occa
sions We have men associated with oui
work at the college who are giving
their time and aid free of cost in Sc
| curing cattle suitable for finishing of
on foods available in southeastern
lsGeorgia and who would be glad to aid
your farmers in a similar way.
Where sandy areas prevail, cattle
can be turned in the field to be grazet
and so gather a good part of the grair
and roughage they need, especially
where velvet beans have been grown n
! with corn This is very economic
means of fattening cattle in so far al
labor is concerned and that is an' item
of considerable importance at the pres
ent time. Cattle grazed on beans and
other roughage will make anywhere
from two to three pounds of gain pei
he'd per day and can be put in fairly
good condition for marketing. 1t may
of course be desirable to conf1ne then
to a dry lot and feed then almost ex
clusiYely on corn in order TO put &
higher finish on the cattle before send
ing them to slaughter, thereby improv
ing the quality. color and favor of thu
fat which excessive feeding on velve
beans seems to make very dark anC
somewhat unpalatablc.
We are glad to know OF the thrift
and enterprise characteriZing you
farmers and the desire of your peo
pie to aid in the mater of conserving
the food supply in these trying times.
Mixing Acid Phosphate With Compost
COMPOST.
l.. c., PendergraSs Ca. writes: Would
like to know II IL is advisable to acid
phosphate with compost. such straw,
leaves ana earth would make, and use
a fertilizer? Would &c pay to ground
lime with the compost?
There is probably no objection Il
your using acid phosphate in the name
indicated though 1t is generally con
| Sidared halter nractice tn use the erCS1in,