Smyrna times., 1917-04-11
USING FERTILIZERS
! ON THE GRASS CROP

FERTILIZERS -, 49,. -
Eoon food constituents
of ammonia, phOs-
phoric acid and potash. Fertilizer may
be applied directly to the grass crop,
pr to other crops in the rotation. The
effect differs only in degree.
Feeding the Previous Crop.
! Wherever a short rotation is fol-
lowed, that is. grass once in every
three or four years, farmers have
found 1t profitable to fertilize grass
through the medium of the preceding
crop. In Virginia, some growers put
an extra amount of fertilizer on the
tobacco crop, turn a profit from this
through increased yields, and a still
further profit from the larger grass
crop which follows. Potato farmers
In AroostoOk county, Maine, carry out
the same idea, using from 1900 to
1000 pounds of fertilizer on potatoes,
and but little on the oats and grass
crops. Likewise the dairy farmers
in Massachusetts and Connecticut
have found, in a short rotation, that
the cheapest way to get a good grass
crop is to fertilize heavily the crops
Immediately preceding. Experiment
station results show that these expe-
riences Of practical farmers are sup
ported by the results of scientific
tests.
The Pennsylvania experiment sta
tion, on some of its rotation plots,
Beeds down the grass and clover with
the wheat crop. The wheat crop is
heavily fertillzed, the grass crop is
not. Over a long period of years the
hay crop following the fertilized
wheat had yielded nearly a ton high
er than the hay crop following infer
tilized wheat
The Ohio experiment station Is fol-
lowing a five-year rOtation-corn, oats,
wheat, grass and clover. The corn,
oats and wheat are fertiliZed; the
grass crop is not. AS a result OF
| nearly 20 years work this station
has found an increase of 1,250 pounds
of clover and 760 pounds of timothy
! ksecOnd year hay) when sOwn In fer
tilized wheat as compared with the
| same seed mixture when sown in un
fertilized wheat.
| The Virginia experiment station
found in one case that 1000 pounds o.
complete fertilizer per acre applied II
tobacco, increased the succeeding ha!
crop by more than two tons per acre
and the year following gave a still fur
ther increase Of II bushels in tn
corn crop.
Profitable Hay.
One of the best ways of getting
barge hay crop is to use a liberia
crops, or the grain crops, in the rota
tiOn. This plantfood may be eithe
manure or fertilizers-but should usU
ally include both.
/ Fall Seeding Without Nurse Crop.
Where grass follows grass, or wher
a grain crop is not included in the II
Itation, fertilizer must be applied 6
the time of seeding down. Use 200 I
300 pounds per acre of a fertilize
analyzing two to three per cent ANN,
nia, eight to ten per cent phosphor
acid, and when possible four to flV
per cent potash. Clay soils requil
less potash than loans; sandy an
clay soils more nitrogen. This form,
la furnishes nitrogen enough to sta
the crop, but leaves no surplus to |
lost by teaching. 1t gets the miner
Ielements-potash and phosphoric ac
so distributed through the soils
to be Of the greatest value, yet it
mot so costly as to be prohibitiv
Larger quantities must be used, no,
ever, when II Is expected to keep Il
field In grass for a number Of yeaI
How and When to Top-Dress.
Just as the grass is turning green
the spring, apply fertilizer analyzil
from SIX to eight per cent available !
trogen and three to FIVE per cent phC
| psioric acid and as much potash as Ct