News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1917-03-21
USING FERTILIZERS
ON THE GRASS CROP

! times include lime. Fertilizer may be
applied directly to the grass crop, or
to other crops in the rotation. The ef-
feet differs only in degree.
Feeding the Previous. Crop.
Wherever a short rotation is fol
loved, that is, grass once in every
three or four years, farmers have
found it profitable to fertilize grass
through the medium of the proceed" 4
crop. In Virginia, some growers pat
an extra amount of fertilizer on the
tobacco crop, turn 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 short rotation, that
the cheapest way to get 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
ton, on some of it's rotation plots,
the wheat crop. The wheat crop is
heavily fortified, the grass crop is
not. Over long period of years the
hay crop following the fortified
wheat had yielded nearly ton high
er than the hay crop following infer
tilted 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
nearly 20 years work this station
has found an increase of 1850 pounds
of clover and 760 pounds of timothy
(second year hay) when sown in fer
tilted wheat as compared with the
same seed mixture when sOwn in I'M
fortified wheat.
The Virginia experiment station
found in one case that 1000 pounds of
complete fertilizer per acre applied to
tobacco, increased the succeeding hay
crop by more than two tons per acre,
and the year following gave still fur
Their increase of II bushels in the
corn crop.
Profitable Hay.
One of the best ways of getting a
large hay crop is to use a liberal
amount of plantfood on the money
crops, or the grain crops, in the rota-
ton. This plantfood may be either
manure or fertilizers-but should usu-
ally include both.
Fall Seeding Without Nurse Crop.
Where grass follows grass, or where
/ grain crop is not included in the ro-
alton, fertilizer must be applied at
he time of seeding down. Use 200 to
100 pounds per acre of q fertilizer
two to three per cent ammo
Tia, eight to ten per cent phosphoric
lcid, and when possible four to five
)er cent potash. Clay soils require
ess potash than loans; sandy and
LAY soils more nitrogen. This formu-
a furnishes nitrogen enough to start
he crop, but leaves no surplus to be
ost by teaching. 1t gets the mineral |
and phosphoric acid |
so distributed through the soils as |
o be of the greatest value, yet it is |
lot so costly as to be prohibitive. |
larger quantities must be used, how
'Ver, when it is expected to keen the |
ield in grass for a number of years.
How and When to Top-Dress.
Just as the grass is turning green in |
he spring, apply a fertilizer analyzing
rom six to eight per cent available nj
rogen and three to five per cent phos-
Dhoric acid and as much potash as can
Re economically purchased. On muck
oils more potash is necessary, and
N sandy soils more phosphoric acid.
Amounts Profitable to Apply.
This fertilizer gives the grass a
God start, makes it grow rapidly dur
ng the season when there is plenty
f water available, and gives a worth
rhile increase in the crop. If hay
J usually worth SO to SO a ton in
he barn, 200 pounds of the above fer
ilizer may be used. If it is worth
10 in the barn, 300 pounds gives a
igher acre profit. Finally, if the
lrmer is so located that his hay is
yorth SIS or over, he can well afford
D use 400 to 500 pounds of this fer
lizer, and make the hay crop the
lost profitable crop on his farm. 1t
ill then give more dollars for less
lbOr than any other crop which he
an produce.
Permanent Mowines.
When land is cropped permanently
, grass, yields are usually lower than
rotation mowings. The field becomes
Dotbound and fertility sometimes be-
Dmes so low that the crop is often not
Orth the cutting. Weeds displace the
rasses, and the quality of the crop
ecomes so poor that it ranks as
stock hay"-not because it is espe-
ally good. for feeding to stock. but