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

ueo thereto. part OF the unavailable
phosphoric acid in the crushed rock
seems to be changed into a soluable
form which plants can assimilate. Of
course one could use acid phosphate in
a compost with perfect safety It
should not be scattered under the feet
of animals, however, for fear ii might
injure them on account of the acid 1t
contains.
Ground lime should not be used in
compost heap to which acid phosphate
has been applied. Lime, of course, If of
a caustic character will tend to burn
up vegetable matter and set free the
nitrogen. We advise as rule that lime
be scattered over the ground and har-
rowed in after it has been plowed and
made ready for planting. Ground raw
rock, is not active or biting like the
caustic lime. 1t is good practice 10
apply crushed lime rock in the raw
or finely ground form at the rate Of
about one ton per acre.
Little Food Value In Cotton STALKS.
A. ]. E., Fort Valley, Ga. writes: / am
figuring oil grinding up some cotton stalks
10 feed to my steers. Please advise II they
! would have any food value and II you
think they would be good feed when mixed
| with velvet bean meal and cotton seed
meal.
I do not know of an experiment which
| has ever been made to determine the
! digestibility of cotton stalks. 1 would
| consider this material very unsatisfac-
| tory as a food for live stock, however,
because of their tough character and
the large amount of fiber they contain.
I do not believe you could utilize them
! as a source of feed for cattle with any
advantage. | think there are so many
other materials which will furnish
roughage of a more desirable and easily
| digested and assmilated character that
il would be infinitely better to use them
rather than cotton stalks. You under
stand, Of course, that while it may be
possible to grind UP cotton stalks and
even cattle to consume them, If they did
| not benefit the cattle you would be sim
! ply working the digestive organs of
| your animals to poor advantage and ulti-
mately losing rather than gaining
through the utilization of a ration con-
| tanning such materials. If you have an
abundance of silage or shredded corn
slower, mixed hay, peavine or velvet
bean hay or sorghum fodder, you can
certainly provide an excellent ration for
beef cattle through utilizing velvet bean
meal and cottonseed meal as the con-
| centrates to feed along with suitable
combination Of the above forms of
| roughage.
Factors to Consider in the Selection OF
Cotton.
1t is only by making intimate studies
! of the various characteristics of cot
ton with the aid of the chemist, the
| field demonstration plat, and a seed
map of the state that it will be pos
sible to standardize varieties in a salts
factory degree and secure that desira-
| BILE correlation of characteristics which
! will make these varieties of permanent
value to all the interests concerned.
Millions Of dollars are lost each year
| TO growers and manufacturers as well
by reason of failure to plant re-
| sistant varieties. 1t is, of course. only
a matter Of short time until all the
cotton growing area is infested by the
weeviI which means that early matur-
! ity becomes a matter Of fundamental
| Importance. Fortunately, number OF
standard varieties possess this quality
! and it can be emphasized through the
use of large quantities of acid phos-
| phate and a sufficient amount of nitro
gen to insure the rapid growth and de-
velopment and fruiting of the cotton
! plant. Thus, cultivation and fertilfza-
ton will play an important and deter
! mining part in the results obtained
| through seed selected for the purpose
of increasing the oil and nitrogen con-
| tent.
Today we stand at the threshold of
| knowledge so far as the latest possibil-
! tiles of \cotton improvement through
seed selection are concerned. We know
enough to realize that unlimited oppor-
tunities lie before us in the direction
indicated. and il is believed that it will
prove such an alluring field to the in
yestigator that results of vast economic
Importance to southern agriculture will
soon be obtained through the united CO.
operative effort of the farmer the oil
miller. the plant breeder, the chemist.
and the commemorative having in
charge the destinies of our agricultural
colleges and which through the appro-
priations accorded these institutions
are to determine the rate of progress
which we will make in this fundamental
work,