Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1917-02-16


tiors Of the most essential nature in the
development and rapid maturity OF the
cotton crop. Hence. it's application
should be encoura ged aud emphasized d.
strongly as possible under boil weeNil
conditions To supply 4S pounds of avail
able nitrogen and 10 pounds of avail
able phosDhoric acid would call for an
application of at least $40 pounds Of
choice cotton seed meal or some other
material which would supply the same
amount of nitrogen, and between 2OU
to 800 pounds OF acid phosphate. AS
many of the soils devoted to cotton are
much lower in nitrogen and phosphoric
acie than the one selected on which TO
base these figures, it appears that in
many instances the use of as much as
500 to 500 pounds of acid phosphate must
be considered good practice.
That the foregoing suggestions are
worthy of careful consideration on The
part of the farmer is borne out by
study of the effect of fertilizers on corn
and cotton as illustrated by the date
presented in bullentin No. lOS, OF the
!. Georgia Experiment station and bulle-
tin No. Us of the Indiana Experiment
station The gratis on which the figures
presented below are based were pre-
pared by a graduate student of the
Georgia State College of Agriculture
The cotton plant takes about 2l2 days
to mature and on the basis of one bale
per acre, 65.2 pounds of nitrogen, 10
pounds of phosphoric acid and 80 pounds
of potash were required to produce the
crop in question. In the case OF corn,
734 pounds of nitrogen, 27.9 pounds
of phosphoric acid and 70.1 pounds OF
potash were required, all of this food
having to be elaborated in a period of
&c show
that corn is a gross feeder and must
of necessity be literally fortified al
though cotton takes up and responds
more quickly to applications of COM
mercial plant food than corn. These
figures refer to yield of fifty bushels
per acre.
In this connection a word as to the
rate at which the food was elaborated
will prove of unusual interest as indi-
eating when and how the various fer
tilizing elements should be applied to
cotton For instance, thiTty-seven days
after planting or upon the appearance
of the first form. 21.6 per cent, or near
ly one-fourth of the nitrogen, 1856 per
cent of the phosphoric acid and 35.5
per cent of the potash had been assimi-
lated. AT the end of siXty-tiVe days or
when the first bloom appeared, 90 per
cent or over one-half of the nitrogen,
1858 per cent of the phosphoric acid
and 62.9 per cent of potash had been
assimilated. At the end Of 12se days
when the first boil was opened, 63.1 per
cent of the nitrogen, 95.5 per cent of
the phosphoric acid and rs per cent of
the potash had been assimilated. At the
end of 212 days or at maturity, the
figures in each instance naturally APP
proximated 100 per cent.
These figures make it appear that the
cotton plant needs to be very Literally
applied with the three essential ele-
ments mentioned; hence any carrier or
potash, such as cotton seed meal, be-
comes especially valuable under exist
ing conditions as source of potash.
1t is clear from the data presented
that phosphoric acid is more rapidly
assimilated and utilized than any of
the other elements, hence it should be
nut in the ground in the most quickly
available form before the crop is plant
ed, and whatever of this element is 10
be used should apparently be put under
the crop rather than applied as side
application about two months after
planting as is now often done. 1t is
also evident that over half of the nitro
gent is taken up i'm the first sixty-ttVe
days, and that the greater part OF TINS
element should be used under the drill
row. though it is possible that side
application of a quickly available car
rier of this element may prove an ad-
vantage. especially under certain sea-
sonal conditions. as. for instance, dur
ing a drought period when good deal
of shedding is likely to occur on the
other hand. it would appear that most
of the nitrogen can best 'be put under
the drill row along with acid phos-
phate and potash when the latter is
available at prices which the farmer
can afford to pay. AS the nitrogen IS
to be incorporated with the soil, prefer
ence might properly be given to organic
forms. though some of the quickly avail
able inorganic forms can no doubt be
used 10 advantage.