Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1919-02-11
AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION
BY DR.. ANDREW M SOULE

available hitherto. can see no
reason therefore why the nitrogen
situation should not be solved sat-
isfactorily and to the advantage of
the landowner and the crop concern
ed as well. One may use any or
all of these materials singly or in
combination to excellent advantage.
Cnttonseed meal, of cou1 Sc, is the
standard or basal material used for
most of our fertilizers here in the
proved by adding nitrate of soda
or sulphate or ammonia o. blood, or
tankage thereto. Or the nitrate OF
soda may be used chiefly as a top
dresser, particularly on cereals, and
the sulphate of ammonia and other
heterogeneous carriers combined3 with
the cottonseed meal. We are fortun-
ate. therefore, in our evident ability
to obtain as great a variety and as
plentiful a supply Sof nitrogen car
this connection let us remember that
nitrogen is after all a limiting fac
tor in our crop production, that our
soils are very low in this element,
and that we need to apply from 20
to 80 pounds of available pitrogen
to every acre of land we cultivate.
This statement is based on the theory
that each acre will yield about as
much again if so fortified. If we
expect to produce crops ABOVE a fair
average we IluSI IcIJIIlAS tiIOIO H.
erfa1ly than 1 have suggested, using
twice as much nitrogen as has peen
indicated. This becomes absolutely
necessary where one wishes to raise
as much say as rs bushels OF corn
per acre and the same applies to
formula used should contain mini
mum of 8 per cent nitrogen and in
many instances as high as per
cent, My thought. would be to aad do
vocate an application of 40G to 500
pounds of fertilizer for most crops.
Truck crops, of course, should have
500 to 1000 pounds.
AS to supplemental fertilizers, by
al lmeans let US emphasize the ap-
plication of acid phosphate or any
the same amount of available phos-
phoric acid purchasable at the same
relative cost. At this time we can
not consistently recommend the use
of the soft phosphates or the finely
ground rock phosphates. In spite of
the phosphoric acid they contain
does not become quickly available
enough to meet the requirements OF
the average crop grown in the SOUTH
western states.
AS to the amount of acid phos-
phate to use, that will vary. From
S per cent to - per cent is about
the right amount to apply. This
would add TO the land from 40. to so
pounds of phosphoric acid. This
brings us then finally to the Ques-
ton of potash, about which there is
much argument and dispute at pres
ent. No doubt much of our land viii
respond to the use of moderate APP
plications of potash. Even for our
and cotton, on upland soils 3 per
cent may be a fair amount to apply.
Under truck crops and on sandy soils
the percentage may sometimes rise
to 6 or 7. From all the information
the present time the price of pot
ash materials is exceedingly high, SO
high in fact as to make the use OF
this material practically prohibl-
duced under extraordinary condi-
tons. There is no reason to q, be-
Iieve that potash will be abundant
or available at relatively low tlg-
uge during the present fertilizer
sale season. Where one can buy
a few instances up to LOG a pound
FOR available plant food, it may be
all right to use it. We doubt, how
ever, if under ordinary farm crops
chan 81 worth of potash, and at the
most So worth. This would repre-
sent in extreme cases the use or
about 20 pounds of this material at
the highest price indicated. In TINS
connection it is well to remember
that cottonseed meal and velvet bean
meal contain a fair amount of this
element Therefore, if either one or
both of these be. used in the hferti-
iizer mixture q, few pounds OF pot
ash may be added to each acre OF
and to be cultivated.
As to lime, it is chiefly y valuable
er in the sense of the materials
named above; It should be put on
rule to leguminous crops and used
at the rate of 1000 to 1000 pounds
per acre. Apply as a top dressing
to soil which has been prepared
already for planting and harrow in.
Put it on a few days in advance
of other fertilizers. When you in
tend to SOW alfalfa use as high as
to tons of lime; For peanuts
swer very we'll, and the other leg
umes which. we ordinarily cultivate
on a field basis will. respond quite
as well as peanuts to the use of the
same quantities.