St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1919-01-25
LETTER., KARL
TREEN TO THE
FARMERS

Nitrate of soda, as offered for sale
by the government, until Monday, at
2 ID. M, is cheap plant food when
compared with other fertilizers and
it supplies a need of the crop that
other fertilizers can not meet near
SO well.
Let US compare nitrate Of soda and
cotton seed meal, the latter being
we'll known and good fertilizer, as to
plant food value and cost. Ordinary
fertilizing cotton seed meal contains
less than six pounds of nitrogen plant
food in a hundred pounds OF meal.
At $50 per ton, SO per one hundred
pounds. Nitrate of soda contains 10
pounds of soluble nitrogen plant food
in each hundred pounds, and costs
$50 per ton, or $3.50 per one hun
dred pounds The nitrate, it may be
seen from the above, contains IL
times as much plant food as the meal,
and costs only IL times as much.
Phe meal has 80 cents worth OF other
plant food in each hundred pounds.
Adding this to the value OF the SIX
pounds for nitrogen at 80 cents
pound, meal should be. worth $2.10
per hundred for fertilizer, while
nitrate of soda, with its 10 pounds
of nitrogen at 80 cents a pound is
worth $3.50 per hundred. Our SOILS
are most in need OF nitrogen plant
food. 1t would take $3.50 cost Of
cotton seed to be worth one ton Of
nitrate, which would cost $50. This
much meal would contain SD worth
of other plant food. The difference
of $45 in value of meal and nitrate
would be in favor of the nitrate.
By parenthesis, the writer does not
mean to recommend meal for fer
tilizer, except in rare cases like for
sugar cane, when above it was said
that it was a good fertilizer. Meal
should be fed to the COWS. If the
manure is carefully saved, it will
contain all but about one-fifth of the
original fertiliZing value of the meal.
and the COW will have derived a great
value from it as feed.
Nitrate of soda is quick acting.
1t should be applied only to grow
ing crops so that they Will take up
the soluble plant food before it is
leached out or washed away in a
heavy rain. 1t is to be applied as a
| top dressing when corn is waist high.
100 pounds to the acre, Sprlnkled on
| top of ground and narrowed in. 1t
| may be applied in two applications
| of IS pounds each, two weeks apart
to corn. 1t is good for oats or wheat,
applied about the first of April. 1t
need not be narrowed in, but as har-
! rowing through the oats will help
| them, it is a good practice, especially
| If there is a crust on the land. The
teeth of the borrow should slope
| Backward One hundred pounds per
| acre should be used. Nitrate is fine
for truck, peppers, melons, tomatoes
/ cabbage, etc. 1t should not be
| thrown on the leaves, however, as II
will burn, but on the ground and
worked into the soil sha.lowly, 1Oe
to 200 pounds per acre. The effect
on the crop may be seen in three
| days.
| \This fertilizer has been used il
| this community with fine results by
!! Mr.. J. H. Warner on cane, and Mr.
| Maurice Planche on truck, and Mr.
Bascle on corn 1t is hoped thai
| many will take advantage of this
| offer of the government. which mus
| be accepted before the 9th Of Janu
airy, at 2 p. NJ (neXt Monday, for a.
! least few hundred pounds as trial
| The committee named elsewhere II
this issue or the undersigned will bt
glad to give those interested more
information.
| KAPJ TRFEN