The Monroe journal., 1922-02-03
THE CORN GOT SICK AND
HAD TO BE DOCT0RED
Disease Threatened TO Put an End TO
Corn Culture, But Potash Brought
IL Around All Right

DN y. w. eht'
Durinr the war it was almos. im-
nossible TO get potash for fertilizers
ma the little amount that was avail /
Sble was so high in price as TO De
nrob;hit;ve for agricultural purposes. /
r. rot along fairly well for year
:, t,yo without potash and there be-
ran to be a general complaint oi SICK
I'm and diseased cotton. The dis-
go in corn looked serious for awnlie; 4
:, beran 10 appear that we would
have to quit growing corn \ tae os aus
aase became general over 'ne eu"
~ 81 disastrous was ITS eueels ~
nsauv folds in the county. Inc preo-
iem al growing corn suiheleht i.i
: me rsc became a serious one 10
-, farmers. On our own farm III
' pGiS eyary stalk of corn we HAD was
3.seasei. and looked at one time a.
Z. "a, v.,,ll rot make a nnohn' II,
,oto NJ, aDpEca stable manure TO All
: tbe corn PLANTED except one acre
u-br,e the manure was applied theLe
,.as ro sign Of disease, but on the
-, ,yb are no manure was used every
~, oi,. ,"os diseased. The 1919 crop
was on a different field from oao mi'S.
The 1918 crop was grown. i'Eo Me
nlanted the corn crop IN a neiu au
in;n;nr ] the field on which the l9lo
crnn was grown and as potash was
ovaiIabIe. but still hig in price, we
r,;~ed fertilizer carrying one per
nant M %notash and applied to the corn |
W. noticed only few sick stalks IN
We .;Se no cron In 1921 we planted |
NJ NJ 6aId to corn on which the l9iS
~, grow. and on which every staiS
iop s;ck We used three hundred
mounds per acre of fertilizer eatis
ing three per cent potash, mace Hns
cron of corn and did not nave a SIGN
stalk in the entire held. NJ
Ahout the 5th of July, last, MI. |
Iobn Holmes. of north Marshviile
townsbip, called US to his farm to see
son,e sick corn. We saw at once lnal
tba trouble was lack Of potash. We
secured some 20 per cent manure SAT-
from n Narshville dealer and had Nj
uolmes apply one hundred pounds
nor acre. This was rather heavy
application of potash, but the corn
and soy beans were desperately sNs
and getting well advanced IN age ano
If il was to make corn an aouiluan'
spnnlv of potash was needed imme-
d;atelv. Mr.. Holmes left three, rows
an which no potash was applied Ihat
he might determine results. When
ho harvested the corn he gathered the
Middle row of the three on which no
notash was applied, and one row o..
ZACH side of the three where potash
was applied, he husked and weighed
each row separately, calculated lne
increase in yield per acre due 70 pot
ash and found that the potash nae
increased the yield two and one-haif
times over where no potash was used
Mr. Holmes estimates that the IN
crease in forage in the corn crop was
more than enough to pay for the pot
ash. and further says that the IN
crease in the yield of the soybeans
was also considerable.
1t was interesting to note tne
change of color in the corn on TINS
field. The corn was yellow and SICK,
ly looking, edge of blades dying and
driving up, but in few days after ap-
plying the potash the corn began TO
turn green and take on healthy ap-
pearance, and in three or four weeks
after the application had been made,
although the weather was dry, no one
would have guessed that it had been
sick.
Mf. Holmes estimates that he lost
one hundred bushels of corn on the
six acre field by not getting the pot
ash there at planting time.
The type of soil on our own farm
is Georgevile and Alamance, that on
Mr.. Molmes' farm is Alamance.
We mention the above incidents be-
cause of the fact that we have be-
come accustomed to mixing fertilizers
without potash and have been getting
along fairly we'll without it, but since
we can get potash cheaper now we
believe it advisable to mix our fertll-
izers for corn to carry not less than
2 per cent potash. 1t is our purpose
to conduct some experiments along
this line this year to determine the
effects of potash on the yield Of corn.