The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1922-03-10
AGENT MILLS
TALKS ABOUT FERTILIZER
Tells How the Farmers of Newberry
County May Save Fifty Thousand
Dollars
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| DQrlnS INIS peiLOu VI LL@LSiai w
preston, when every one is planning
! how to make ends meet this year ir
their business operations, and espec'
tally the farmers, on account of the
unusual situation brought about by
the boil weevil, they are at loss to
know what to do. Being a farmer
and speaking from a farmers view
point, it seems to me that the farmer
should be just as economical as pos
sible in his crop production this year
Of course there are many ways in
which the farmer can save, or pro
duce cheaper crops, but in this arti-
Gle l wish to discuss only the fertlll-
zer problem and how we can save
money in its purchase and use.
First: Will it pay to fertilize the
cotton crop of 1922? I would unhes-
itatingly answer yes.
How much and what kind Of fertil-
izer will pay best? This question
can not be answered by one word.
There are so many different types of
soils in the county, ranging all the
way from the light sandy loam to the
stiff red clay, and differing in fertili-
ty all the way from the highly I'M
proved field to the almost barren and
quilted hillside, that no single formu-
la can be given that will suit all fields.
I would say, leave the quilted field
out of cultivation this year. 1t will
not pay to waste labor and fertilizer
on it.
On the light sandy loans of aver
age fertility, it should pay to use a
fertilizer analyzing SAP at the rates
Of three hundred to six hundred
pounds per acre, applied at or before
planting. The mas soon as the cot
ton has been chopped out the first
time, apply so to 100 pounds of nj
trate of soda as a top dresser. Do
not top dress late in the season. 1t
will retard maturity and the weevil
will get the benefit. If a legume crop
has been turned under, not so much
nitrogen will be needed. = ..a
On clay lands or clay loans, very
little or no potash will be needed. In
some instances potash has not increas-
ed the yields enough to pay for it.
self. On such lands a liberal appli-
cation Of d fertilizer analyzing $40
should give good results. If legumes
have been turned under, no top dress
er will 5c needed.
Shall we buy ready mixed goods OF
buy the materials and home mix
them? 1t is usually very poor policy
and often entails great waste in buy
ing ready mixed fertilizers. If the
farmer has studied his soil, he has al
ready learned that scarcely any TWO
fields OF the farm need exactly The
same fertilizer, and if bought ready
mixed oftent;mes a fertilizer is ap-
Piled to field that does not pay and
hence entails waste. Furthermore,
ready mixed fertilizers usually cost q
great deal more than the materials
contained in them. The farmer will,
in most cases, save from $500 to
$500 per ton by doing his own mix
ing. This practice will also afford him
the opportunity of preparing any spe-
cial formula to suit the needs of any
particular field or crop. estimate
that there will be $4,000 to 10000
acres planted to cotton in Newberry
county this year. | also estimate that
there will be used much more than
10000 tons of fertilizer in the coun-
ty. If the farmers wit home-n.iX th!s
fertilizer they will save at least S3.0C
per ton by so doing. Tbs one item
Will mean saving Of more than S5O,'
600 to the farmer of tle county.
! Is it worth while TO save this
amount?
Any farmer wishing information
! on home-mixing Of fertilizers OF
growing cotton under boil weevil con
ditions will please call on me at my
home or at the chamber Of commerce
| have bulletins on these subjects tina;
contain the best information to be
; had on them.
T. N. Mills,
County agent.