The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1932-01-21
NEW POINTS IN
FARMING BROT
OUT IN SCHOOL
fContinued from page ID

L
remove a part of the top growth
during the season. There is in
creasing evidence from year to
wear that when our soils begin to
get beyond the ten or twelve per-
iod of cultivation that phosphates
are needed. Generally speaking we
would say that a hundred pounds
Of phosphoric acid per acre per
wear for one or two years m y
overcome the need for this for then
possibly two or three year period.
For the truck crop where no other
method of fertilization is followed
| it would seem that as high at
least as 12O pounds of nitrogen per
acre, it would be equivalent to ap-
proximately 600 pounds of am
monium sulphate per acre, should
be about the normal application.
However, we want to state at this
time that good farm management
should include the use of legunl-
nous cover crops in definite
rotation and this may vary mater
tally cut down the amount of nit
rogen needed to be applied in a
commercial form.
AS to time of application Of fer
tilizers it would seem that fall
application of two-thirds of the
nitrogen and all the phosphate and
potash, if applied, with the addi-
| ton of the other third of nitrogen
about the first of March so that
| it will be available at blooming
time should be the best practice.
Fol- cherries the application of
some nitrogen at about the time
the cherrys begin to color should
| be advantageous. For strawber-
ries it would seem, from study
made in the east, that the heavy
application of fertility should be
made rather late in the growing
season, possibly at the time that
the strawberry patch is worked
over following harvest with pos
sibly little additional nitrogen
as late as the first of August. 1t
may be that additional nitrogen
will be needed in the spring in some
instances. For asparagus, the tops
| are worked back into the soil. As
paragus will probably require up
to $50 pounds of nitrogen per acre
for good stands. One can calculate
that each ton of manure applied
contains ten pounds of nitrogen.
OF the 100 pounds probably one
half should be applied in the fall
and the balance applied following
the harvest season the next year.
Under some conditions it may be
we'll to apply nitrogen to the field
during the cutting season. Potatoes
will probably require about the
same fertilization as strawberries,
although the application of course
should be made in the spring be-
fore planting. There may be a
possibility that under certain con-
ditions nitrogen applied during
the growing season might be of
real benefit.
The irrigation studies discussed
I by DR.. Larson and the fruit and
tree responses by l. L. Claypoll,
both of the Irrigation Station at
Prosser, tended to show rather
strongly that about 40 acre inches
Of water, whether applied at ID
or 80 day intervals and IL or "a
lhour runs gave the best results as
far as fruit and tree growth was
concerned. DR.. Larson brought out
particularly that our soil should
be looked upon as reservoir to
it's full capacity with each irriga-
ton. The nature of the soil will
determine the space between the
bitches, the length of runs and the
hours Of run and the frequency
with which it will need to be fill
ed. AS Doctor Larson pointed out,
there should never be any filling
Of this reservoir to the point that
lit will overflow. Studies along
both lines will be continued and
additional information may be
available another year.
The perennial root stock weed
/ is q real menace to the agriculture
of this county. We now have one
area in the county of approx
mately 200 acres, that as far as
! it's use for general farming pur-
poses is concerned, might as well
be written off the slate. AS far as
1--we can see, the only program that
can be carried out in the area will
be a pasturage program and this
probably to sheep. There are some
| sixteen of these perennial 70
| stock weeds now in the county and
the important matter for consider
alton from the standpoint OF the
farmer is to learn to know these
!. weeds and then take immediate
i steps to at least prevent their be-
ing spread and as soon as finan-
, cial conditions will warrant, treat
the weed area so as to eliminate
49,