Newspapers / The Franklin Times (Louisburg, … / Jan. 10, 1936, edition 1 / Page 13
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Fertilization Program Outlined for Crops and Soils of North Carolina By C. B. WILLIAMS Head, l>epartment of Agronomy, N. C. Experiment station TO increase most economically the yield of crops 011 any farm, it is necessary to use the best cultural methods, plant only seeds of each crop which have been bred for high yield and quality for the soil and climate nrar tice a system of crop rotation in which some adapted legumes are grown for turn ing under and use on them the right kind and amounts of fer tilizers, applied at the right time and in the proper way. Although with many soils, magnesia C. B. Williams and other minor plant-food constituents are necessary to be added for the test growth and yield of crops, yet in the main, nitrogen, phosphoric acid and pot ash are the chief requirements to be sup plied by fertilizer and fertilizing mate rials. Of these constituents, nitrogen in many respects is the most important and most expensive. It, too, is the one which is most easily lost from the soil when added or when naturally present. Un guidrd nature seems always busy in di verse ways in liberating this constituent from its combinations in the soil without its first rendering maximum service to th? farmer in the production of his crops. Phosphoric Acid Needed In the case of phosphoric acid the aioeunt present in North Carolina soils is usually exceedingly small and in most cases is held in forms which crops cannot secure readily enough to meet the de mands throughout their growing periods. In many soils, the supply of total potash is large, but is held largely in such un bailable combinations that many crops gr6*vn on such soils cannot get anything like an adequate supply of this nutrient for theiKnormal development."' ; In manyNjther soils it is contained in exceedingly small amounts. This being the condition of tlje plant-food resources of North Carolina soils, it has been found that with average soils' Hi most cases with most crops it is necessary to add com plete fertilizers to them isarrying all three plant-foods in available\(orms in order to secure most satisfactory Returns. Not only is it necessary to add thfse, but if best returns are to be secured tnb^ should be of the best proportioning so that they will best meet the needs of each crop grown on each soil type or groups of soil types having similar fer tilizer requirements. Sources Important Ordinarily, the nitrogen contained in fertilizer mixtures for most crops, other than for tobacco, had best be derived about 20 to 25 per cent from standard organic materials like cottonseed meal, high grade tankage and fish scrap, and the remaining 80 to 75 per cent from standard inorganic materials such as ni trate of soda and sulphate of ammonia. The phosphate acid may be derived from superphosphate and the potash from such souroes as kainit, muriate of potash, manure salt, sulphate of potash and sul phate of potash-mignesia. Ordinarily, the cheapest sources ot potash will be mu riate and manure salt. In the case of tobacco, one-third of the 11itrog.il should be derived from high grade organic ma terials of plant or animal origin, one third from nitrate and 0111-third from urea and or standard inorganic sources. The potash in tobacco fertilizers may be derived from any source that is avail able, provided the chlorine content of the mixture so compounded does not exceed two per cent. It is also recommended that the fertilizer mixtures used for this crop shall carry two per cent of magne sia, one per cent ot which should be water soluble. If tobacco byproducts are used as a source of potash, these should be thoroughly sterilized. Where heavy to moderate heavy ap plications ot manure have been made or where large. crops of legumes are grown on the land and plowed in after growth immediately preceding the crop to bo fertilized, the percentages of nitrogen ii; the mixtures given below may be reduced from 25 to 50 per cent or more. This statement does not apply to tobacco which should never follow after a heavy growth of some legume either cut and removed for hay or turned under ton soil improvement. As a result of much experimental work on different soils with different crops, the Agronomy Department of the N. C. Experiment Station would make the following fertilizer recommendations per acre at planting time for different crops grown On soils in average condi tions used for the production of differ ent crops in the main regions of tnc state: Cotton Corn .Sweet potatoes (late) Irish potatoes (early) Irish potatoes _ (late) Legumes Tobacco (Bright) Tobacco ( Burley) Small grains Grasses For Coastal Plain Soils 400 to 500 lbs. 4-8-4 300 lbs. 4-8-4 600 to 800 lbs. 3-8-8 1500 to 2000 lbs. 5-7-5 2<x> to 400 lbs. 2-8-4 8<? to 1000 lbs. 3-8-6 300 to 400 lbs. 4-8-4 300 to 400 lbs. 4-8-4 Piedmont Soils 400 to^oo lbs. ? 300 lbs. 4-1W 600 to 8<*) lbs. 3-8-8 200 to 300 lbs. 2-10-4 700 to 800 lbs. 3-10-6 ? 300 lbs. 4-10-4 300 to 400 lbs. 4-10-4 For Mountain Soils 300 lbs.- 4-10-4 600 to 800 lbs. 800 to 1000 lbs. 2-106 or 2- 1 2-6 300 lbs. 4-10-4 3c*) to 400 lbs. 4-10-4 Record Book Available keeping records is not a great deal of trouble, said R. E. L. Greene, assist ant in farm management research for the North Carolina Agricultural Experiment Station, and they are well worth the time -spent. Greene suggested that farmers wlio arc not keeping records should plan now to start theni early in January. State College has designed a t'ecoid book for the North Carolina farmer. A free copy may be obtained by writing to the department of agricultural econo mics, State College, Raleigh. Thinning for Profit and Protection ICTURES above and below show a wooded area near Spartanburg, S. C-, before and afteT thinning. James M. Gray, director of Land Utilization of the Rural Re-settlement Administration, advises that in thinning, the follow ing trees be cut: Trees which are well suited for firewood and the removal of which will lead to an improvement of the remaining trees in the stand. Trees which have been overtopped by others and have had their growth stunted. Diseased trees, or trees seriously injured by insect attacks or trees extremely liable to such injury. Badly fire-scarred trees. Trees of the less valuable species, such as beech, birch, black oak, black-jack oak. or black gum, crowding the more valuable sugar maple, white or shortleaf pines, yellow poplar, or white oak. Crooked trees and large-crowned, short-boled trees that will not make good lumber and that are crowding or over-topping others. Slow-growing trees crowding fast-growing species of equal value. Sound dead trees, both standing and down. Mature trees that have reached their full growth. Drain on Farm Wealth Serious Problem (Continued from l'affe 2) or stop producing such crops. It will be necessary not only to stop erosion but to rebuild worn out soils that are to be occupied. "Soil building, development of real pastures, improvement and increase in numbers of livestock, use of cheap struc tures such as trench silos, brick brooder houses, potato curing houses, etc., will become far more common than under the single crop system of the past. Fur thermore, many of the things which used "to be done on the farm, but which the industrial revolution caused to be ab sorbedsby factories, will need to return to the finns. "The tarHR-r's wife will resume some of the activiOss of our grandmothers who made their o*^n soaps, certain types of clothing, hats, ami many of the dec orative and useffil articles for the home. There must be an enormOHs increase *n the growing, processing, and (veneration of the farm food supply." n. Measures to Consider As a suggestion of a few important measures that need consideration in con nection with handicaps which beset tann ers in one section or another, Director Wat kins names these for study: 1. Better education for farm life. 2. Limit the amount of farm land which may be owned by one person. 3. Apply a higher tax rate to lands of absentee land owners. 4. Work out a new system for the inheritance of farm lands which would prevent such transfer of wealth to the cities and make possible the acquisition of farm lands by those who remain on them. 5. Take off property taxes on acreage used for production of food stuffs_ for family use. * t 6. Stimulate rural handicraft educa tion and development. 7. Revise railroad rate structures to favor rural locations for industrial de velopment, thus stimulating decentrali .-.Ition of industry. 8. Build more hard surface roods into farm areas leading to markets. 9." Prevent land speculation in rural areas. 10. Bring back to the country some of the wealth of cities by paving parents who rear larj;r families as is now being done in some European countries. 11. Let the government assist in de centralization industries so as to scatter local markets throughout the country as well as to provide part-time employment for farm people in such industries.
The Franklin Times (Louisburg, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
Jan. 10, 1936, edition 1
13
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