What the harvest will be depends to a large extent upon oare given plants, the preparation and cultivation of the to bacco land. This Wayne County, North Carolina farm or prepares hia land for ootton with tractor and diac har row. What Fertilizers for Tobacco? Southeastern Research Committee Summarizes Official Recommendations By A. B. BRYAN HAT is the Wst fertilizer for flue * * cured tobacco and how much per acre should be used ? This important question is answered bj' the Southeastern 1 obacco Research Committee which has made recommendations for fhtc-cu red to bacco grown on typical bright tobacco soil in Virginia. North Carolina, South Carolina, and Geeorgia. For heavy or more productive soils ? Three per cent total nitrogen, 10 per cent axailable phosphoric acid, and six per cent potash. To be applied at rates of 700 to 800 pounds to the acre. For light or less productive soils? Three per cent total nitrogen, 8 per cent available phosphoric acid, and 6 per cent potash. To be applied 800 to 1,000 pound to acre. Where high topping is practiced and heavy yields are expected, potash con Btent may be profitably increased to 8 to 10 per cent. The above analyses may be modified, provided given ratios are maintained and recommended sources of plant food used. Plant Food Sources One-third of the nitrogen should be derived from high grade organic mate rials of plant or animal origin; one-third from materials supplying nitrogen in the nitrate form; and one-third from urea and/or standard inorganic sources of ni trogen. Phosphoric acid should be derived from superphosphate, double superphos phate, and/or dicalcium phosphate. Potash shoud be derived from any source of available potash, provided the chlorine content of the mixed fertilizers does not exceed 2 per cent. If tobacco by-products are used as a source, these must be sterilized to kill organisms which might be present that cause dis eases. It ir recommended that fertilizers carry 2 per cent magnesia. Chlorine Important Available experimental data shows that a small quantity of chlorine in the tobacco fertilizer increases the acre value of the crop. Excessive chlorine in fertil izers injures its growth and reduces quality. It is recommended that fertil izers be compounded in such proportions that fertilizer mixtures shall contain 2 per cent chlorine. Maturity is delayed and The color of the cured leaves has a tendency to be red when large quantities of sulfur are included in the fertilizer mixtures, so it is suggested that fertilizers be formu lated to contain a minimum quantity of sulfur. Tobacco fertilizers should carry in an available form a minimum of 6 per cent of calcium oxide ecquivalent. If non-acid fertilizers arc to be pro duced, the neutralizing agent should be dolomitic limestone. There are so. many variations in the soil types and soil fertility it is difficult to say definitely that one fertilizer or one analysis is better for any particular field or farm; however, there are certain general recommendations that can be followed with minor variations to suit certain local conditions. For instance, the committee of agron omists who are working with tobacco in the Hue-cured area, have made the fol lowing recommendations : For light or less productive soils ? 8? ?> to 1,000 lbs. per acre ? 3-8-6 mix ture. For heavy or more productive soils ? 700 to Koc) lbs. per acre ? 3-10-6 mix ture. The method of application is more important than many growers realize. It is essential that the fertilizer be well mixed with the soil. Helpful Hints to Cotton Growers Failure to Secure Stands of Cotton Blamed to Planting in or Over Fertilizer By DAVID R. COKER T> ASED on many years of experience . and observation I can state without qualification that very many failures to secure stands of cotton are due to plant - ing the seed in or immediately over the fertilizer. During certain seasons, gen erally those during which the spring rainfall is light, the seed are frequently killed or the young tap root damaged or destroyed by the strong fertilizer salts. Experiments at the Florence Ex periment Station^ indicate that the fer tilizer should be placed on both sides of the row of seed several inches away from the seed and several inches below the seed. Where the farmer does not have a dis tributor which will place his fertilizer in this way, he should run a plow in the furrow behind the fertilizer distributor and thoroughly mix the fertilizer with a mass of soil before it is covered by the bedding furrows. This is an extremely important matter. I have often seen seed Camera Cruising In Carolina Above, 30 Green Hands initiated into the West Edgecombe, N. C., Chapter, Fu ture Farmers of Am erica. Right, officers of the Ferguson Ju venile Grange, Wil kes County, N. C? and their matron, Mrs. T. V. Ferguson. Layton Plait, win ner of the ninth an nual co-operative es say contest conduct ed by the FCJ and North Carolina Cot ton Ass'n. Right, these members of the Contnentea chapter, Young Tar Heel Farmers netted $27, 620.88 on their farm ing efforts last year. T. W. Ferguson and some of hit registered Hereford cattle on his River Plains Farms, Wilkee County, N. C. F. G- Mann, Raleigh, general man ager, N. C. Cotton Growers oo-op represents the south on the board of the National Co-operative Coun cil. stands destroyed or damaged by the fer tilizer being placed in a strip or roll im mediately below the seed. Another item to which farmers should give very particular attention is the vi tality of the seed planted. Th: fanner should know the approximate percentage of germination of the seed he is plant ing and should put an amount.sufficient to give him a normal number of vital seed per acre. No way has been discov ered of separating full size rotten seed of normal weight from vital seed. How ever, if seed only germinate 50 to 60 per cent and are of a good variety and were grown under good conditions I should prefet to plant them using a bushel and a half to two bushels per acre, than to use a bushel of high-ger minating seed of doubtful purity. The main thing is to use a variety of good breeding, high productiveness, and premium staple and plant enough seed, germination considered, to give you a stand, regulating the placement or dis tribution of the fertilizer so that normal germination will neither be prevented nor destroyed. AMPLE SEED NEEDED FOR HIGH COTTON YIELD Lack of stand causes a greater loss in yield per acre than any other factor in cotton production. This impressive fact is brought out in a study of the re sults of the five-acre cotton contests con ducted for several years in South Caro lina and other Southern states. Experi mental results bear out the conclusion. On the basis of contest and research records the following suggestions seem worth consideration by cotton farmers: 1. High average yields cannot be made unless there is a regular stand of plants spaced comparatively close in the drill in close or narrow rows. Only on exceptionally fertile land should rows be more than 42 inches wide; on most cot ton lands 36 inches should be the maxi mum width of row. 2. ITie seedbed should be thoroughly pulverized and well settled before cotton is planted, for retention of moisture