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Mol XXIX. No. 3a
SATURDAY; SEPTEMBER 5, 1914.
1 a Year; 5c"' a Cop j
LJj
0 Timely Fai Suggestions
V;- '.. : ;Oy TAIT OUTLER ., '.
early next spring soon after the oats possible, cover crops should be sowed
THE POTASH SITUATION
Ideas From the. Field
average season, Five -seasons -out . of
six. the seed rioened and droooed in '
ONEL mayuhder-if avorahle ; weather. May or early ' in June will germinate "PricesHow
conditions ; sometimes make, -.z and the. young plants be killed before . nomically
v; good crop otoats sown iatetn.ine JalL r - ,
fall or early 'In thes.pring,but such . . .k,-.; - - . . -I
leases are comparatively rare.; At the Oats receive no cultivation after they
; - - Alabama Experiment Station, as a are sowed, except that fall-sown oats
lresult of 17,year tests-the fall-sown- are harrowed in the -spring by a small
;:;oats - yielded .moreahantwice what portion of our growers. -For. this rea
? " . the spring-sown oats produced.:.. ; -- son, if for no other, the advice to pre-
;" . " '. " ' ; . v pare the land well before sowing the
I - v In the northern half of .the .Cotton , oats should appeal to cotton and corn
f v , Belt oats should;, be -: sown;:; during growers, who expend much effort cul
1 r September land in the S6uthernwhalf tivating those crops, after they are
r during October. Later sowings may planted. Because disking the land
I do well some years but early saw- -4ias m some cases, been proved a
ings usually da better. It the oats better method of preparing it for oats
than breaking it with a plow, is no
excuse for sowing oats without thor
ough 'preparation. It is probable that
disking is only better than plowing
and disking when the entire prepara
especially on all lands where there is;
now known to be a fair, supply al.
ready in the soil the clay lands gen.:
crally that they may be plowed unv v
;-:'' t " v der in the spring in the hope that ,
The European War if Long Contin- their decay will render available ad
tied Will Probably Result in a ditional quantities of the potash al
ShorUge of Potash and Higher ready in the soil. Third, as stated ,
to Use it More Eco- the manufacturers of mixed fertilize
Hy ' ers should and probably will reduce :
A 1 - . t ' . .
WHAT effect will the European e percentage ot potasn in tneir,
war-have on the supply of pot- "ady-mixed goods, in order to make
ash required by the Southern farmer ? the supplies now on hand go as far as;
This question is of special interest to . PosslDle-
the Southern farmer and more partic- The situation, while serious, is not
ularly to the farmers of the Southern nearly so bad as would be the case
States east of the Mississippi, where were our supplies of nitrogen and
potash is most largely used The phosphorus to be cut off and we may,
spring season is when'most fertilizers hope that by using the supply of pot v
are used and' the suoolies now on ash now on hand, with care and m
are to be used tor pasture it is im
perative that they be sowed early if
much pasturage is -expected. ' .1
, Those who sow oats with crimson
clover for'hay should use some Red tion of the land is'delayed until just
Kust-prooi variety insxeao 01 x uti or
grazing oats, because the Red Rust-
hand in this country are not likely to
be -large. Of course, some fertilizers
are used in the fall and the supply is
probably adequate for immediate
needs, but if the war continues until
after the first of the year there is al
rnpst certain to be a shortage for our
real needs.
Naturally all potash now in the
hands of the manufacturers of mixed
telligence, the conditions wilt not he
come really serious before the. wat'
closes and our importation of potash
from Germany can be resumed. Ill
this connection it would be well if
our Government would consider ser
iously the development of our own' -supplies
of potash in the West as well
as the providing of a merchant ma
rine to carry our commerce abroad .
proof oats mature earlier than the
; Turf and fit better the time at which
the crimson clover matures." Crimson
clover matures two or three weeks
earlier than Turf oats, and Red Rust
" proof - oats, while maturing a little
later, than crimson clover, are in fair
cen dition : for hay making when the
erimson clover is at the proper stage
for making the Vest hay. ;
, Now that there-are drills that will
sow three rows at one time there is
e, It . IS pOSSlble tO thoroughly pre- . a A A U K rt-vnt ti cnlvino. h tinrar n
uac 111 tiicn liiiAcu - guuus anu 11. 1a
pare the land with diskind smooth
ing harrows alone if it is in proper
condition was hroken' well;: earlier
in the season, is reasonably free from
coarse material on the surface, and
is well supplied with humus so that
it has not become hard and dead.
'. .'y 'A. .'. '
We are often told the oat crop in
the South is not profitable. Whether
it is ; profitable or not depends on
doubtful if any of these concerns will
sell potash until a further supply is
insured. . It is also likely that the ten
dency will he to reduce theercent
age of potash in all mixed fertilizers
which may be made from now on to
the end of the-war. In short, the sit-
be of value in solving the shortage of
potash.
Proportion of Oat Grains to Straw 1
PROF. Duggar in his 'Southern Field!
Crops" says that "In crops yieldinjj ,
IS to 30 bushels per acre, there is us
uation is such that potash is apt to ually about the same weight o
be short of the demand and conse
quently higher in price.
In view of these facts the farmers
-
straw as of threshed grain: aYthe
yield in creases '""-the" percentage) of
straw increases." In yields ranging
from 25 to 40 bushels per acre the
writer's observations lead him to be.
red cloven If only the oat crop is aold its use where not greatly need- ieve-that usually weighs;
A "iir Vi
is followed" the same season bv cow- 4 uc;oyu u suyum. tdiciuu, iuu.
J no-exuseiforfaiUngolSQWat5 or their needs for potash, in order to
grown, which occupies the land only
from: .September to May and leaves
it, idle from May to September, the
best " growing season, thecrop taken
In all "its "results is not a profitable
bne. But if we grow an oat crop
when . the " land would otherwise be
" idle, it is a profitable crop and should
-ed, or at. least, avoid the waste of it,
which we fear has often occurred in
the past.
If this shortage in the supply of
potash leads to the more intelligent
use of it -throughout the South this
evil of the war will not be an entirely
unmixed one for us, because we have
r
4 v..
r.
the open-furrow method in those sec
tions where ;atswmterkillrhere
are f e sections where oats : do not
winter-kill, more;ortless, and the win-
. ter-killing is increased by late sowing
and poor drainage. In the; open-fur-
. row method the vseed are deposited
at the' bottom of a- furrow or,; trench
and are. covered- over lightly The
rams and frost cause the sides of the more largely grown.
iurrow to wasxi iowji . arounu - xnc - -...
roots which prevents: the plants being if those who say they cannot afford
heaved out of the ground by freezing t0 gr0w oats, because of the difficulty
and thawing, while-the preparing the land
the furrow are protected to a con- for cowpeas or soy beans, which must
siderable extenW The open-furrow follow the oat crop the same season
- method prevents winter-killing, leaves, to make the land earn a ffair
the ground in good condition for a profit, will try lespedeza, or even red
spring, harrowing, . and larger yields clover, they may find they can get a
are produced. . . ; 1 legume crop after the oats without
. - . ' t; ;'""'V ?r-.. any additional cultivation of the land.
- The fall sowing of oats could be We are convinced that red clover
practiced much-farther north, where sowe(i with "the 'oats in the fall will
thev now freauentlv winter kilL if f
the ooen-furrow method of sow nff ,fu 11 Z u,r io, ally profitable for any class of crops.
were practiced... Winter'' killing; is and loim soils if they are rich enough th SoAutes erf St' Z
aiiu more HKeiY IO OCCUr on DOOriV rt o rrfif!hri rrnW nf rnm V!-c n.oi,o.-ev..v-..-j
drainedland and when the. oats are or cotton and'are treated to an appli-
sowed late- ri'.: - w k;.'jv : cation of crushed limestone. '
; - - -, .- ::T---. ' ' " -
Several instances have been report- How does, a . crop of oats followed
ed.to ns of crimson clover. reseeding fey legumes compare with the corn
: itself this year. .The- .explanation is - and cotton crops ?
. uupic, x ne scecr ripenea ana leu iq
U . l.',t..i'-'- L-'i.
Liir viiimifi in ivmv mu niuinff.Tn t n f . A .
dry season these seed, or a larce nart -434 M ispqf2a nay
,of them, failed to. germinate until Au- - TotaT........V..;..; $47.50
to one and one-half times thej
weight of the grain. Northern ex
periment stations have found the pro
portio"ns of straw and grain to vary
from four of straw to one of grain
down to one and two-tenths of straw,
to one of grain. Hunt in his "Cereal
in America" says: "In general, the;
probably used potash less wisely than more favorable the season, the morei
any other plant tood. In tact, we
have put potash in our mixed fertil
izers for use on land where tfie over
whelming evidence obtained by ex
periment station tests and soil analy
ses show we do not, or at least, should
not, need potash. In Mississippi, Ten
nessee, oarts of Alabama arid the
states west of these the evidence ob- 1 ?
tained from soil analyses and experi- Hp HE following gives the digestible1'
,ment station tests point strongly to 1 nutrients and plant foods in 10Q.
the conclusion that potash !s not pounds of oats and in corn and corn,
needed as a plant food for general stover, for comparison :
field crops, and possibly is not gener
fertile the soil, and the later the va:
riety or the later the seeding, the
greater is the proportion of straw tai
grain. -'riil
The kind and amount of fertilizers
and the variety also influence thes 4
proportions.
1 1 I II.
Pro- ar r- Nitro Phos. Pot-
tein ,at ?en Acid ash -
lbs! h W lbs. ns.
Oat-fiTsitt. 8.8 49.2 L3 IS .78 a48-,
Oat-hay 4.7 38.7 1.7 1.4 .67 Z64;
Oat-straw. 1.8 39.5 a8 0.6 .30 1.77
Corn...... 7.8 68.8 4.3 1.6 .71 a57.
Corn stover 1.8 40.5 0.8 0.8 .50 1-45
a heed for potash and that it pays to
use it more, or less liberally on prac
tically all cjops. But even in those
sections soil analyses show that many
of; the heavier or day loam, or ciay A cropyielding 30 bushels of grain A
soils have rather large suppTjes of.. and 1350 pounds of straw would re" -
40 bushels oata, at 50ju... ...........'.$20.00
22.50
move the following plant foods from
aS acre:
- A gust. 1 '.Generally the seed germinate iA
I ; v J June or early In July and over the J ton
ihels oats, at 50c. .$20.00
oat straw. 5.00
greater part of the Cotton Belt, at fiJhe, wbe"t -iiA
t-. it.!- 1 , . ' '1 tons soy bean strawy at $10 15.00
least, this is so early that the young .. . .
plants are killed r by the hot or dry Total ., $m
reather of July and August Those 30 busheis corn, at 7Ec.....;;.......r.$22.so
who have secured good -stands of, 1 tons corn stover, at
-; crimson clover this year from the 'Totaf;; .;.-; .;.$$J.oo
spring; crop- ot seed dropped on
"( the 'ground are - indeed ; fortun
ate, .for the price- of seed is high
t- .;.; u me supply so smaii xnai many
cannot getVhem at any price. ' But
the fact that the crimson ctover-has
800 pounds lint cotton, at 12c. ....... .$86.00
300 pounds cotton seed, at $20 a. ton... 6.00
Total
-J MtlMMtMM f t '
i..$.0J,
potash. But that these. supplies al
ready in the soil are not available in
many cases for feeding -the crops in
sufficient quantities is indicated by
the field tests and experience of, the
farmers. Potash; especially in the
form of kainit, has also proved of val
ue in lessening the effects of rust on
cotton ' in practically all sections
where it has been tested.
These seem to be. the facts of the
situation, and we must meet them in
the best way possible. In the first. Internatlenal Livestock 'Exposition' Cbico
place, no potash shonld be: used in go; 111., Nov. 28-Deci 6.
:'-. lu t.lV,mm ft rr?-- Farmers', National Congress, Ft. Worth
. uiiiv-i tkuitM.v.1 a mw , Texas, Oct uer 14-17,
. I Nitro- Phos. .
sren Add
fbs. lbs.. - lfes ;
80 bu. or 960 lbs. train.. 17.28 7:5 4.9 ,
1350 lbs, of stray .. 8.10 4.1 3.
Coming Farmers1 Meetings
' tory. as above outlined; where there; American Good Hoads Conrress, AtlaataVi
' j v. .'".t-;.j .c Ga., Oct. 19-26.
National Dairy Show, Chicago, 111., Oct
When fertilizers are used on oats ash or of its pfQhtable use even at tne r-;:r rSZ r' v... "
if h inliuui ui uiuncia abb u., a uumwuu
succesafultv reseeded itself this ex- annlv 20ft to 300 nounds of acid ohos- prices current , in past years
i ; ; tcpiionaycar snouia not. ieaa .anyr pnate in tne tan wncu inc. ua arc wwj wm uv mm. w witjr suvmu - 3,." "
r. w ne to expect sfmilar , results her in . sowed 'arid then top-dress withers ta at once be modified to meet the exist- oVgia-i
-r. iuc voiiou- "dc it. DvXt' yea, jd any ; IvU pounus oi'niiTate o soua pct crjni conuuwu. cctunu, a i j w,
Tennessee Farmers'. Inetitute, jmw
SDt.. 29 -Oct. 1.
CaroUna-Road Congress, AtlantOf
r"t,...
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.MftfV.