308 Mineral Nutrition of Plants 



in various amounts and different rates of seeding varying from 3 to 7 

 bushels per acre, it was found that 1000 pounds of 9-9-9 fertilizer with 

 4 to 6 bushels of seed per acre gave the most satisfactory yield. How- 

 ever, the fertilizer analyses recommended to the growers were based 

 upon the soil analyses for available nutrients and the organic matter 

 content. Such fertilizers as 4-12-8, 5-10-10, and 7-7-7 were actually used. 

 It was also found that the higher amounts of fertilizer tended to in- 

 crease the number of large peas over the number of small peas. In 

 other words, with 5 bushels of peas per acre seeded with no fertilizer, 

 38 per cent of the peas were Nos. 1 and 2 and 62 per cent were Nos. 3 

 and 4. On the other hand, with 1000 pounds of 9-9-9, 80 per cent of Nos. 

 3 and 4 and 20 per cent of Nos. 1 and 2 were produced. 



Using the available farm equipment, namely, grain drills, it was 

 found that the most satisfactory method of applying fertilizer was 

 drilling the fertilizer at right angles to and immediately before seeding. 

 It is significant to say that on several thousand acres of peas in 1947 to 

 1948, the average yield in Pennsylvania was more than 2 tons per acre. 



LIMA BEANS 



The most desirable type of lima bean for vegetable soup manufacture 

 is the small seeded dark green bean. For maximum production of lima 

 beans a soil with a pH value between 6.2 and 6.8 is desirable. One of 

 the great difficulties in growing lima beans is to produce a good vigorous 

 growing plant that will set a large part of the crop at one time. Weather 

 conditions enter into this problem and the question of getting a good 

 set of beans at any particular period is dependent, to a certain extent, 

 upon the existing weather conditions. However, plant nutrition is a 

 decided factor in this condition. It has been found that the plants that 

 have a heavy set also have a high calcium content. Consequently, liming 

 acid soils and the use of fertilizer mixtures high in phosphatic materials 

 tend to supply large amounts of calcium to the plant. Cultural prac- 

 tices, such as proper methods of weeding to eliminate grass in lima 

 bean production, are very important. 



On one 2000 acre planting of lima beans on the Eastern Shore of 

 Virginia, by properly correcting the calcium and magnesium content 

 of the soil and the application of the most desirable type of fertilizer 



