MANURING COTTON. 29 



maiiitaiiu'd that the former would be almost entirely washed away by 

 the irrii^atioii water emphiyed. The results wliich have been obtained 

 indicate that when barnyard manure is applied there is little need 

 for any nitrogenous fertilizers which do not supply nitrogen in the 

 very early stages of growth. When considerable quantities of sul- 

 phate of ammonia are applied, there is a tendency to cause excessive 

 growth late in the season, and on account of a failure to ripen there 

 is often a considerable diminution in the yield. On the other hand, 

 when nitrate of soda predominates, the plant receives a supply of 

 nitrogen just when it is wanted at the early stages, and this gives the 

 plant that good start which is so essential in cotton culture. That 

 there is a loss of a part of the nitrogen is j^robable, but the effects of 

 its application are always most pronounced and profitable. The ben- 

 efit derived from the part Avhich is not lost is more than sufficient on 

 ordinary soils to pay for its cost. 



It is generally considered that in addition to an application of 10 

 or 15 tons of stable manure it is profitable to employ as much as 150 

 or 200 jjounds of soluble nitrogenous manure, and two-thirds nitrate 

 of soda and one-third sulphate of ammonia give excellent results. 

 Experiments have clearly proved that better results are obtained 

 when the amount of nitrate of soda predominates than when the 

 greater part consists of sulphate of ammonia, assuming that an 

 organic manure has been applied, which should always be the case 

 when possible. 



The employment of cotton seed or cotton-seed meal is out of the 

 question in Egypt, the seed being considered too expensive. It is 

 more costly than in the United States, and practically the whole of it 

 is exported. The economy of the use of cotton seed and cotton-seed 

 meal as such as sources of nitrogen for the cotton crop seems to the 

 writer to be very questionable. In passing through the body of an 

 animal comparatively little of the valuable fertilizing ingredients of 

 the meal are retained, but are found in the resulting manure. It 

 seems, therefore, more practical to employ stable manure or green 

 manures as the basis of manuring in Egypt and to supplement these 

 by the use of such substances as superphosphate, nitrate of soda, and 

 potash manures to supply the deficiency. 



Soluble nitrogen gives size to the plant, and up to a certain point a 

 larger and more vigorous plant means an increased yield. It is often 

 argued that the production of large plants reduces the yield, and this 

 may be true to a certain extent; but this arises generally from the 

 plant being stimulated too late. Excessive growth is produced by 

 manures containing nitrogen which act too late in the season. This 

 objection is not felt in the case of manures which supply their nitro- 

 gen early, but with those which continue to push the plant too late. 



The employment of potash manures in Egyjst has not, generally 

 speaking, been attended with satisfactory results except in the case 



