10 The Bulletin. 



can be dealt with, due to the fact that at present we have no accurate 

 experiments or exhaustive data that show in detail just what fertilizer 

 formula must be constructed to meet the needs of cotton on all of these 

 types of soil in their present rather "run-down" condition. There are 

 large areas of these soils that might be termed in a good state of fer- 

 tility, but most of them which have been under cultivation for thirty or 

 forty years are in need of special treatment before satisfactory results 

 can be obtained. But when properly treated there are no better lands 

 in the country than these. 



Organic matter, combined with deep plowing, is the first fundamental 

 need and until this need is supplied any amount of superficial fertiliza- 

 tion with commercial fertilizers must be done at considerable loss to 

 the farmer. 



No system of cotton culture on these soils can be counted safe and 

 sane that does not provide for the incorporation of a liberal amount of 

 organic matter or humus in the soil each year. The more decayed 

 vegetable matter we have in these soils, the less complete commercial 

 fertilizer, within limits, will be required to make a fair crop of cotton, 

 and the less humus we have, the more pounds of a complete mixture 

 will be necessary. That is to say, good farming, unless special fertiliza- 

 tion for special crops is desired, always reduces the required amount 

 of mixed fertilizer for fair crop production, and poor farming always 

 increases the amount of commercial fertilizer needed. To illustrate : 

 If you use 300 pounds of commercial fertilizer this year to produce 

 one-half a bale of cotton, the soil being uniform and the season being 

 normal, next year you may have to use 100 pounds additional to get 

 the same amount of cotton in case you have failed to use some green 

 m.anuring crop as peas, rye, or crimson clover, to be plowed under 

 and incorporated with the soil prior to the pitching of next season's 

 ■crop. On the other hand, if you obtain one-half a bale of cotton by 

 the use of 300 pounds of complete fertilizer this year, and plant cow- 

 peas between the cotton rows and sow either rye, or crimson clover, 

 •or both, to be plowed under, you will not likely need more than 200 

 pounds of commercial fertilizer to produce the half bale of cotton, and 

 the chances are that you will produce the half bale just as easily with- 

 •out the use of any commercial fertilizer as with it. It must be borne 

 in mind, however, that the more organic matter we have in the soil, 

 -within reasonable limits, the more commercial fertilizer can be used .to 

 advantage. 



The use of a liberal amount of stable or green manure is entirely 

 necessary to any rational system of cotton farming on these soils. We 

 mention stable manure because it is, perhaps, the best form of organic 

 matter we can get, but in the absence of the desired amount, one should 

 not hesitate to use green manure, such as rye, crimson clover, cowpeas, 

 eoy beans, etc., almost anything that will readily decay in the soil, as a 

 source of humus. Remember that almost anything you can find in the 

 line of organic matter will analyze as high or higher in plant food ele- 

 ments than stable manure and the cost of hauling and spreading is, in 



