The Bulletin. 1& 



great deal of the fine eartli from the original rock is washed from the 

 surface by the rains and much of the soluble potash, phosphate, and 

 lime is also carried away by the surface and underground waters, depos- 

 ited along the seashore, and left dissolved in the open waters. 



The sand, silt, and clay is deposited along the seashore until the lands, 

 such as our present coast country, are built up ; but much of the soluble 

 potash, lime, and phosphate is carried out into the ocean, remains in 

 solution for a time, and is deposited in quantites only here and there 

 where shallow lakes gradually dry up. We would expect, therefore, as 

 this soil material became irregularly laid down, the mineral elements 

 contained in it would also become irregularly deposited. 



The larger soil particles, as coarse sand and fine gravel, being first 

 deposited by the moving waters, would contain little soluble mineral 

 plant food which would be carried beyond and laid down with the finer 

 materials as silts and clays, in sounds and shallow lakes. 



From what we can ascertain the mineral plant food requirements of 

 the coastal plains soils are much more irregular than those of the pied- 

 mont section. Some need an excess of potash, some of phosphoric acid, 

 some of nitrogen, and some of lime. 



In the coastal plains section it is not safe to say the whole area needs 

 an excess of phosphate or potash in the mixture, but both, in varying 

 quantities, seem to be needed, though the optimum or best amount, for 

 the different soil types must be determined locally. The Agricultural 

 Department is at present carrying on local fertilizer experiments on a 

 number of soil types in the eastern part of the State, with varying 

 results in different localities. 



The farmer might get some interesting suggestions by putting out a 

 series of small experimental plots on his own farm after the following 

 plan : 



2 rows 16% Acid Phosphate. 



2 rows Thomas Phosphate. 



2 rows Kainit. 



2 rows Muriate of Potash. 



2 rows Nitrate of Soda. 



2 rows Dried Blood. 



2 rows Cotton Seed Meal. 



2 rows Swamp Muck. 



2 rows Pish Scrap. 



2 rows Stable Manure. 



Study carefully the development of each plot during the season and 

 in the fall pick and weigh each separately and note the difference in 

 yield of seed cotton per plot. This will give some indication as to the 

 leading element to be used in the fertilizer mixture. 



It is the policy of the Department to conduct carefully planned ferti- 

 lizer experiments on the different soil types of the State long enough to 

 find out not only the most needed fertilizer elements of the different 

 soils, but to ascertain the relative amounts and proper combinations to 

 be used in the production of cotton. 



We may state, however, that all soils in the coastal plains region 

 need nitrogen and most of this should be gotten through legumes. 



