12 SOILS OF FENDER COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA. 



cotton and tobacco. It might be said in this connection that there 

 is need for experimentation along this line not only on this type but 

 on most of the other important soils. 



There is wide variation in the quantity applied as well as in the 

 quality of fertilizer used. Acreage applications range from 250 

 pounds of an 8-2-2 brand for corn to a ton of high-grade material 

 for certain vegetables. In some sections a brand analyzing approxi- 

 mately 10-3-5 has been used on this soil with much success for cot- 

 ton, corn, oats, and vegetables. An 8-2-10 brand at the rate of 500 

 to 1,000 pounds to the acre gives good results with sweet potatoes. 

 Early Irish potatoes require relatively heavy applications of nitro- 

 gen. Something near a 7-5-7 mixture would prdbably give excellent 

 results. Heavy applications of cotton-seed meal are advisable on 

 the deeper, sandier phases, especially for Irish potatoes. Liberal 

 quantities of stable or barnyard manure with 1,000 pounds per acre 

 of a 9 1 4 fertilizer should give good results with cabbage, collards. 

 cauliflower, and watermelons. 



The proper fertilizer for a given soil can best be ascertained 

 through actual experience. The above figures simply represent mix- 

 tures that have given good results on this type of soil, and it is not 

 meant that they represent the exact manurial requirement of the type, 

 for still better results can possibly be secured with other mixtures. 

 It is often advisable for farmers to buy the fertilizer ingredients and, 

 as far as possible, do their own mixing, as in this way the proportions 

 can be changed to suit the conditions. Home mixing will prove the 

 cheaper and better plan in the long run. 



Lettuce could be made a very important crop on this type of soil. 

 In the adjoining county of New Hanover the production of lettuce 

 has been accompanied with much success. The report on the soil 

 survey of that county contains the following in regard to the growing 

 of this crop : 



The plants are grown from the seed and transplanted on a very slight ridge 

 in a cold frame which is provided with a cloth cover for protection against 

 frosts. These are used only on nights when there is danger from this source 

 and are removed during the day to admit the full rays of the sun unless the 

 day be exceptionally cold. The preparation of the soil receives careful atten- 

 tion, and while as much as 100 loads of well-rotted manure is necessary, it is 

 found that the best lettuce can not be grown with this alone. From 500 to 

 2,000 pounds per acre of high-grade commercial fertilizer is applied when the 

 soil is being prepared, or better, half then and the remainder as a top dressing 

 later between the rows. Some money could be saved by the growers by using 

 home-mixed fertilizers. The following formula has been recommended by the 

 North Carolina Experiment Station for this crop : Acid phosphate, 900 pounds ; 

 dried blood, 600 pounds; muriate of potash, 400 pounds. This should be ap- 

 plied at the rate of from 500 to 1,000 pounds per acre. Owing to the large 

 quantity of potash in this mixture it is advised that it be thoroughly incor- 

 porated in the soil several days before setting the plants, since it is apt to 

 [dr. 20] 



