226 Effective Farming 



132. Soils and fertilizers. Cotton will grow on almost 

 any soil from a light sand to a heavy clay. Light soils are not 

 especially good for this crop, because of injury from cotton 

 rust that is likely to occur. Nevertheless, they are often 

 planted and yield good crops. Loamy soils or clays are better. 

 The soil must not be too rich for there is likely to be an exces- 

 sive stalk development at the expense of the bolls. 



The South has found the use of fertilizer for cotton to be 

 profitable. The experiment stations have done much toward 

 determining the best fertilizer for cotton lands of their states 

 and the results of the determinations are recorded in bulletins 

 that are sent free to the residents of the state on application. 

 Farmers should take advantage of -these publications. 



C. B. Williams, agronomist, North Carolina Experiment 

 Station has made an extensive study of the fertilizer require- 

 ment for cotton-growing on both the Coastal Plain and the 

 Piedmont Plateau soils of the South and makes the following 

 recommendations : 



For the Coastal Plain soils, six hundred to eight hundred 

 pounds or more to the acre of one of the following mixtures 

 should be used. 



No. 1. Pounds 



Acid-phosphate, 16 per cent phosphoric acid 300 



Cottonseed meal, 6.17 per cent nitrogen, 2.8 per cent phos- 

 phoric acid, and 1.8 per cent potash 1400 



Kainit, 12 per cent potash 300 



2000 



This mixture will contain: Available phosphoric acid, 4.4 per 

 cent ; potash, 3.1 per cent ; nitrogen, 4.3 per cent (equal to ammonia, 

 5.2 per cent). 



No. 2. Pounds 



Acid-phosphate, 16 per cent phosphoric acid 460 



Cottonseed meal, 6.17 per cent nitrogen, 2.8 per cent phos- 

 phoric acid, and 1.8 per cent potash 770 



Nitrate of soda, 15 per cent nitrogen 320 



Kainit, 12 per cent potash 450 



2000 



