208 ELEMENTS OF AGRICULTURE 



between, and on these ridges the seed is planted. The 

 chief objection to this plan is the expense of the labor. 

 In modern systems of farming, the amount of horse power 

 utilized per man should be increased as much as 

 possible. 



196. Fertilizers for Cotton. When the seed of the cotton 

 plant is used on the farm for feed, and only the lint is 

 sold, very little plant-food is removed from the farm. 

 If manure could be saved and returned to the land, there 

 would be little occasion to use commercial fertilizers. 

 On farms in the South, however, the accumulation of 

 manure is much more difficult than in the northern states, 

 because of the fact that the cattle and work stock are 

 not often kept in barns, but are out in the open pastures. 



Experiments at various stations indicate that the 

 nitrogen content of the soil can be maintained by the 

 growing of cowpeas, peanuts, and clover or alfalfa, in 

 rotation with corn and cotton. At the Texas station, no 

 benefit was secured by the use of potash, but an application 

 of 200 pounds per acre of acid phosphate, about two weeks 

 before the seed was planted, produced earlier blossoms 

 and a greater yield. At the Georgia station, it was found 

 that when organic nitrogen, cottonseed meal or tankage 

 was used, it should be applied about two weeks before 

 the seed was planted; and the same recommendation 

 was made with reference to applications of potash and 

 phosphoric acid. It was also recommended that 16 to 20 

 pounds per acre of nitrate of soda should be applied with 

 the seed. 



The following suggestions may be helpful in applying 

 fertilizer to cotton on average soil : 



