154 SOUTHERN FIELD CROPS 



143. Leguminous plants an economical source of ni- 

 trogen. Recognizing the great need for nitrogen, the wise 

 farmer will provide it in the most economical and effective 

 manner. This is best effected by the use of cowpeas or 

 other leguminous crops, grown on the land, and either 

 plowed under as fertilizer or used as fertilizer after having 

 been consumed by animals. When nitrogen is supplied 

 in these bulky forms, the plant-food is accompanied by a 

 large mass of vegetable matter, which has the effect of 

 making the land more retentive of moisture in periods of 

 drought. Thus fertilization with nitrogen, through rota- 

 tion with leguminous plants, supplies the two greatest 

 needs of the corn plant, namely, nitrogen and moisture. 



144. Suggestive fertilizer formulas. Proper fertiliza- 

 tion is governed by soil, kind of tillage, previous treat- 

 ment of the land, and other considerations. No one fertil- 

 izer formula therefore fits all conditions, but the following 

 are suggested : 



(1) By the Georgia Experiment Station (Bui. 74). For corn 

 on worn uplands, 



Acid phosphate, 1000 Ib. 

 Cotton-seed meal, 1218 Ib. 

 Muriate of potash, 32 Ib. 

 Total, 2250 Ib. (for several acres). 



This fertilizer analyzes about 10 per cent available phosphoric 

 acid, 5 per cent nitrogen, and 2 per cent muriate of potash. 



The author suggests the following as often applicable for loam 

 and clay soils, 



(2) 100 to 200 Ib. acid phosphate per acre ; 



100 Ib. nitrate of soda, the latter applied when the plants 

 are 2 to 4 feet high, on one side of each row ; or, 



