Experiments with Fertilizers on Cotton. 



Locality and Character of Soil. 



Barbour Co., Sandy Loam. . . . 

 Elmore Co., Gray Sand .... 



Elowah Co., Red Loam 



Greene Co., Sandv 



Clay Co., Soil Red 



Calhoun Co., Mulatto Soil.. . 

 Lawrence Co., Clay Loam. . . 

 Cullman Co., Sand and Gravel 

 Madison Co.. Clay Loam. . . . 

 Randolph Co., Sandy Loam. . . 



Butler Co., Light Sand 



Marengo Co., Dark Sand. . . . 



o Q.2 



Crt to O 



- So- 



u 



Yield 



per Acre. 



lbs. 



1020 



1088 

 952 



I 256 

 848 

 816 

 904 



I 1 20 

 800 



544 



800 



968 



Food for 

 Plants 



gen. At least a half of the Nitrogen applied should be in 

 the form of Nitrate. The reason for this is that the Nitro- 

 gen in the cotton-seed meal is not immediately available 

 and only becomes so after undergoing the process of 

 Nitration in the soil. If there is no available Nitrogen 

 present, the plant must wait until that in the meal becomes 

 so, which in cool, damp soil is often a considerable time. 

 Thus the plant, in its most critical stage, is held back and 

 checked in its growth, from which it never fully recovers. 

 But, on the other hand, if a small quantity of Nitrate is 

 used, the plant can take it up at once and get a good strong 

 start by the time the cotton-seed meal is converted into a 

 form that can be used by the plant. 



It will be noticed by reference to table above that 

 Nitrate gave much better results than cotton-seed meal on 

 heavy land, such as that on which the experiments were 

 made in Madison and Lawrence counties, and that the 

 cotton-seed did best on light land — notably in Greene and 

 Butler counties. The reason for this appears to be that 

 Nitrification will t^ke place much more rapidly in light, 



