36 COTTON CULTURE 



On soils of loose texture and small retentive power, it 

 is best to apply at time of planting and to use, for the most 

 part, fertilizers containing nitrogen in a form which is 

 not too easily soluble, in order to make losses occasioned 

 by heavy rains as small as possible. Animal and vege- 

 table ingredients are especially suited for such cases. 



Fertilizers containing ammonia compounds should not 

 be mixed with wood ashes, lime, or Thomas slag (odorless 

 phosphate), since some of the ammonia is likely, under 

 such conditions, to be liberated and lost; nor should these 

 substances be mixed with acid phosphate, because they 

 render the phosphoric acid less available. 



Intel-cultural Fertilizing. The application of fertiliz- 

 ers during the growing period of the crop is quite 

 plausible in theory, but its wisdon is not confirmed in 

 actual practice. This is especially true in regard to phos- 

 phates and potash salts. These do not leach out of the 

 soil to any considerable extent and they require consider- 

 able time to get into condition to be effective. It is per- 

 missible and advisable to make one or more intercultural 

 applications of readily soluble nitrogenous ingredients such 

 as nitrate of soda and sulphate of ammonia, especially in 

 case the fertilizer applied at the usual time (before planting) 

 was deficient in nitrogen. For this purpose, nitrate of 

 soda is probably the most desirable. A small quantity, 

 say twenty-five or thirty pounds per acre, applied to the 

 furrows with the planting of seed, or scattered along on 

 the surface immediately above the covered seed, increases 

 the strength and vigor of the young cotton plants. 



