COTTON FERTILIZERS 335 



25 to 50 pounds of the muriate per acre, which small 

 amount necessitates extreme care in pulverizing and evenly 

 distributing this fertiUzer. Aside from this shght con- 

 sideration of convenience, the farmer should buy that one 

 of these materials in which a pound of potash delivered 

 at his farm costs him less. Where the freight rate and 

 cost of hauling is high, the muriate will be the cheaper 

 source of potash; near seaport cities, or where freight 

 rates are low, kainit may be the cheaper form. 



Kainit usually contains about 12 per cent of potash 

 and muriate four times this amount. Another source of 

 this plant-food is sulfate of potash, in which a pound of 

 potash usually costs a little more than in kainit or muriate. 

 The supply of potash salts comes from mines in Germany. 



Miscellaneous Fertilizers, and Effects of 

 Fertilizers 



309. Lime. — Lime has shown very' slight effect as a 

 fertilizer for cotton in several tests in South Carolina and 

 at Auburn, Alabama. At any rate, cotton is not con- 

 spicuously a lime-loving plant, like clover, wheat, timothy, 

 and the like. Neither is cotton averse to lime, as shown 

 by its successful growth on numerous limestone soils. 

 In the Gulf States there are considerable areas of slightly 

 acid upland soils. On some of these a light application of 

 lime may be found profitable in connection with other 

 fertilizers. 



310. Composts. — As the word " compost " is used 

 by cotton planters, it usually refers to a mixture of stable 

 manure, cotton seed, and phosphate, which, after being 

 brought together, are allowed to ferment 4 to 8 weeks. 



