106 THE BOOK OF CORN 



ture No i may be used, applied broadcast, in connec- 

 tion with a compost, applied in the hill. This would 

 be particularly advantageous on heavy, clayey soils, as 

 it is desirable there to have minerals well distributed 

 and to encourage the early, growth of the corn by sub- 

 stances rich in organic matter, applied in the hill. This 

 compost may be made up largely of fine cow or horse 

 manure, fortified by the addition of ground fish, dried 

 blood or cottonseed meal. The addition of three hun- 

 dred pounds of dried blood, or five hundred pounds of 

 ground fish or cottonseed meal, to a ton of dry com- 

 posted manure, would be excellent for this purpose, 

 and make a relatively cheap compost. 



In the southern states, there is probably no better 

 and cheaper, and, therefore, no more satisfactory form 

 of organic nitrogen, all things considered, than cotton- 

 seed meal, and in Georgia particularly, where a careful 

 study of the matter has been made, the following for- 

 mula is recommended for well improved upland soil, or 

 bottom lands : 



Cottonseed meal 870 pounds 



Acid phosphate 1000 pounds 



Muriate of potash 30 pounds 



and for wornout upland soils: 



Cottonseed meal 1000 pounds 



Acid phosphate 1250 pounds 



Muriate of potash 30 pounds 



The chief need of these soils is for nitrogen and 

 phosphoric acid, and an application of from two hun- 

 dred and fifty to four hundred pounds per acre has 

 been found the most economical. These recommenda- 

 tions will probably apply to the upland and bottom 

 lands of the southern coast states, whereas for the 

 sandy lands, a larger proportion of potash is needed; 

 in Kentucky and Tennessee, potash has been shown to 

 be a very important ingredient in fertilizers for corn. 



