Pastures for Florida


0-8-8 fertilizer), producing about 40 percent ground cover the
first season. The omission of potash fertilizer (400 pounds
of a 4-8-0 fertilizer) did not retard growth greatly on this soil.
The growth of carpet grass treated with complete fertilizer
(400 pounds of a 4-8-8 fertilizer) and lime was about the same
as for grass treated with complete fertilizer alone. Carpet grass
which was treated with 1,800 pounds of rock phosphate and 64
pounds of muriate of potash in June developed a fair sod by
August (Fig. 9). The growth responses of 3 strains of Bahia
grass (common, Pensacola, and Paraguay) were similar to that
of carpet.
 The growth of common Bermuda grass on the Callahan test
when variously fertilized is shown in Fig. 10. Most of the
Bermuda grass seedlings died soon after germination on the
unfertilized plots or where phosphorus was omitted. A fair sod
occurred when treated with 400 pounds of a complete fertilizer
(4-8-8) per acre, but growth was greatly stimulated when 1 ton
of calcic or dolomitic limestone was applied also. Bermuda grass
treated with 400 pounds per acre of an 0-8-8 fertilizer (phos-

 TABLE 2.-FERTILIZATION INCREASES THE PHOSPHORUS AND CALCIUM
 CONTENT OF CARPET GRASS.1

 Soil Treatment Phosphorus Calcium
 (Pounds per Acre) (Percent) (Percent)

No fertilizer ...................... ...................... 0.16 0.35
600 lbs. 0-16-8 and 1 ton lime, equivalent to
 600 lbs. of 16% superphosphate and 96 Ibs.
 of 50% muriate of potash .......................... 0.26 0.50
Rock phos. 3,000 lbs. and 96 lbs. of 50%
 muriate of potash ........................................ 0.29 0.40
Colloidal phos. 3,000 lbs. and 96 lbs. of 50%
 muriate of potash ......................................... 0.29 0.37
Basic slag 1,500 lbs. and 96 lbs. of 50%
 muriate of potash ................................ ....... 0.24 0.45

Percent increase over unfertilized grass 3 .... 69 23

 1 Samples were plucked during June 1940, while grass was in a vegetative stage of
growth. The chemical analyses are means from 2 replicated plots on a Leon and Ports-
mouth soil in Osceola County and Plummer fine sand in Hardee County which were fertilized
to grow clover; thus heavy fertilizer rates were used.
 2 Rock phosphate (32.3% total P05s) 52% passing through a 200-mesh sieve; colloidal
Dhosphate (20.4% total PzOs); basic slag (8 to 12% total P0Os).
 a Computed on the basis of the mean values of all treatments receiving phosphorus,
irrespective of phosphate source.