270 Bureau of Farmers' Institutes. 



cessful instances of this sort is the Riverhead Town Agricul- 

 tnral Society of Long Island. They have found that a fertil- 

 izer containing 4 per cent, of nitrogen, 8 per cent, of available 

 phosphoric acid and 10 per cent, of actual potash is well adapted 

 to their conditions for growing potatoes and vegetables. They 

 require the nitrogen to be distributed in three different forms, 

 one-half being fish scrap ; one-fourth, nitrate of soda ; and one- 

 fourth, sulphate of ammonia. The potash must be in form of 

 muriate. For the season of 1899 they were able to get 1,000 

 tons or more of this mixture made at $24.80 a ton. Commercial 

 fertilizers of similar composition sold for $36 to $40 at the 

 same time. The actual saving effected by the members of this 

 club amounts to not less than $10,000 a year. At the above 

 price nitrogen cost them 11.7 cents a pound, available phosphoric 

 acid 3.6 cents a pound and potash as muriate 3.75 cents a pound. 

 It will be noticed that these prices are a little more than one- 

 half those paid for plant food by the average farmer purchasing 

 mixed fertilizers in the ordinary way. The members of this 

 club paid $24.80 for each ton of fertilizer, which would have 

 cost farmers, buying at the average prices paid for plant food 

 in mixed fertilizers, $38.64. 



Where to Purchase Unmixed Materials. — Any large manu- 

 facturer of fertilizers will generally fill orders for separate in- 

 gredients. Farmers are advised to write to three or four differ- 

 ent firms and get their prices. In comparing prices, one should 

 take into consideration the question of freight. The schedule 

 of prices given later may be used as a general guide in regard 

 to what one should pay for different forms of materials. 



Farmers will find their chief difficulty in knowing in what 

 forms and quantities to order separate fertilizer constituents. 



The suggestions found in subsequent pages giving this infor- 

 mation in regard to our more common crops will be found helpful. 



8. Methods and Seasons of Applying Fertilizers. 



The method to be used in applying a fertilizer depends pri- 

 marily upon the efficiency with which the constituents of the fer- 

 tilizer are distributed most thoroughly and uniformly throughout 

 the portion of soil where the plant roots are. The effect of a 

 fertilizer is lost so far as it does not reach the plant roots. Pains 

 must be taken to secure even and complete distribution of fer- 

 tilizers on or in the soil, since it is desired to have the food reach 



