2rj6 Bulletin 261. 



a still smaller proportion of acid phosphate would have been more econ- 

 omical. The following mixture, therefore, is suggested; 200 pounds of 

 'nitrate of soda, 100 pounds of acid phosphate, and 50 pounds of muriate 

 of potash, per acre. It would be best for the farmer to determine by- 

 actual field tests the quantity most desirable for his land. As the 

 mixed fertilizers found on the market usually do not contain the elements 

 in the proportion suggested by the above formula, it would be best for 

 the farmer to buy the separate ingredients and mix them himself. The 

 ingredients called for are usually sold under guarantee b}^ the fertilizer 

 companies and vary little from the following composition: 



Nitrate of soda, 15% to 16% nitrogen; acid phosphate, 12% to 14% 

 available phosphoric acid; muriate of potash, 50% potash. 



Home mixing would also have another distinct advantage. In the 

 ordinar}'- mixed fertilizers an opportunity is afforded for disguising poor 

 forms of the constituents, especially nitrogen. The purchase and mixing 

 of the raw materials permits of a better knowledge of the kind and quality 

 of the plant food obtained. Care should be taken, however, that the 

 materials are mixed thoroughly and evenly before application. 



Commercial fertilizers are well adapted to top-dressing grass lands 

 since they can be easily applied by hand, and since they contain the 

 plant food elements in an easily soluble form and are therefore immedi- 

 ately available to the growing crop. Because of their ready availability, 

 there is danger of loss by leacliing In view of this fact they should 

 be applied in the early spring just as the grass is beginning to grow. 



In regard to the use of lime for timxOthy, the experiments on Dunkirk 

 clay loam showed that its use did not result in an increased yield of hay. 

 It is somewhat different from alfalfa and the clovers in this respect. 

 On the other hand, timothy does not thrive on sour or acid soils until 

 the acidity is corrected by the use of lime or wood ashes. This fact has 

 been clearly demonstrated by the Rhode Island Agricultural Experiment 

 Station.* 



*Rhod.e Island Experiment Station Bulletin 99, p. loi (1904). 



