VI 



THE USE OF FERTILIZERS 



ANY amateur gardeners 

 are under the impression 

 that their plants need 

 feeding when they begin 

 to languish, or when they 

 show a disposition to rest, 

 and the first thing they do 

 is to apply a fertilizer of some kind, generally 

 in considerable quantity, on the principle that 

 if a little is good a large amount must be a good 

 deal better. The result is, nine times out of 

 ten, that the plants are injured rather than 

 benefited, because they are not in a condition 

 to make use of a fertilizer. It is not more food 

 that is needed at such times — rather, as little 

 food as possible, in order to give the digestive 

 organs of the plants an opportunity to regain 

 the tone they have lost, to some extent, by 

 overwork, until a sort of general exhaustion 

 has taken place. The application of a rich 

 food, at such a time, may force growth, but it 

 will be an unhealthy one, since it is secured 



