362 The Canadian Horticulturist. 



FALL PLOWING AND FERTILIZING. 



HERE is no practice that is so beneficial on clay soils, and in a 

 cold climate, as fall plowing of the ground. While in a mild 

 climate, and in a sandy soil it is the worst of practices, there is 

 nothing that gets the soil into such a good condition, where the 

 land is locked by frost all during the winter months. Not only 

 does fall plowing put the land in such localities in a mellow and 

 friable condition, but it enables the farmer to get ahead of his 

 less thoughtful neighbors with his work in the spring. It is 

 found, too, that certain forms of fertilizing matters can then be more profitably 

 applied than if their application is deferred until the opening of spring. This is 

 particularly the case with the crude forms of potash salts such as kainit. There 

 are certain forms of plant food that one need not fear of their getting away from 

 him in the soil. While it would be imprudent to use the more available forms 

 of nitrogenous fertilizers in the fall, even on fall planted crops, the case is 

 entirely different with the phosphoric acid and potash salts. These will remain 

 in the soil until some plant calls for them. In using the crude forms of potash 

 salts, like kainit, there is frequently difficulty in using them freely in large 

 quantities when applied at the tiine of planting in the spring, on account of the 

 large percentage of chloride of sodium associated with them. But if they are 

 applied in the fall, the action of the chloride of sodium may be of benefit in 

 rendering soluble matters of plant food in the soil, and the potash has time to 

 get completely incorporated with the soil. On sod land that is to be planted in 

 potatoes in the spring, in a climate like Canada, where it is often difficult to 

 work the land as early in the spring as is desirable for this crop, the practice of 

 turning the sod just before the final freeze-up, and at that time applying in the 

 form of kainit most of the potash needed, will be found one of the most 

 economical and profitable that can be adopted. This too will be found the 

 best time to deepen the soil by deeper plowing. An amount of the raw clay 

 sub-soil may at that time be brought to the surface that would be detrimental if 

 brought up in the spring. The winter freezing will put it all into such a friable 

 state that no harm will result, but only good. 



It is well known to all cultivators that no crop requires more liberal applica- 

 tion of potash than the Irish potato crop. Some contend that the sulphate is 

 the best form in which it can be used on the potato crop, but experiments at 

 the New Jersey Station showed that the chloride or muriate gave the best 

 results. But if we use kainit as the source of potash for the crop, we have not 

 only the chlorides but the sulphates as well, and in addition we get the magnesia, 

 which is also useful. The Southern market growers, who use potash salts in a 

 lavish manner on the potato crop in the spring, use generally the muriate, as all 

 their fertilizers are applied directly to the crop at the time of planting, which is 



