86 GENEKAL CONSIDEKATIONS 



market with fertilizer attachments that can be used 

 to plant and fertilize at the same operation. This 

 is a considerable saving of labor. Various machines 

 for drilling in fertilizers alone are also on the 

 market. Where it is scattered by hand, a tin horn- 

 shaped tube to deliver it in the bottom of the furrow 

 is a great convenience, as it saves stooping and pre- 

 vents it from being blown about by the wind and 

 wasted. In fertilizing orchard trees it may be 

 broadcasted about the tree and hoed or harrowed 

 in, always taking care to scatter it evenly as far or a 

 little farther than the branches extend ; or if the 

 trees are small, a furrow may be opened on each 

 side of the row in which to scatter the fertilizer, 

 which can then be covered with the plow. 



It is always a matter of great practical importance 

 to determine what kind and what amount of fertili- 

 zer to apply on any given soil and crop. Theoreti- 

 cally a chemical analysis of the soil should show in 

 what elements it was deficient, and thus enable one to 

 judge in what proportions to blend the different plant 

 foods and what quantities of them to apply. Prac- 

 tically, however, this is seldom a safe guide. A chem- 

 ical analysis may give some useful hints as to the 

 probable needs of the soil, but the mechanical condi- 

 tion and the available water supply have such a 

 powerful effect on plant growth that nothing short 

 of practical trials continued for a term of years can 

 give any real knowledge as to the needs of a given 

 soil. Every intelligent farmer must, to a considerable 

 extent, be an experimenter. Experience thus gained 

 in one locality can, however, be utilized in others 



