Moreover, there remains the interesting question p? od t for 



as to whether by the end of the ensuing century we may 



not find that nature shall have by that time manu- X 9 

 factured an immense additional amount of Chilean 

 Nitrate for the uses of the world. 



Sir William Crookes' prophecy that the world 

 would starve for lack of bread as soon as the Chilean 

 Nitrate supplies were exhausted has for some years led 

 the chemical public to believe that a wheat famine was 

 in sight, but that time is so far distant that no one 

 living to-day need have misgivings on the subject. 



Hints for Right Use of Nitrate. 



The points to be observed in the use of Nitrate of 

 Soda are: Avoid an excess; do not sprinkle the wet 

 foliage with dry Nitrate; and in general Nitrate must 

 not be allowed to come in contact with the stems or 

 leaves of plants. Nitrate of Soda is immediately avail- 

 able as plant food. Applications of Nitrate of Soda 

 may be made at the rate of 100 pounds per acre at inter- 

 vals of two or three weeks during the growing season. 



Nitrate of Soda comes from South jjow to Mix and 

 America in 224-pound bags, and is usu- Apply Nitrate of 

 ally thus sold. The Nitrate looks much Soda and Other 

 like coarse salt. The lumps should be Fertilizers, 

 broken, which can easily be done by turning the Nitrate 

 out on the barn floor and breaking them with the back 

 of a spade. The Nitrate should then be run through a 

 sieve with a mesh not larger than three-eighths inch. 

 It will then be ready for use. 



When fertilizers are to be mixed together, pour 

 the right quantity of each in a pile on the floor and turn 

 them over two or three times with a shovel until they 

 are thoroughly mixed. It is a good plan to run the 

 whole through a sieve, which will completely mix the 

 fertilizers. The mixing should not be done more than 

 a week before the fertilizers are to be used, as the mix- 

 ture may attract moisture and get hard if left too long 

 after mixing. In Europe small hand machines are used 

 by farmers for grinding and mixing, and cost about 

 twenty-five dollars. They are also in use in America. 



