returns from the investment in them are disproportion- 

 ately large. We very often hear the statement that, 

 by the use of certain fertilizers, the crop is doubled or 47 

 tripled, as if this were a remarkable occurrence and 

 partook of the nature of a mystery. Such results are 

 not mysterious they can be explained; they are in 

 accordance with the principles involved. 



In an experiment on celery it was shown that the 

 weight of celery from an application of 400 pounds per 

 acre of Nitrate of Soda was two and one-half times 

 greater than that obtained on the land upon which no 

 Nitrate was used, and that very great profit followed 

 its use. This result, while remarkable in a way, was 

 not mysterious; if all the Nitrogen applied had been 

 used by the crop, there would have been a still greater 

 increase. It simply showed that where no extra Nitro- 

 gen had been applied the plant was not able to obtain 

 enough to make the crop what the conditions of the 

 season and soil, in other respects, permitted. In other 

 words, that the soil did not contain a complete food; the 

 .Nitrogen was necessary to supply the deficiency. Favor- 

 able conditions are, however, not uniform, and vari- 

 ations in return from definite applications must be 

 expected. 



It is quite possible to have a return of $50 per acre 

 from the use of $5 worth of Nitrate of Soda on crops of 

 high value, as, for example, early tomatoes, beets, cab- 

 bage, etc. This is an extraordinary return for the money 

 invested and labor involved; still, if the value of the in- 

 creased crop from its use was but $10, or even $8, it 

 should be regarded as a profitable investment, since no 

 more land and but little more capital was required in 

 order to obtain the extra $5 or $3 per acre. It is the 

 accumulation of these little extras that oftentimes 

 change an unprofitable into a profitable practice. 



