40 VEGETABLE GARDENING 



on the percentage of actual potash they contain. Kainit 

 contains 13 per cent of potash, which is more than twice 

 as much as there is in ordinary unleached wood ashes. 

 From 200 to 600 pounds of kainit is generally applied per 

 acre. 



Lime is found in abundance in most Western soils, 

 but burned limestone freshly slaked may often be used to ad- 

 vantage in small quantities when large amounts of stable 

 manure have been used upon the land for a number of 

 years. It should not be used alone, because it exhausts 

 the soil. 



Land plaster is sulphate of lime. It is not a direct 

 fertilizer, but is a soil stimulant. It may occasionally be 

 used to advantage for leguminous crops, such as clover, 

 beans, peas, etc., in applications of from 200 to 600 pounds 

 per acre spread broadcast. 



There is little need for commercial fertilizers at present 

 in most of the Western states, and they should never be 

 used until the home sources of manure have been ex- 

 hausted, and then only to supplement rather than to 

 replace farm manures, and as aids in intensive cultivation 

 of gardens. They are generally expensive, and results 

 from their use in the West have not been as satisfactory 

 as in the Eastern states. 



Those who use commercial fertilizers of the better 

 kinds for the first time are very likely to use too much, 

 seriously injuring the crops to which they are applied. 

 It is much better to use too little than too much, and to 

 experiment along this line in a small and inexpensive 

 way to begin with. 



Home Mixing of Fertilizers. Where a considerable 

 quantity of commercial fertilizer is used, it is well to mix 

 it at home, since the grower knows that it contains the 



