STRAWBERRY HAND-BOOK. ' 13 



crops are expected, the soil must supply the proper 

 amounts of plant food. The objection to farmyard manure 

 is that it contains too much nitrogen as compared with 

 the potash and phosphoric acid. 



A strawberry fertilizer should contain the three princi- 

 pal plant food ingredients in about the following propor- 

 tions: 



Ammonia, 3 per cent. 



Potash, ------ 9 per cent. 



Phosphoric Acid, - - - 7 per cent. 



That is, every 100 pounds of fertilizer should contain 3 

 pounds of ammonia, 9 pounds of potash, and 7 pounds of 

 available phosphoric acid. The phosphoric acid is placed 

 far above the actual needs of the plant as shown by the 

 analysis, because this fertilizer is likely to take insoluble 

 forms in the soil; the ammonia is placed low as top dress- 

 ings are made in the spring. 



Often, and especially on sandy soils, it pays to use pot- 

 ash in larger proportions than the above formula calls for. 



A fertilizer containing 3, 9 and 7 per cent respectively 

 of ammonia, potash and phosphoric acid will be a good 

 strawberry manure. You can make this mixture yourself, 

 or have the dealer make it for you. It should be applied 

 at the rate of 500 pounds per acre drilled in before plant- 

 ing, and thoroughly mixed with the soil by running a 

 cultivator or light plow along the furrow before the land is 

 listed, or bedded. In the spring, an application of 150 

 pounds of nitrate of soda should be broadcasted per acre, 



