Vegetables with Edible Fruits 183 



should be removed so as not to interfere with later cul- 

 tivation. A one-horse plow may then be used to open 

 out a double furrow where the row is to stand, and the 

 fertilizer worked in this furrow, a portion of it being 

 scattered in the bottom and some of the soil worked on to 

 this, then another portion of the fertilizer applied and more 

 soil worked into the furrow, and so on until all the 

 fertilizer has been used. 



In a sandy soil or a sandy loam, it is preferable to use 

 the fertilizer in two or more applications. The first 

 application is made before the plants are set and should 

 contain a high percentage of ammonia in a quickly avail- 

 able form. The second may be made just as the first 

 bloom appears and may contain only a small percentage 

 of ammonia. If at any time during the growth or fruiting 

 period the plants are showing a lack of thrift, an applica- 

 tion of 75 or 150 pounds of nitrate of soda or nitrate of 

 potash may be made to good advantage. The latter 

 will give firmer and better shipping fruit. If the early 

 bloom is being cast off, this can frequently be corrected 

 by making an application of fifty to a hundred pounds of 

 high-grade sulfate of potash. But if the casting of bloom 

 is due to cold winds or too much moisture, the fertilizer is 

 not likely to correct it. 



Experiments have indicated that where the soil is reten- 

 tive, for example stiff clay, nothing is gained, and indeed, 

 something is lost by applying the fertilizer at different 

 times. If the season is very moist, the ground will be 

 ready to receive the plants in a week after fertilizing. If, 

 however, the soil remains unusually dry, it may be much 

 longer. 



