SOILS AND CROPS. 



39 



4 tons straw 

 =4X85%= 3.4 tons dry substance 



11.9 



4 tons litter 

 =4X85% =3.40 tons dr>' substance 

 11.9 divided by 2, then mxiltiply rp- 



sult by 4. This equals 37.4 tons of 



fresh manure. 



To Apply Solubles 



Soluble manures, such as nitrate, 

 guano, etc., should be applied to the 

 land in spring; undissolved manures, 

 such as phosphates, slag, etc., in 

 autumn. Soluble manures, again, 

 suit heavy land; while undissolved 

 varieties, whole bone, and the like, 

 give best results on light soils. Dung 

 may be plowed in in autumn on 

 heavy land, but kept over till Spring 

 on the lighter lands; on grass should 

 be applied as a top-dressing in 

 autumn on all varieties of land. The 

 soil has great retentive power for 

 phosphates and potash, but nitro- 

 genous material easily decomposes, 

 and the resultant nitrates wash out. 

 Little at a time and more frequent 

 dressings is therefore a good rule to 

 follow in all manures, but especially 

 with the nitrogenous — nitrate of 

 soda, for instance, giving better re- 

 sults if put twice on a crop. 



Fertilizer Act. 



The law of the Fertilizer Act is 

 stated as follows: All material ex- 

 cepting farmyard manure must be 

 sold according to guarantee. The 

 form of guarantee is as follows: 



1. Name of brand. 



2. Registration number. 



3. Name and address of manufac- 

 turer. 



4. Analysis as guaranteed by the 

 manufacturer which shall show the 

 percentage protein, fat and fibre, 

 persentage nitrogen, phosp. and 

 potash. 



Any purchaser may have an analy- 

 sis made by the Department of In- 

 land Revenue at a fee of |1.00. 

 Samples must be taken in conformity 

 with the regulations. For informa- 

 tion write the Deputy Minister of In- 

 land Revenue, Ottawa. 



Determination of Fertilizer Needs. 



A chemical analysis is of little 

 value in determining just what ele- 

 ment of growth your soil may be lack- 



ing in. A practical experiment is a 

 sure method to find the need of a 

 particular crop or a particular soil. 



Mark out five % acre plots and pro- 

 ceed as follows: 



Plot 1. No fertilizer. 



Plot 2. Complete fertilizer (phos- 

 phoric acid, potash, nitrogen). 



Plot 3. Phosphoric acid and nitro- 

 gen. 



Plot 4. Phosphoric acid and potash. 



Plot 5. 5«'itrogen and potash. 



Then plant your crop under same 

 conditions in each of these plots and 

 watch results. 



Rules to be Observed in Purchasing 

 Artificial Fertilizers 



The purchaser ought always to de- 

 mand a guarantee of the percentage 

 contents of the various fertilizing 

 Ingredients in the fertilizer, as well 

 as of the materials used as a source 

 of the same. In nitrate of soda and 

 sulphate of ammonia, the nitrogen 

 content will have to be guaranteed. 

 In basic slag, of the total phosphoric 

 acid, 80 per cent, ought to be soluble 

 in citrate solution. The potash salts, 

 both muriate and sulphate, contain 

 50 per cent, actual potash, and when 

 purchased in the original sacks (225 

 lbs.), with lead seal attached, the 

 purchaser may be confident that the 

 goods are genuine. 



Type of Subsoil Plow. 



Never Mix 



Farmyard manure and lime. 

 Guano and lime. 

 Guano and basic slag. 

 Nitrate and superphosphate. 

 Sulphates and slag. 

 Superphosphate and slag. 

 Lime with sulphate of ammonia. 



