BY JOHN W. KUZMESKI* 



LONG before the increasing warmth 

 of the sun has mehed the winter 

 snow, ardent gardeners may be seen 

 poring over numerous colorfully il- 

 lustrated seed catalogs. 



What ethereal visions are conjured 

 up of brilliantly hued flowers and sun- 

 ripened vegetables that are to be his, 

 only the true gardener can know. 

 It is at this time that his sales re- 

 sistance to advertisements of garden- 

 ing supplies is at a low ebb. At this 

 time, too, he is subjected to various 

 forms of high pressure advertising by 

 radio and by full-page spreads in 

 newspapers and garden magazines 

 extolling the alleged magical, wonder, 

 miracle, or enchanted virtues of this 

 or that plant food. 



Claims are made for the presence 

 of a multitude of trace minerals, 

 vitamins, hormones, and organic 

 compounds; and the average prices 

 of plant food range from 25 cents to 

 $26.60 a pound in products recently 

 sold in Massachusetts. 



What are the Facts? 



1. Fertilizers by law must show 

 guarantees of nitrogen, available 

 phosphoric acid, and potash. 



2. Despite any claims to the con- 

 trary, the effectiveness of these ele- 

 ments in promoting plant growth, 



* Head of Feed and Fertilizer Control Services. 



provided the guaranteed amounts 

 agree, is the same regardless of the 

 name of the fertilizer in which they 

 are contained. 



3. Ordinary garden fertilizers sold 

 for farm use contain all elements 

 necessary to grow good crops of 

 vegetables and flowers in soil. 



4. Liquid and hydroponic plant 

 foods have no advantage over the 

 regular dry fertilizers, except ease 

 of application. 



5. So far as vitamins, hormones, and 

 similar other factors are concerned, 

 their inclusion in fertilizers has no 

 value for~ordinary garden use. 



6. It is more economical to buy 

 larger-sized packages. For example, 

 one manufacturer sells a 100-pound 

 bag of a 5-10-5 garden fertilizer for 

 about $3.00. This means a cost of 

 15 cents a pound for guaranteed plant 

 food. The cost per pound of plant 

 food in a 5-pound package sold by 

 the same manufacturer is 53 cents, 

 and the cost of a pound of plant 

 food in 3-ounce packages is $14.40. 



7. Do not be misled by claims that 

 one pound of a certain fertilizer will 

 make so many gallons of liquid 

 fertilizer. Remember that one pound 

 of sugar will make several gallons of 

 sweetened water but the nutritive 

 value of the solution will still be 

 equivalent to that of one pound of 

 sugar. 



