142 FKRTILITV AND FERTILIZER HINTS 



If the soil is kept in good physical condition the use of ferti- 

 lizers is more profitable than on soils not properly cared for. 

 On poor soils the use of fertilizers is necessary for crop pro- 

 duction, for without them a profitable crop cannot be produced. 

 On farms where a systematic rotation is practiced, and farm 

 manures and green manures are employed, the use of fertilizer 

 to supplement the deficiencies of the soil is usually very pro- 

 fitable, while on farms where one crop farming is continued, the 

 response to fertilizers is not so satisfactory. The farmer can 

 keep his soil in good condition and profit by the use of fertilizers. 

 Fertilizers .should not always be blamed for unprofitable re- 

 turns as the trouble generally rests with the farmer who is care- 

 less in his methods. Farmers should spend a great deal of time 

 tilling the soil and not expect the fertilizer to do all the work. 



Sometimes fertilizers do not prove profitable because the soil 

 is acid or too alkaline. If these conditions are corrected the 

 use of fertilizers is often profitable. 



It should be remembered that some fertiHzers like raw bone- 

 meal, ground rock phosphate, etc., do not give up all of their 

 plant food during the first season but may help the crops for 

 two or three years and prove profitable in this way. 



Amount of Fertilizer to Use. — Enough fertilizer should be used 

 to produce profitable crops. This amount depends upon a great 

 many factors, as the system of farming, the nature of the soil, 

 the crop to be raised and its value, the fertility of the soil, 

 the value of the land, etc. Frequent light applications are usual- 

 ly more profitable than occasional heavy applications. Market 

 garden and truck crops require more fertilizer than the staple 

 crops. From 500 to 2,500 pounds of fertilizer are used for 

 market garden, truck and special crops, and 300 to 1,000 pounds 

 for the staple crops, unless previous experience has shown that 

 more or less than these amounts are necessary and profitable. 



The following table shows in pounds per acre the quantities 

 of the elements suggested for use in available form, in fertilizers 

 for the crops indicated.* 



