GARDEN CROPS AND VEGETABLES-FRUITS AND BERRIES. 15 



A good average tobacco fertilizer should contain about 7 per cent, 

 of available phosphoric acid, 3^ per cent, nitrogen, and 10 per cent, of 

 potash. The potash should be in the form of sulphate. Fertilizers 

 which contain chlorine should be avoided. 



GARDEN CROPS AND VEGETABLES. 



The various forms of potash salts are indispensable to profitable 

 gardening. The kind and amount of potash needed will always 

 depend upon the requirements of the soil and of the different crops. 

 One or two suggestions may be made. 



For asparagus large quantities of kainit are essential for rapid 

 growth and large stalks. Some growers find that not less than 1,000 

 lbs. or even one ton, of kainit per acre, together with 250 lbs. or more 

 of nitrate of soda will give them the best results. 



For celery, experience has shown that a fertilizer containing about 

 8 per cent, potash is necessary in order to obtain good yields. As this 

 crop is often grown on muck or swamp land, which is usually deficient 

 in potash, this element of plant-food should be liberally supplied in the 

 fertilizer, while nitrogen is not needed as a rule on such soils. 



For cucumbers a liberal supply of potash and phosphoric acid is 

 essential to a good crop. The tendency of a heavy application of 

 nitrogenous manures is to produce a hollow fruit of poor keeping 

 quality. 



FRUITS AND BERRIES. 



Practical and successful fruit-growers are finding out every year the 

 importance of potash fertilization, and especially those who have trees 

 on a sandy soil find that they cannot get fruit of the finest quality 

 without it. 



The nitrogen should be applied to orchards by plowing under a 

 crop of crimson clover, cow-peas, beans, etc. It is the same with the 

 vinyard. The nitrogen obtained by green manuring is usually suffi- 

 cient to produce a good growth of wood, while potash and phos- 

 phoric acid are needed to develop and ripen fine quality of fruit. Ni- 

 trogenous fertilizers are used where green manuring cannot be prac- 

 ticed, as, for example, in strawberry culture. 



The following quantities per acre may be taken as an average 

 application for fruit: 1,000 lbs. per acre of a fertilizer containing 8 per 

 cent, phosphoric acid 10 per cent, potash, (and 3 per cent, of nitro- 

 gen where needed.) 



