174 One Thousand Questions in Agriculture 



Nitrate of Soda. 



How shall I apply nitrate of soda as fertiliser for roses and other 

 flowers and lawns during the summer months? 



One has to be very careful in the use of nitrate of soda not 

 to use too much and not to apply it unevenly, so that too much 

 is brought in contact with the roots of particular plants. From one 

 to two hundred pounds an acre evenly distributed is the usual pre- 

 scription for nitrate of soda, although in the case of bearing orange 

 trees considerably larger amounts have been successfully used. This 

 would be at the rate of about one ounce to one square yard of sur- 

 face. It would be a safe application to begin with and could be 

 increased a little on the basis of observation of results. Of course, 

 the application should be accompanied by copious irrigation in order 

 to dissolve and distribute the substance. 



Fertilizing Strawberries. 



/ have half an acre of strazvherries which will fruit their second 

 season this spring, and half an acre set last month. I had intended to 

 use nitrate of soda on them, but was talking to a friend who told me it 

 would kill my soil. That the first year it would produce an enormous 

 crop and the next year I couldn't raise anything. Which would be better 

 to use here, stable manure or commercial fertiliser? 



It is true that nitrate of soda is a stimulant of plants, and by 

 rendering soil fertility immediately available may seem to reduce 

 the supply later, and yet it is a most available forcing fertilizer 

 if used with great caution, not over 200 pounds to the acre evenly 

 scattered over the whole surface or a less amount, of course, if con- 

 fined to particular areas. If used in excess it may actually kill the 

 plants. Still nitrate of soda is being used actively and intelligently 

 by nearly all growers of plants and must be counted on the whole 

 a valuable agency. If you can get stable manure, nothing is better 

 as a complete plant food. Application to strawberries must be made 

 at the close of the season, rubbish scraped away and manure applied 

 and allowed to stand on the surface during the early rains, being 

 worked into the soil during the rainy season. If the soil is light, 

 sandy loam, too much coarse material must be avoided. Therefore, 

 well-rotted manure is important on such soils while on a heavy soil 

 coarser material may be used to advantage if applied early in the 

 rainy season. If you have no well-rotted manure, a complete com- 

 mercial fertilizer will give best results. 



Late Applications of Nitrate. 



/ have some prune trees zvhich blossoDicd some time ago and the 

 prunes are already set, and of small size. Would you recommend me to 

 use an application of, say lOO pounds per acre of nitrate of soda, applied 

 immediately, or is it a little too late in the season to get the desired 

 result? 



