Food for ]'qii should buy your plant food itj the brst and cheapest forms ^ 

 ^" ^ and feed it to the plants as they require it. You can buy avail- 

 ''^ able Nitrogen in Nitrate of Soda for about 15 cents per 

 pound. In so-called "complete fertilizers," Nitrogen costs 

 from 20 to 30 cents per pound, and even then only part of it 

 is likely to be available. Nitrate of Soda is the cheapest and 

 best form in which to buy Available JSf itrogen. 



One would not think of buying raw, unground phosphate 

 rock for phosphatic plant food; why, then, should one ever 

 consider seriously buying the most expensive plant food, viz. : 

 Nitrogen in the raw and indigestible forms, which many 

 manufacturers and dealers endeavor to foist on our farmers. 



You can buy available phosphoric acid in superphos- 

 phate of lime, made from rock phosphate or bone-black, for 

 about 5 to 6 cents per pound (the superphosphate costing 

 from ^15.00 to $17.00 per ton, retail). Peruvian guano and 

 Thomas slag also are excellent sources of phosphoric acid. 



Potash can be bought, in muriate of potash, for about 

 42 cents per pound. 



Let us see what a ''High Grade Complete Fertilizer" 

 made from these three sources of plant food w^ould cost. 



600 pounds Nitrate of Soda, containing 93 pounds Nitrogen, costs. .^14. 88 

 1,100 pounds superphosphate, containing 150 pounds phosphoric 



acid, costs 7-25 



300 pounds sulphate of potash, containing 150 pounds potash, costs. . 6.75 



2,000 pounds, or one ton, costs ^28.88 



This fertilizer would contain Nitrogen, 5 percent, (equal 

 to over 6 per cent, of ammonia), phosphoric acid, yf per 

 cent., and potash, 7I per cent. 



A "complete fertilizer," containing as high a percentage 

 of Nitrogen, phosphoric acid and potash as the above mix- 

 ture, would cost at least ^35.00, and nine manufacturers 

 out of ten would charge $45.00 for it; and even then the 

 Nitrogen would probably not be in a form in which it would 

 be of much use as plant food until after the harvest. 



If a fertilizer is wanted that has as much unavailable 

 Nitrogen as the majority of the so-called "complete fertiliz- 

 ers" sold for $29.00 per ton, it could be made for about 

 $22.00 per ton. // only unavailable Nitrogen is all that is 

 required by all means plow under a copier crop, and buy only 

 a straight acid phosphate as such. 



