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disproportionately large. We very often hear the statement ^^°^ ^^'^ 



that, by the use of certain fertilizers, the crop is doubled or 



tripled, as if this were a remarkable occurrence and partook 

 of the nature of a mystery. Such results are not mysterious 

 — they can be explained; they are in accordance with the 

 principles involved. 



In an experiment on celery it was shown that the weight of 

 celery from an appli'cation of 400 pounds per acre of Nitrate 

 of Soda was two and one-half times greater than that obtained 

 on the land upon which no Nitrate was used, and that very 

 great profit followed its use. This result, while remarkable 

 in a way, was not mysterious; if all the Nitrogen applied had 

 been used by the crop, there would have been a still greater 

 increase. It simply showed that where no extra Nitrogen 

 had been applied the plant was not able to obtain enough 

 to make the crop what the conditions of the season and soil, 

 in other respects, permitted. In other words, that the soil 

 did not contain a complete food; the Nitrogen was necessary 

 to supply the deficiency. Favorable conditions are, how- 

 ever, not uniform, and variations in return from definite 

 applications must be expected. 



It is quite possible to have a return of $50 per acre from 

 the use of ^5 worth of Nitrate of Soda on crops of high value, 

 as, for example, early tomatoes, beets, cabbage, etc. This is 

 an extraordinary return for the money invested and labor 

 involved; still, if the value of the increased crop from its use 

 was but $10, or even ^8, it should be regarded as a profitable 

 investment, since no more land and but little more capital 

 was required in order to obtain the extra ^5 or ^3 per acre. 

 It is the accumulation of these little extras that oftentimes 

 change an unprofitable into a profitable practice. 



PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS AS A RESULT 

 OF EXPERIMENTS. 



I. For Crops of High Commercial Value. 



It is well understood by all market ear- __ , , ^ , 

 , , . , . , . -^ ... , o Market Garden 



deners that, m their busmess, liberal manur- _ 



ing must be practiced, and that the man- 

 ures used must contain an abundance 6f Nitrogen, that may 

 be quickly used by the plant, if rapidity of growth and early 



