When to Fertilize 99 



harder the clay, the less marked, in general, is the 

 effect, although amendments (as lime) may have great 

 effect in making such soils granular. 



Again, the state of tillage has much to do with the 

 efficiency of a fertilizer. The element which the plant 

 needs may be afforded more cheaply by giving better 

 tillage than by adding fertilizers ; for tillage sets at 

 work the forces which unlock plant-food. On the other . 

 hand, fertilizer is more usable by the plant on well- 

 tilled soils : the plant can get hold of it because the 

 material is more evenly distributed ; there is more 

 moisture to dissolve it ; the plant is more comfortable 

 and vigorous and thereby better able to appropriate 

 it. The good gardener is the one who gets the most 

 out of his land by means of good tillage and then 

 adds fertilizer to get more out of it. He uses fertilizer 

 for the purpose of securing an extra yield, not to pre- 

 vent the soil from becoming exhausted. As a rule, the 

 men who till best buy most plant-food. Fertilizer is 

 usually a losing investment for a poor farmer. 



When to apply a fertilizer depends on (1) when it 

 is needed by the plant, (2) the kind of fertilizer, (3) the 

 soil, (4) the kind of plant, (5) the season of normal 

 rainfall of the district. The more soluble the fertilizer, 

 the looser the soil, the shallower the roots, the later 

 the fertilizer may be applied. With trees, it matters 

 little whether fertilizer is applied in fall or spring, for 

 it will be one or two years, as a rule, before it affects 

 the plant. With the general run of vegetable crops 

 and on soils in good tilth, it is usually best to apply 

 fertilizer in the spring, sowing it on the surface and 



