SUITING THE FERTILIZERS TO THE SOIL III 



size, for example, one eighth of an acre. The figures in 

 the table show the number of pounds of fertilizer for one 

 acre: 



The plots must be on the same kind of soil and equally 

 well drained. If it is not convenient to harvest the crop 

 separately on so many plots, use only plots i, 2, 3, 4, and 5. 



Fertilizers that do not work well together. Two ferti- 

 lizers that must not be mixed are lime and phosphate. 

 The lime changes the phosphate into a less soluble form 

 and thus reduces its value as a fertilizer. Now, ashes 

 contain much lime; therefore ashes and phosphate should 

 not be used together. 



EXERCISE. Learn from a farmer in the neighborhood, or from the 

 printing on fertilizer sacks, the composition of the fertilizer most used in 

 your neighborhood. Is it used on all sorts of soils? If it suits poor 

 clay soils, is it apt to be the best for sandy land? By making the 

 fertilizer experiment described in this Section, you may be able to in- 

 crease greatly the profits of some farm the next year. 



NOTE TO THE TEACHER. The calculation of the commercial values 

 of fertilizers and practice in calculating fertilizer formulas of definite 

 composition should be continued. 



