THE SOIL AS RELATED TO PLANTS. 95 



If wanted for the immediate use of the plant, it 

 must necessarily be soluble, and, consequently, 

 should not be applied in the fall but in the 

 spring, when the crop is ready to use it, else it 

 will be leached away and lost. If the more 

 slowly available ones are used, they should be 

 applied in the fall. 



How Applied. Fertilizers must be evenly 

 and thoroughly distributed in the soil. For this 

 reason it is well to mix concentrated fertilizers 

 with dust, ashes, or sand. They may then be 

 scattered broadcast, and plowed or harrowed in, 

 or drilled in. Those which are readily soluble 

 may be simply distributed over the surface, as 

 the rains will carry them into the soil. 



WJien should commercial fertilisers be used? 

 Not until all home resources are exJiausted 

 should a farmer buy fertilizers. Proper prepara- 

 ation of the soil by drainage and tillage, attention 

 to rotation of crops, taking care that legumi- 

 nous plants constitute at least one crop in four, 

 so that particular elements will not be exhausted 

 by continuous drain upon them, will do much 

 toward keeping up the yield afforded by the 

 soil. But this is not enough ; all must not be 

 taken out and nothing put in. However, if all 

 waste products on the farm are utilized, there 

 will be little need of expending much money for 

 commercial fertilizers. 



(5) LIME. Plants need lime. It tends to 



