Fo pi d ants How to Use Chemical Fertilizers 

 24 to Advantage. 



Crops grow only in consequence of 



Grow** r ° PS ^ ne ^ ooc ^ Pl ace d a t their disposal; prac- 

 tically, the plant foods consist of cer- 

 tain combinations or mixtures of Nitrogen, phosphoric 

 acid and potash. All soils contain some of these plant 

 foods, and few soils contain them in very large quan- 

 tities. Fortunately for the permanence of agriculture, 

 nature does not permit these natural supplies to be 

 drawn upon freely, and any attempt to over-force the 

 soil by injudicious farming is met by a temporary ex- 

 haustion. The so-called "artificial ma- 

 As to the Na- nures" are simply chemical or organic 

 cal Man res " substances which contain one or more 



of the three elements of plant food. 



The use of Nitrate of Soda is well 

 Nitrate as a known as a top-dressing for small grains. 



Top-Dressing Wheat on strong clay will repay an ap- 

 Grass r e a S m Root- Potion of 100 pounds of Nitrate per 

 Crops Pas- acre, even if already heavily fertilized, 



tures, Soiling For Roots 100 pounds at seed time and 

 Crops. 100 pounds after thinning is found 



profitable. 



The form of Nitrogen most active as 

 How Nitrate plant food is the nitrated form, namely: 



Increases Nitrate of Soda. All other Nitrogens 



Wheat Crops. , , , , . ., . P , % 



must be converted into this torm betore 



they can be used as food by plants. Sir John Lawes 

 wisely remarks: 'When we consider that the applica- 

 tion of a few pounds of Nitrogen in Nitrate of Soda to 

 a soil which contains several thousand pounds of Nitro- 

 gen in its organic form, is capable of increasing the crop 

 from 14 to 40 or even 50 bushels of wheat per acre, I 

 think it must be apparent to all that we have very con- 

 vincing evidence of the value of Nitrate." The Nitro- 

 gen of Nitrate of Soda is immediately available as plant 

 food, and it should therefore be applied only when 

 plants are ready to use it. By such a ready supply 

 of available plant food, young plants are able to estab- 



