Food fuk [^i.ants. 13 



Spain; Dr. Wai>iier and Professor Maercker, of Ger- 

 many; and Drs. Voorliees, J. G. Lipman, Brooks, Dug- 

 gar, Koss, Patterson, Ililgard and Garcia in America. 

 The results obtained by these officials may be summar- 

 ized as follows : 



1. Nitrate of Soda acts very beneficially and with great 

 certainty upon all straws-growing plants. 



2. It is of special value for forcing the rapid develop- 

 ment and early maturity of most garden crops. 



3. It is of great importance in the production of sugar 

 beets, potatoes, hops, fodder crops, fiber plants, and 

 tobacco. 



4. It is exceedingly valuable in developing and main- 

 taining meadow grass and pasture lands. 



5. In the early stages of development it produces fa- 

 vorable results upon peas, vetches, lupines, clover, and 

 alfalfa. 



6. It has been applied with much advantage to various 

 kinds of berries, bush fruits, vineyards, orchards and 

 nursery stock, and small fruits generally. 



7. It provides the means in the hands of the farmer, 

 for energizing his crops so that they may better with- 

 stand the ravages of drought, or the onslaughts of plant 

 diseases or insect pests, such as boll weevil, and others. 



8. It may be used as a surface application to the soil, 

 from time to time, should the plants indicate a need of it 

 by their lack of color and growth. 



9. It is immediately available, and under favorable 

 conditions its effect upon many crops may be noticed 

 within a few days after its application. 



10. It may be used either as a special fertilizer, or as a 

 supplemental fertilizer. 



11. The best results are obtained from its application 

 when the soil contains ample supplies of available phos- 

 phoric acid and potash. It should be remembered that it 

 furnishes the one most expensive and necessary element 

 of plant food, namely. Nitrogen, and of the various com- 

 mercial forms of Nitrogen, Nitrate is the cheapest. 



