S2 Food for Plants. 



OBSERVATIONS UPON THE LEACHING OF SOLUBLE 

 FERTILIZER SALTS FROM CRANBERRY SOILS. 



By JOHN II. VOORHEES, 



Former Assistant in Charge Cranberry Investigations, N. J. 



Experiment Station. 



In the spring of 1913 the author was detailed by the 

 New Jersey Experiment Station to study the fertilizer 

 requirements of the cranberry. After a survey of the 

 field it was decided to locate the experimental work upon 

 bogs owned and operated by practical growers. Plead- 

 quarters for this work were located at the bogs of J. J. 

 White, Incorp., situated about three miles northeast of 

 Hanover farais on the P. R. R. in Burlington county. 

 A rather complete series of plots was planned including 

 the separate use of four sources of Nitrogen, — Nitrate of 

 Soda, ammonium sulphate, dried blood 12 per cent., and 

 cotton-seed meal; four sources of phosphoric acid, — acid 

 phosphate, basic slag, phosphate rock and steamed bone ; 

 and three sources of potash, — muriate, sulphate and 

 kainit. These materials were not only used separately, 

 but also in complete mixtures in which ammonium sul- 

 phate, acid phosphate and muriate of potash were used 

 as constant factors. In each case the fertilized plots 

 received either two pounds of Nitrogen, four of phos- 

 phoric acid, or five of potash, and in the case of complete 

 mixtures all of the above quantities were used. 



On the bogs of J. J. White the series of plots was laid 

 out in three distinct types of soil; the Savannah, a pure 

 sand mixed with more or less organic matter, deep mud, 

 and deep mud underlaid with iron ore. Wherever pos- 

 sible the plots were made one-twentieth acre in size, one 

 rod mde and eight rods long. (Details of the plan of 

 ex]Teriment may be found in 1913 Report, N. J. Agricul- 

 tural Experiment Station, pages 384-488.) 



On June 6, 1913, the first application of fertilizer was 

 made to the plots in these series and observations of the 

 effect of added plant food have been extremely interest- 

 ing. One occurrence brings out clearly how little an 



