86 Food for Plants. 



These figures speak for themselves. It is interesting 

 to note that the $16 worth of Nitrate used alone i3ro- 

 (luced an increase of 16.54 tons of cane, yielding 1.5 tons 

 of sugar, over the acid phosphate plot, which, in terms 

 of cash, represented an increased market value of $138. 

 In view of the stress laid so frequently in the past upon 

 the use of the superphosphate variety of mixes, the 

 sources of Nitrogen in such brands being as a rule en- 

 tirely unknown to the users, the above experiment is 

 illuminating. This experiment substantially and em- 

 phatically confirms Hawaiian results and fully endorses 

 Hawaiian sugar cane practice. 



GRASS GROWING FOR PROFIT. 



Timothy and related grasses feed hea\dly on Nitrogen ; 

 they are able to transform it completely into wholesome 

 and digestible animal food. When full rations of plant 

 food are present a good crop of grass will remove about 

 the equivalent of the active fertilizer ingredients of 200 

 pounds of Nitrate of Soda, and 200 pounds of acid phos- 

 phate. These amounts per acre are recommended to be 

 broadcasted on old grass lands where intensive fertiliza- 

 tion is well understood and practiced. Grass lands get 

 sour easily, especially when old, and when they do, one 

 ton of slaked lime per acre should be harrowed in before 

 seeding down anew. For the best results the seeding 

 should be done before September, and the above-men- 

 tioned ration should be used as a dressing the following 

 spring, soon after the grass begins to show growth. 



If all the conditions are favorable, from three to five 

 tons of clean barn-cured hay, free from weeds, may rea- 

 sonably be expected. When grass crops are heavy and 

 run as high as 4i/2 tons per acre field-cured, it is safe to 

 allow 20 per cent, shrinkage in weight for seasoning and 

 drying doAvn to a barn-cured basis. Nitrate of Soda, the 

 chief constituent of the prescribed ration, insures early 

 growth and enables it to get ahead of all weeds, and the 

 crop then feeds economically and fully on the other 



