Food for Plants. 91 



year, when a count of the stalks on selected equal and 

 typical areas showed 13 per cent, of timothy on the 150- 

 pound plot, and 44 per cent, on the 450-ponnd plot. In 

 the third year the percentages of timothy were 39 per 

 cent, and 67 per cent., respectively, and in the fourth 

 year the differences were even more marked. 



Timothy is a grass which will not tol- 

 An Alkaline erate an acid soil, and it is probable 



Soil Necessary that the liming given these plots in 1897 

 for Grass. did not make them as " sweet " as 



would have been best for this crop. 

 Now, when Nitrate of Soda is used by plants, more of 

 the nitric acid is used than of the soda and a certain por- 

 tion of the latter, is left to combine with free acids in 



the soil. This, like lime, neutralizes the 

 How Nitrate acids and thus '* sweetens " the soil for 



Neutralizes Soil the timothy. With the assistance of the 

 Acids and Soda set free from the Nitrate, the timo- 



Sweetens the thy was more than able to hold its own 



Soil. and thus to make what the market calls 



a finer, better hay ; and since the market 

 demands timothy and pays for it, the farmer who sells 

 hay is wise if he meets the demand. 



Financial Profit from Use of Nitrate. 



Frequently more plant food is paid 

 How It Pays. for and put on the land than the crop 



can possibly use, the excess being en- 

 tirely thrown away, or, at best, merely saved to benefit 

 some subsequent crop. This was far from the case in 

 these trials. Indeed, it was found by analysis of the hay 

 that more potash was removed by the crops of the first 

 two years than had been added in the muriate used, con- 

 sequently the amount applied upon each plot w^as in- 

 creased in 1901 and in 1902. The Nitrogen requirement 

 of the crops was found to be slightly less than w^as sup- 

 plied in 450 pounds of Nitrate and the amount Avas re- 

 duced to 400 pounds in 1901, and changed to 415 pounds 

 in 1902. The Nitrate on the second plot w^as also reduced 



