FERTILIZERS 29 



the composition of fertilizers and the formula best 

 suited to any soil must be determined by careful 

 tests. The assumption may be safely made, how- 

 ever, that muck or peat soils are as a rule rich in 

 latent nitrogen and deficient in phosphoric acid and 

 potash. On soils of this character it would be 

 economical to apply a fertilizer of about the fol- 

 lowing composition : 200 pounds sulphate of am- 

 monia, containing 25 per cent, ammonia; 1,000 

 pounds high-grade acid phosphate, containing 16 

 per cent, available phosphoric acid ; 500 pounds 

 muriate of potash, containing 40 per cent, actual 

 potash. This gives a fertilizer containing about 3 

 per cent, nitrogen, 9 per cent, available phospohric 

 acid, and 11. 7 per cent, potash. A still simpler mix- 

 ture would consist of: 350 pounds dissolved bone, 

 containing 2 to 3 per cent, nitrogen and 15 per cent, 

 available phosphoric acid; 150 pounds muriate of 

 potash, containing 40 per cent, actual potash. This 

 wiU give a fertilizer containing from i^^ to 2 per 

 cent, nitrogen, 10.5 per cent, available phosphoric 

 acid, and 12 per cent, potash. 



On clay or sandy soils the nitrogen is nearly 

 always deficient and the phosphoric acid and potash 

 more abundant. On very porous soils the potash 

 is generally present in limited quantities only. For 

 clay and sandy soils that are not badly leached the 

 following formula is suggested : 200 pounds sul- 

 phate of ammonia, containing 25 per cent, ammonia; 

 400 pounds dissolved bone, containing 2 to 3 per 

 cent, ammonia and 16 per cent, available phosphoric 

 acid : 300 pounds high grade blood and bone, con- 



