How to Use Chemical Fertilizers 

 to Advantage. 



Crops grow only in consequence of the 

 How All Crops food placed at their dlsposal; p ract ically, 



ow * the plant foods consist of certain combina- 



tions or mixtures of Nitrogen, phosphoric acid and potash. 

 All soils contain some of these plant foods, and few soils con- 

 tain them in very large quantities. Fortunately for the perma- 

 nence of agriculture, nature does not permit these natural 

 supplies to be drawn upon freely, and any attempt to over- 

 force the soil by injudicious farming is met by a temporary 

 exhaustion. The so-called "artificial ma- 

 As to the Na- nures" are simply chemical or organic sub- 

 ture of Chemi- stances which contain one or more of the 

 cal Manures. three elements of plant food. 



The use of Nitrate of Soda is well known 



Nitrate as a as a top-dressing for small grains. Wheat 



Top-Dressing on S t r0 ng clay will repay an application of 



for Grains, IOO pounds O f Nitrate per acre, even if 



Grasses, Root- already heavily fertilized. 



Crops, Pas- p or R oots IOO pounds at seed time 



tures. Soiling and IOQ pounds a f ter thinning is found 



Cr P s - profitable. 



How Nitrate The form of Nitrogen most active as 

 Increases plant food is the nitrated form, namely: 



Wheat Crops. Nitrate of Soda. All other Nitrogens 

 must be converted into this form before 

 they can be used as food by plants. Sir John Lawes wisely 

 remarks: "When we consider that the application of a few 

 pounds of Nitrogen in Nitrate of Soda to a soil which 

 contains several thousand pounds of Nitrogen in its 

 organic form, is capable of increasing the crop from 14 to 

 40 or even 50 bushels of wheat per acre, I think it must be 

 apparent to all that we have very convincing evidence of 

 the value of Nitrate." The Nitrogen of Nitrate of Soda is 

 immediately available as plant food, and it should therefore 

 be applied only when plants are ready to use it. By such a 

 ready supply of available plant food, young plants are able 

 to establish such a vigor of growth that they can much 



