quantities too close to the plants that are fertilized with it. Food for 

 For most agricultural crops, an application of one hundred Plants 

 pounds to the acre is sufficient when it is used alone. '5 



1 8. It may be applied to either agricultural or garden 

 lands by sowing it broadcast upon the land, or by means of 

 any fertilizer-distributing machine in use. If applied in the 

 dry state, in order to insure uniform distribution, a conve- 

 nient method is to mix it with twice its weight of air-slacked 

 lime, land plaster, or even with dry sand or wheat bran before 

 applying it. It can be applied to the surface, and without 

 cultivation will be absorbed by the soil, or it may be culti- 

 vated into the soil by some light agricultural implement, such 

 as a harrow, weeder, cultivator or horse hoe. The capillary 

 movement of the soil waters will distribute it in the soil, and 

 the capillary attraction of the soil when in good tilth will 

 retain it safely until the plant uses it 



Accepting the conclusions of these scientific men, the use 

 of Nitrate of Soda in agriculture ought to increase propor- 

 tionately to the dissemination of the knowledge of its 

 usefulness among our farmers. An increase in the consump- 

 tion of Nitrate among growers of tobacco, 

 fiber plants, sugar beets, the hop, grape, 

 grass and small fruits, has been most nota- increasing, 

 ble of late. The element of plant food first exhausted in soils 

 is Nitrogen, and in many cases a marked increase in crop is 

 obtained through Top-Dressings of Nitrate alone. "Com- 

 plete" fertilizers are generally rather low in Nitrogen, and 

 most expensive, and Nitrate may be wisely used to supple- 

 ment them, as it is practically the cheapest form of plant 

 food nitrogen. 



By "complete fertilizers," is meant 

 fertilizers containing Nitrogen, phosphoric ^o^P 161 ^ 

 acid and potash. These fertilizers are often ' lllze K rs a d 

 called "phosphates," and people have fall- h Sph * te ' 

 en into the habit of calling any commercial the js 

 fertilizer a "phosphate," whether it con- sive Plan 

 tains phosphate or not. Many so-called "complete fertiliz- 

 ers" are merely low grade acid phosphates with insignificant 

 amounts of the other essential plant foods. They are unprof- 

 itable and ill balanced rations for all crops. 



