Food for IO o per cent., with an average increased value of crop of 

 Plant> $100 per acre. It is shown, further, that, as in the case of 

 56 ver y early crops, the earliest ripened fruit is not found 

 upon the plants which received the extra fertilizer, but rather 

 upon those insufficiently nourished, and thus forced to matu- 

 rity because of a lack of food; besides, these specimens are 

 usually small and of poorer quality. The increased value is 

 obtained because of a large crop of finer quality, as a very 

 marked influence of the added nitrogenous substance is 

 noticed in marketable quality of the total crop, reducing 

 very materially the percentage of culls. The experi- 

 ments showed that, while the percentage of culls, where 

 no Nitrogen was applied, averaged 40 per cent., the ave- 

 rage per cent, of culls on the fertilized area was but 25 

 per cent., indicating that the normal development of fruit 

 requires a sufficient abundance of available Nitrogen. 



On light soils, apply broadcast during 

 Methods of a jj or w ; nter) g to 10 tons of manure, 



Practice. which should be plowed in early in spring. 



After the land is prepared, a high-grade fertilizer should be 

 applied broadcast, at the rate of 600 to 800 pounds per acre, 

 and harrowed in previous to planting. After the plants are 

 well started, apply 100 pounds per acre of Nitrate of Soda; 

 before the vines begin to run, make an additional application 

 of 100 pounds per acre. Care should be taken in the applica- 

 tion of the Nitrate, as suggested in the case of the other 

 crops, not to allow the salt to come in contact with the 

 foliage of the plants. , 



In the case of cucumbers, heavier soils 

 Cucumbers. may be usc ^ an( j i arger quantities of ferti- 



lizers applied. In our experiments, the application of Nitrate 

 in addition to regular methods of fertilization resulted in a 

 very large increase in crop over 100 per cent. and an 

 increase in net value of over $60 per acre. The amounts 

 of Nitrate applied may range from 250 to 350 pounds per 

 acre, and it should preferably be distributed more evenly 

 throughout the season than in the case of the melons; 300 

 pounds per acre, in three applications, gave the best results. 

 The effect of the Nitrate here, as in the case of melons, was 

 particularly noticeable in maintaining a rapid and continuous 

 growth of vine and fruit, thus materially reducing the pro- 



