these crops is, however, very large, and, because of the condi- Food toT 

 tions which prevail, it is likely that their growth will continue Plants 

 for some time to come, though it is eminently desirable that 6l 

 the average yield should be increased. 



One of the chief reasons for the low average yield is that 

 the farming is on the "extensive," rather than on the "inten- 

 sive" plan. The relatively large areas used are not well pre- 

 pared for the seed, and the fertilizers applied do not fully 

 supplement soil supplies of plant-food. These conditions, 

 too, are not liable to change at once, because the farmers are 

 not yet prepared to adopt the more rational intensive system ; 

 the adjustment to new conditions requires time. The sug- 

 gestions here given as to the use of top-dressings of nitro- 

 genous substances are therefore of primary importance, be- 

 cause, if followed, it will enable the farmer to obtain more 

 profitable crops, and will encourage the gradual adoption of 

 better systems of practice. 



The farmers have, however, reached the point where 

 they are asking the general question: "How shall I profitably 

 increase the yields of these crops?" They are not satisfied 

 with present conditions, nor with the general advice to supply 

 the crops with additional plant-food. The advice is not 

 definite enough, and they are not sure that the cost of expen- 

 sive plant-food will be returned in the immediate crop, and 

 they cannot afford to wait for future crops to return an 

 interest on the invested capital. As soon as it is made clear 

 that a profitable increase in crop from the use of fertilizers 

 is a reasonable thing to expect, then the questions are first, 

 "What shall I use?" second, "How much shall I use per 

 acre?" and third, "When and how shall it be applied?" 

 Experiments that have been conducted with the use of Nitrate 

 of Soda answer all of these questions in a definite and specific 

 way. 



In the case of hay, from timothy and 



other grasses, the experiments that have 

 been conducted answer the first question "What shall I use" 

 as follows: Use Nitrate of Soda, because it is a food ele- 

 ment that is especially needed; it is soluble in water and can be 

 immediately taken up by the plants and supplies them with 

 that which they need at the time they need it it can be used 

 by them early in the spring before other forms of applied 

 Nitrogen are usable and before other soil supplies are avail- 



