Commercial Fertilizers tor the Market Garden 



Frank T. Shutt, M.A., Chemist, Dominion Experimental Farms 



rUCH has been said and printed re- 

 garding special brands of fertiliz- 

 ers for special crops. We cannot, 

 _ a rule, recommend them, for they are 

 eldom prepared from a scientific basis 

 the first place, and it is very doubtful, 

 the second place, if our present know- 

 dge of crop requirements is sufficient 

 |o justify us in saying that any particular 

 ratio or proportion of the fertilizer ele- 

 Tient for any particular crop, is the best. 

 fowever, it is true that there is a dom- 

 lant fertilizer for each class of crops, 

 id the system that adopts this view 

 a good one, if not followed too close- 

 or too severely. Thus the cereals re- 

 spond to fertilijcers in which soluble nit- 

 Ogen predominates ; turnips require 

 boric acid more particularly ; clover 

 nd the legumes need potash specially, 

 erhaps, soluble nitrogen, as in nitrate 

 soda, is the most important element 

 the growing of leafy crops. By notic- 

 ng the particular "liking" or peculiari- 

 ies as it were of a crop, it is true that 

 ^e can frequently economize in the mat- 

 tr of fertilizers, but in the first place 

 ' would be well to consider what might 

 i termed a "basis fertilizer," service- 

 Ible for many crops. 



I Prof. Voorhees, of New Jersey, an 

 fiithonty on fertilizers, suggests as a 

 asic fertilizer, for market garden pur- 

 oses, one having the following per- 

 entage composition: Nitrogen, four 

 er cent. ; phosphoric acid, eight per 

 ent. ; potash, ten per cent. On the light 

 oils in the eastern and southern states 

 Irom i,ooo to 1,500 pounds may be ap- 

 plied, and this further supplemented lat- 

 ' in the season by additional dressing 

 nitrate of soda. Though we seek to 

 pave an excess of plant food present, it 

 ■Tould be wiser for us, with our better 

 OUs, to experiment at first with smaller 

 Imounts. For loams that have been con- 

 ntly enriched by heavy applications of 

 nure, probably 500 pounds an acre 

 give as large a yield as 1,000 

 ounds. Again, if our soil is, as ju.st de- 

 cribed, it might be more profitable to 

 educe the amount of nitrogen in the 

 'Srtilizer. Nitrogen is a costly clement 

 rid, moreover, can always be given to 

 he crop just as the crop can utiliz ■ it. 

 t is better, therefore, in the majority of 

 ases, to reserve the greater part of the 

 utrogen for application in 6ne or more 

 pp dressing after the crop is up, and 

 ctively growing. 



Let us sec what amount of plant food 

 Kould be furnished by such an applica- 

 lon of 1,000 pounds an acre of the basic 

 prtilizer mentioned. They are as fol- 

 pwg: Nitrogen, 40 pounds; phosphoric 



.It id, 80 pounds; potash, 100 poinids. 

 My impression is that with land 

 in good condition, and to which 

 stable manure in moderate quantities, is 

 annually added, that from one-half to 

 three-fourths of the above amounts will 

 be sufficient, to be supplemented, if nec- 

 essary by subsequent top dressings of 

 nitrate of soda of 50 to 100 pounds each 

 at intervals of two or three weeks in the 

 early part of the season. 



Selecting the ingredients from among 

 those we have spoken of, we have the 

 following : Nitrate of soda, 100 pounds ; 

 bone meal, 200 pounds ; superphosphate, 

 200 pounds ; sulphate of potash, 100 

 pounds. This mixture would contain 

 four per cent, nitrogen, ten per cent, 

 of phosphoric acid, (five per cent, of 

 which is available), and eight per cent, 

 of potash, and could be used at the rate 

 of 600 to 800 pounds an acre, broadcast- 

 ed and harrowed in or drilled into the 

 prepared land before seeding in the 

 .spring. After the crop is up a few inches, 

 if the color is a pale green, or there is a 

 general lack of vigor, give a top dress- 

 ing of fifty to seventy-five pounds of ni- 

 trate of soda, to be repeated, if neces- 

 sary, some three weeks later. The ad- 

 dition of sand or dry earth to the fer- 

 tilizer will facilitate the distribution of 

 small dressings. 



Slight variations on the foregoing may 

 be given as follows: Nitrate of soda, 50 

 pounds ; dried blood, 100 pounds ; bone 

 meal, 200 pounds ; superphosphate, 300 

 pounds; muriate or sulphate of potash, 

 200 pounds. This mixture should con- 

 tain 3.5 per cent, of nitrogen, 8 per cent, 

 of phosphoric acid, and 11.5 per cent, 

 of potash. Applied at the rate of 850 



pounds an acre, we should be furnish- 

 ing approximately : Nitrogen, 28 pounds ; 

 phosphoric acid, 85 pounds; and pota.sh, 

 100 pounds. 



The following formulae, from Voor- 

 hees, have been used with good ettect 

 for general garden crops: Ground bone, 

 one part; superphosphate, one part, mur- 

 iate or sulphate of potash, one part; ap- 

 plied at the rate of 500 to 800 pounds 

 an acre. Top dress the growing crop 

 with TOO pounds of nitrate of soda an 

 acre. Such a mixture (including the ni- 

 trate subsequently applied) contains 5 

 per cent, of nitrogen; 9.5 per cent, of 

 phosphoric acid, and 12.5 per cent, of 

 potash; and 500 pounds of the mixture 

 (including 100 pounds of nitrate) would 

 furnish 20 to 25 pounds of nitrogen, 38 

 to 45 pounds of phosphoric acid, (one- 

 third of which is immediately available) 

 and 60 pounds of potash. 



If a larger percentage of soluble phos- 

 phoric acid is required, the following for- 

 mula; will be better than the preceding: 

 Ground bone, i J4 parts; superphos- 

 phate, i^/i parts; muriate or sulphate of 

 potash, I part; applied at the rate of 

 500 to 800 pounds an acre. Top dress 

 with nitrate of soda as already indicated. 



This mixture (including 100 pounds of 

 nitrate) would have the following com- 

 position : Nitrogen, four and a half per 

 cent; phosphoric acid, eleven per cent.; 

 potash, ten per cent, — 500 pounds (in- 

 cluding the nitrate) would furnish: nit- 

 togen, 22 pounds; phosphoric acid, 58 

 pounds, (nearly* two-thirds available); 

 and potash 50 pounds. 



I would impress on growers that ex- 

 cess of phosphoric acid and potash, will 

 not be lost ; such excess will remain for 



Growiog Celery (or the Toronto Market 



Note boards on centre row pliiccd for blcacliiiig. I'arni of (ioo. Sjine & Son, Carleton West, Ont. 

 IIU 



