Fertilizing tKe MarKet Garden 



Prof. R. Harcourl, O.A.C.. Cuelph 



BlvKORE ihe market gardener can 

 intelligently and economically use 

 commercial fertilizers it is essential 

 that he have, first, a clear couctjption 

 of the needs of the soil under culiiva'- 

 tion; second, a definite idea of the 

 nature of the growth wanted, whether 

 for large development of leaf and stem, 

 or for seed and fruit, and how this may 

 be forced ; and third, a knowledge of the 

 function of the various constituents of 

 a fertilizer, and the value of different 

 forms of these constituents as found in 

 the various bra:ids of fertilizers on the 

 market. 



It is not an easy matter to express 

 exactly what is meant by soil fertihty 

 as so many conditions are involved, 

 all of which have more or less influence. 

 A fertile sail must contain, at least, a 

 fair quantity of those constituents that 

 are removed from the soil in maximum 

 quantities by the crops grown. Ex- 

 periments have demonstrated that plants 

 require at least 10 chemical elements 

 for normal growth and development. 

 Each of thes;' substances has its own 

 particular work to perform and no one 

 can take ths place of another. For- 

 tunately, most soils are abundantly 

 supplied with all these essential con- 

 stituehts, nearly all of which are held 

 in such forms that they are not readily 

 leached from the soil. 



Plknts, however, take up compar- 

 atively large quantities of nitrogen, 

 phosphoric acid, potash, and lime, and, 

 as they are rem'ived with the crop, it 

 must' follow that in tirrie the soil be- 



comes more or less depleted of these 

 constituents. The organic matter of 

 the soil is the source of nitnjgen to the 

 majority of plants, and in its decay 

 the nitrogen is converted into a soluble 

 form which is quickly lost in the drain 

 age water unless taken up by plants. 

 Lime, also, as a result of the many 

 chemical changes taking place in the 

 soil, is continually being carried away 

 in the soil water, lividence of this is 

 seen in the fact that water collected 

 from the soil or rock contains lime, or 

 is "hard." These, then, are the four 

 constituents which must receive the 

 greatest amount of attention in the 

 cultivation of the soil. 



But the presence of the chemical 

 elements of fertility in themselves is 

 not sufficient to insure fertility. To 

 serve as food for plants they must be 

 in a form available to the roots. Water 

 is absolutely essential both for the 

 solution of the fcK)d elements in the 

 soil and for their distribution in the 

 plant after they are acquired. As we 

 understand soils, they are made up of 

 particles of various sizes. When it is 

 well drained, the water is held on the 

 surface of these particles, and the inter- 

 spaces are open, thus making it possible 

 for the air to penetrate into the soils 

 and supply the oxygen essential to the 

 Hfe of the various types of micro-organ- 

 isms busily engaged with the decom- 

 position of the organic matter. The 

 amount of water held on the surface of 

 the particles depends on their size and 

 shape ; the smaller and more irregular 



Where Vegetables are Forced 



These ereenhoust'S are <iwne<l hy Mr. Jiilin WestworKi. of Todniordiil The chief crops grown in them are 

 lettuce and radish. .\l p-rsent they are filled with lettuce, radish, parsley, cress and mint, but the last three 

 crops in small quantities. Mr. VVestwixxl claims that lettuce and radish are the most profitable. The tank 

 in the rear is used for high prcs.sure in the spring and fall. In winter, however, the water supply is taken from 

 .\ tank in the boiler house. A windmill is used for lifting the water to the tanks, and the pipes are urder- 

 urxnind and away from danger of freezing. 



94 



the shape, the greater the amount of 

 water they will hold. Consequeiltly, 

 a drained clay sf)il will hold more water 

 than a sand, and a soil rich in humus 

 more than one ptxjr in that constituent. 



Humus not only increases the water 

 holding power of the soil, but it also 

 appreciably effects its general physical 

 condition, and, further, in its decay 

 causes potash and phosphoric acid to 

 be rendered available to plants. Humus 

 apparently has a wider influence on 

 the fertility of a stn\ than any other 

 one factor. The various essential ele- 

 ments of plant food may be supplied in 

 inorganic forms, but unless humus is 

 present to regulate the general physical 

 conditions and to supply the essentials 

 for the breaking up of the insoluble 

 salts formed in the soils, good remuner- 

 ative crops cannot be produced. This 

 fact must not be lost sight of, for unless 

 humus is present we cannot hope to 

 get good results from the fertilizers 

 applied. 



Nitrogen forces leaf and stem growth 

 and tends to retard maturity; phos- 

 phoric acid aids in the formation and 

 transportation of the proteids and 

 seems to hasten maturity, and potash 

 appears to be essential to the forma- 

 tion and transportation of carbo- 

 hydrates. With many of the crops of 

 the market gardener, especially those 

 sold in the immature state, quality is 

 dependent upon, or measured by, both 

 appearance and palatibility ; and pal 

 atibility is determined by succulenct 

 and sweetness of the vegetable, or it'- 

 freedom from bitterness, stringincss 

 and other undesirable characteristics 

 that frequently exist, and that can be 

 largely eliminated by providing an 

 abundance of food for a continuous 

 and rapid development of the plant. 

 Any delay in the growth of radish or 

 of lettuce is largely responsible for thr 

 sharp taste and pungent flavor of tin 

 former, and the bitterness and tough- 

 ened fibre of the latter. For crops of 

 this nature, a generous supply of p>otash 

 and phosphoric acid is essential, but 

 nitrogen is the constituent that should 

 predominate. 



Owing to the wet fall and open 

 winter and the consequent leaching 

 away of nitrates, it is possible that 

 nitrate of soda will give unusually good 

 results this year, especially on crops 

 sown in the early spring. XMiile nitro 

 gen may be used freelv on some crops 

 when maturity is required, as with the 

 tomato, com, potato, sugar beet, etc., 

 a soluble form of nitrogen, as nitrate 

 of soda, may be used early in the season 

 to insure a good start, but it should be 

 withheld during the latter stages of 

 growth in order that the ash constitu- 



