the lacking element in fertilizers ; and the best results are Nitrate < 

 obtained if this element in the fertilizer is in such chemical J^ ^ 

 combination that the plants can easily use it. 



Nitrate of 

 Soda for 

 Sugar-Beets 



37 



Colorado Soils. 



Chemical analysis has shown that our soils contain 

 more than enough of most elements to grow good crops. 

 Lime is present in such large quantities that there would 

 be some to give away. The only things which^are apt to 

 be short in our soils are Nitrogen and humus. Humus is 

 the decayed parts of animals or plants and when there is 

 enough of it in the soil we say it is mellow, which means, 

 usually, rich. Both Nitrogen and humus in our dry climate 

 are used up pretty fast. Both can be replaced by growing 

 such plants as alfalfa, peas, vetches or beans or by manure. 

 For it is the large amount of Nitrogen in manures which 

 makes it chiefly valuable, but without these it takes years 

 to grow alfalfa and similar crops. 



What is Best for Sugar- Beets? 



The chemist can tell us, of course, what is in our soils, 

 and whether there is enough of everything, but he cannot 

 so easily tell us whether it is in such shape that the plants 

 can make the best use of it. And, moreover, different plants 

 use more of one element than another. When it comes to 

 finding out which are the right elements to use on sugar- 

 beets for best results, or in what form such elements should 

 be, about as good way as any is to mix them with the soil 

 where beets- are to be grown, using the different materials 

 alone and in all possible mixtures, on different patches ot 

 land, and do this for several years to make sure. 



The writer has been in a position to make numerous 

 experiments on the effect of the several necessary elements 

 on sugar-beets from different sources for several years, and 

 has been asked to give briefly the results and the best way 

 to use such fertilizers. 



In these experiments it was found that neither potash 

 or phosphoric acid alone or together had any decided effect 

 upon the sugar-beets in increasing the yield. Not enough 

 even to pay for themselves. Nitrogen, however, from Nitrate 



