METHODS OF APPLYING FERTILIZERS 347 



Other advantages from home-mixing are, that it per- 

 mits the farmer to use exactly the proportions of the 

 several constituents that he desires, and that it makes 

 unnecessary the handling of a large amount of inert 

 material frequently contained in mixed fertilizers. 

 It is thus possible for him to ascertain by fields test 

 the best proportions of the various fertilizer constituents 

 to use upon his own land for each of the crops he is grow- 

 ing, which knowledge makes it possible to decrease 

 greatly the expenditure for fertilizers. 



215. Methods of applying fertilizers. The distribu- 

 tion of the fertilizer by means of machinery is much more 

 satisfactory than is broadcasting by hand, as the former 

 method gives a much more uniform distribution. Cereals 

 and other crops planted with a drill or planter are now 

 usually provided with an attachment for dropping the 

 fertilizer at the same time that the seed is sown, the ferti- 

 lizer being by this method placed under the surface of the 

 soil. Broadcasting machines are also used, which leave 

 the fertilizer uniformly distributed on the surface of the 

 ground, thus permitting it to be applied and harrowed-in 

 sufficiently, before the seed is planted, to prevent injury 

 to the seed by the chemical activity of the fertilizing 

 material. 



Corn planters with fertilizer attachments deposit the 

 fertilizer beneath the seed, so as not to bring the two in 

 contact. Grain drills do not do this, and, where the 

 amount of fertilizer used exceeds 300 or 400 pounds per 

 acre, it is better to apply it before seeding. Grass seed 

 and other small seeds should be planted only after the 

 fertilizer has been mixed with the soil for several days. 



